Palestine This Week: Committing national suicide to support a genocide

The US has pushed to end college protests calling for an end to the war on Gaza, while delaying plans to sanction Israeli soldiers who are accused of human rights violations against Palestinians. Is America undermining its own freedoms to support Israel’s genocide? This episode of MEMO’s review show dives into the crucial events that have shaped the last week, beginning with the latest updates on the International Court of Justice’s genocide case against Israel. Remarks by the former head of the ICJ Joan Donoghue sparked debate, with some suggesting that the ICJ did not find sufficient evidence to support claims of genocide. Is that really the case? Host Nasim Ahmed and guest Mouin Rabbani share their views on an important intervention by Amos Goldberg, a Holocaust and genocide researcher at the Hebrew University, who said “Yes, it is genocide,” before sharing a ground-breaking report that sheds light on Israel’s bombing of Al-Ahli Hospital. According to the report, this bombing was not only a tragic event but also served as a test case for Israel to gauge the response of the West before launching its campaign to dismantle Gaza’s entire health system. We also explore the implications of US troops beginning construction on President Biden’s long-awaited pier in Gaza, while discussing efforts by the West to prevent the International Crimincal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior figures in his war cabinet. Events in the US also take centre stage, as riot police have been sent to dismantle anti-war solidarity encampments on university campuses and the Biden Administration delays imposing sanctions on an extremist Israeli battalion which is widely accused of human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. We ask, Is America undermining its own freedoms and democracy to support a genocide?