For 50 days during last summer, the civilian population of Gaza, hemmed in a small corridor of coastline, was pounded by the brutal force of Israel’s military machine. There was nowhere to hide as bombs rained down on families cowering in their homes; there was nowhere to shelter as even schools under the auspices and flags of the United Nations came under attack from the sky; and there was nowhere to run as naval boats bombarded the beaches where innocent children played and died under savage salvos.
If this brutal, unbridled and bloody assault on Palestinians does not constitute a war crime, then the very notion of international justice and respect for humanity is but sand blowing in the wind, meaningless, without worth, without value.
But there is hope. On Friday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) launched a preliminary probe that will, hopefully, clear the way for a full-blown war crimes investigation in Palestine. This will be no easy investigation — it will be the most high-profile and politically charged probe in the ICC’s history. Given unquestioned support for Israel and the strong Jewish lobby in Washington, the ICC jurists will face pressure from the highest levels. That the court is independent and based in The Hague and has a strong record in bringing justice to the darkest corners and chapters of the world is an asset.
The ICC probe has no timetable. For Palestinians, time is not an issue — they have waited generations for justice.
