The legal obligation of Ireland to prevent Genocide arises from the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which Ireland is a signatory.

Since the ICJ’s order on 26th January 2024 requiring Israel to refrain from committing genocide in Gaza, all States have been on notice of a serious risk of genocide in Gaza. The ICJ found that there is “a real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice will be caused to the rights found by the court to be plausible” – including the “right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide”.

In this context, Ireland’s response must urgently go far beyond anything done to date. In a previous ruling (the 2007 Bosnian genocide case), the ICJ said that states parties to the Genocide Convention must “employ all means reasonably available to them” to prevent genocide when they become aware of the possibility a genocide is being committed.

The EU will not act, so Ireland must. Words by our government (deleted officials) are no longer enough. 

Ireland has a legal obligation to prevent genocide, using all means possible, including trade and political measures – the time is impose these is NOW.

Help Sadaka reinforce this message to the Irish Government by supporting the Post for Palestine campaign as a local postcard distributor.