Peace, Please
According to Danish Law, 50.000 signatures supporting a proposition will force the Folketing (Parliament) to treat the proposition in the Folketing
Link to sign here: https://www.borgerforslag.dk/se-og-stoet-forslag/?Id=FT-16712
Denmark has a duty to prevent genocide
2024-01-02
Written by:
● Jonathan Ofir, Jewish-Israeli conductor, musician, and writer about
Israel-Palestine affairs for the American online newspaper Mondoweiss
● Anas Kababo, entrepreneur and program advisor in the field of human
rights
● Ane Birk, master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies, previously been
deployed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a human rights observer in
Palestine. 15 years of experience in international development and
human rights work for the UN, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and several
NGOs
● Tarek Ziad Hussein, lawyer and author. Previously a special consultant at
the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the director of Danish Refugee
Council Youth
● Niels Brinch, consultant and activist for human rights, citizenship and
legal security
● Klaus Goldschmidt Henriksen, chief consultant and partner for SPUK
● Zeynep Bangert, master’s degree, author, and has prepared reports on
human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank
● Sadia Bundgaard, Master’s degree in International Development and
Communication and MPA in Public Policy from the University of California,
Berkeley. 20 years of field experience with ICRC, Danish Red Cross, Danish
Refugee Council, Oxfam GB, IRC, and Save the Children, notably in Gaza
and the West Bank
● Mikael Hertig, master’s degree in political science
● Anna Askjær Larsen, medical doctor and activist
● Morten Thing, Ph.D., and the author of “Israel, a Failed Society, a Failed
State,” and “The Bible of Antisemitism,”
● Yonatan Ungermann Goldshtein, associate professor at Aalborg
University and a Jewish peace activist
Proposition text to sign:
Leading UN and international law experts agree that Israel is preparing and
carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Leading Israeli leaders, authorities and senior
military personnel have repeatedly publicly expressed intentions that, according
to the definition of the Genocide Convention, can be described as incitement to
genocide.
Responsibility to protect
In 2005, Denmark acceded to the Genocide Convention1, which in article 139
imposes on Denmark the obligation to protect all populations from genocide,
war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. The concept is also
known as Responsibility To Protect (R2P) and is part of international law2.
This obligation was recognized by Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in a
press release on November 17, 20233, in which he stated that “all states in the
world have an obligation to prevent and combat genocide
The Danish government should recognize the risk of genocide in Gaza and work
actively to prevent and stop it in accordance with Denmark’s international
obligation to prevent genocide under the Genocide Convention and
international law.
3 Udenrigsministeriet, Danmark intervenerer i sag om anklager om folkedrab begået af Myanmar ved Den Internationale
Domstol i Haag (2023-11-17)
2 United Nations, Responsibility to Protect (2005)
https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/about-responsibility-to-protect.shtml
1 United Nations, General Assembly. (2005). 2005 World Summit Outcome
https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_60_1.p
df
Remarks:
The definition of genocide4 is acts committed with the intent to destroy, in
whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group by any of the
following acts:
A. killing members of the group,
B. causing serious bodily or mental harm,
C. inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its
physical destruction in whole or in part,
D. mass displacing a population group under such severe living conditions
that it makes survival impossible
In addition to the execution of genocide, it is a criminal offense to conspire to
commit genocide, publicly incite genocide, attempt to commit genocide, and be
complicit in genocide.
The convention includes incitement to genocide precisely to emphasize the
obligation to prevent genocide – as opposed to acting only after the genocide
has occurred.
The following expert assessments warn of Israel’s intention of genocide in Gaza:
1. “The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights” warns on
November 16, 20235, that the serious violations committed in Gaza,
including the use of bombs and an increasing use of dehumanizing
rhetoric, constitute a genocide in progress.
2. 800 lawyers and academics in international law sign a letter6 on October
18, warning of the risk of genocide in Gaza.
3. The Jewish magazine “Jewish Currents” documents on October 137, that
Israel’s actions are considered as genocide, as they meet 3 of the 5
criteria, which are defined in the UN Genocide Convention.
7 JewishCurrents, A Textbook Case of Genocide (2023-10-13)
https://jewishcurrents.org/a-textbook-case-of-genocide
6 OpinioJuris, Public Statement: Scholars Warn of Potential Genocide in Gaza (2023-10-18)
https://opiniojuris.org/2023/10/18/public-statement-scholars-warn-of-potential-genocide-in-gaza
5 Kontoret for FN’s højkommissær for menneskerettigheder, Gaza: UN experts call on international community to
prevent genocide against the Palestinian people (2023-11-16)
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/gaza-un-experts-call-international-community-prevent-genocide-ag
ainst
4 UN, Genocide Convention, (1948)
https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide-convention.shtml
4. International Federation for Human Rights, which is an association of 188
organizations from 116 countries, declares in November8 that Israel’s
actions against the Palestinian people constitute a genocide, and that
states that provide assistance to Israel are complicit.
5. Craig Mokhiber writes in his resignation letter on October 31 from his job
as director of the UN Office for Human Rights in New York, that Israel is
carrying out a “text-book case of genocide”9
6. Euro-Med Monitor with Richard Falk, former UN rapporteur, as chairman
declares on November 310, that Israel’s actions violate the international
convention on the prevention of genocide, and that hunger is used as a
weapon.
7. The UN Human Rights Council issued a press release on November 1711, in
which they draw attention to the lack of drinking water.
8. Mark Zeitoun, hydrologist, tells The Guardian12, that the lack of drinking
water destroys the living conditions of the population in Gaza, which
contributes to genocide.
9. The UN Regional Information Office publishes an analysis on November
2113, which highlights Israel’s call for genocide as an obvious intention to
“destroy the Palestinian people under occupation” and demand for
“another Nakba”.
13 UN Regional Information Office, Palestine: Preventing a Genocide in Gaza and a New “Nakba” (2023-11-21)
https://unric.org/en/palestine-preventing-a-genocide-in-gaza-and-a-new-nakba
12 The Guardian, Flooding Hamas tunnels with seawater risks ‘ruining basic life in Gaza’, says expert (2023-12-23)
11 UN Human Rights Council, Israel must stop using water as a weapon of war: UN expert (2023-11-17)
10 Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Scholars’ consensus: Genocide in Gaza marks turning point, Israel must be held accountable (2023-11-03)
Israel-must-be-held-accountable
9 Craig Mokhiber, Resignation Letter (2023-10-28)
https://twitter.com/raminho/status/1719385390086271164
8 International Federation for Human Rights, Resolution on Israel’s unfolding crime of genocide and other crimes in Gaza and against the Palestinian People (November 2023)
10. 55 scholars in holocaust and genocide studies declare on December 914
that President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statements
demonstrate the intention to destroy the Palestinian people.
11. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), consisting of 60
prominent jurists including senior judges, lawyers and academics,
concludes on November 1715 that:
● Israel is carrying out a genocide on the Palestinians
● The UN member states have a duty to intervene against the ongoing
genocide in Palestine.
The crucial point in this context is that the obligation to protect against
genocide does not require that the member states wait for an investigation.
There have been countless statements directly from leading figures in the Israeli
government and commanders in the IDF, which clearly state Israel’s intention of
genocide, among other things by using dehumanizing language, which is a
well-known component of genocide.
Below is an excerpt of these statements:
● Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, stated on October 8, that
“we will turn Gaza into a deserted island”.
● Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, stated on October 13, that “there is a
whole nation out there that is responsible. The rhetoric that the civilians
[in Gaza] are not aware or not involved is not true. It is absolutely not
true.”
● Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on October 28: “You shall
remember what Amalek did to you, says our holy bible. And we
remember it, and we fight” referring to a biblical story where the
Israelites are ordered to kill “man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and
sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3) among the Amalekites.
15 International Commission of Jurists, Gaza/Palestine: States have a Duty to Prevent Genocide (2023-11-17)
https://www.icj.org/gaza-occupied-palestinian-territory-states-have-a-duty-to-prevent-genocide
14 University of Notre Dame, Statement of Scholars in Holocaust and Genocide Studies on Mass Violence in Israel and
Palestine since 7 October (2023-12-09)
https://contendingmodernities.nd.edu/global-currents/statement-of-scholars-7-october
● Yoav Gallant, defense minister, stated on October 9, that he considers his
enemies as human animals and declared that there would be a shutdown
of electricity, food and fuel to Gaza.
● Yair Ben David, commander in the IDF, stated on December 8, that all of
Gaza would be leveled to the ground.
● Ghassan Alian, Israeli major general, stated on October 10, that “human
animals are treated as such. There will be no electricity or water in Gaza,
only destruction”.
● Israel Katz, the Israeli energy minister, wrote on October 7: “there will be
no power or water turned on, and no fuel will be allowed to enter”.
● Several Israeli ministers have called for the relocation of Palestinians out
of Gaza, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Minister of Intelligence Gila
Gamliel, Minister of Women’s Advancement May Golan, Deputy Speaker
of the Knesset Nissim Vaturi, and Minister of Cultural Heritage Amichai
Eliyahu.
● Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote in a tweet on
October 17: “As long as Hamas does not release the hostages, the only
thing that should enter Gaza is hundreds of tons of explosives from the air
force – not a single gram of humanitarian aid.”
The statements clearly indicate the intention of the Israeli leaders and senior
military personnel to carry out a genocide, and the state of Israel possesses the
necessary means to realize such an intention. The intention is accompanied by
concrete actions, as Israel has bombed the civilian population and civil
structures, cut off the supply of water and electricity and withheld emergency
aid, so that only a limited percentage, i.e. 10%, of the required humanitarian
assistance is allowed access.
It is the duty of the UN member states to intervene.
We demand that the government acts on Denmark’s obligation under the
Genocide Convention.
Denmark has committed itself to not only stop genocide but also to prevent
genocide. This means that:
1. The government should acknowledge that there is a risk of genocide in
Gaza based on existing expert assessments and statements from the
Israeli government.
2. The government should condemn Israel’s actions.
3. The government should stop arms trade with Israel
.
4. The government should use all diplomatic, legal and economic means to
stop the genocide in Gaza.
5. The government should demand unhindered humanitarian access.
6. The government should support South Africa’s request to the
International Court of Justice from December 28, 2023 and follow any
measure presented by the court to “protect against further, serious and
irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people” in accordance
with the Genocide Convention.
We also refer to the UN’s guidance16 on the prevention of genocide.
Before the genocide in Rwanda and the genocide in Bosnia17, the international
community was not willing to listen to experts’ warnings. It cost hundreds of
thousands of lives.
We must learn from history and listen to experts.
In Denmark, we are proud to be at the forefront of the fight for international
law and human rights. Let us therefore position ourselves as a pioneer nation
and take a leading role in the efforts to stop and prevent genocide.
We must use the correct terms, and the government must acknowledge what
the experts have already established, namely that Israel has a clear intention of
genocide in Gaza.
Denmark must stand by its obligation both in words and actions, work to stop
the genocide and ensure that it never repeats itself. Otherwise, conventions risk
being eroded and our values meaningless.
17 OpinioJuris, An Appeal to Address the Failure in Preventing Genocide in Gaza through the International Court of Justice (2023-11-10)
16 United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe, Palestine: Preventing a Genocide in Gaza and a New
“Nakba” (2023-11-21)
Peace, Please