More than 700 UK business leaders call on govt to prevent ‘acts of genocide’ in Gaza
More than 700 UK business leaders, founders and professionals have signed an open letter calling on the government to take immediate action to prevent “further acts of genocide in Gaza” and uphold international law.
The business leaders urged the government to end all export licences for goods that could be “directly or indirectly implicated in military operations in Gaza – without exception”.
It added a call to broaden financial sanctions and investment screenings into companies that could be complicit in violating international law. “The UK must ensure that no business – whether through products, services, or supply chains – is contributing to these atrocities, directly or indirectly,” the letter read.
Business leaders also reiterated calls for the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, on a large scale, to Gaza, the cessation of all UK arms transfers to Israel and the return of all the captives held in Gaza.
British human rights group calls for dismissal of ICJ Vice President Sebutinde
The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) has called for the removal of Ugandan Judge Julia Sebutinde, vice president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In a letter to ICJ judges, the AOHR UK said Sebutinde had breached Articles 2 and 18 of the court’s statute after she told the Ugandan newspaper, the Daily Monitor, last week, that her “Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel”.
According to Article 2, judges must display impartiality and independence. If it is breached, Article 18 states that the judge must be removed with the consent of the other judges.
The AOHR UK said Sebutinde’s stance “relied heavily on biblical narratives and stories granting Israel fictitious rights, thereby conferring false legitimacy on the horrific crimes committed against Palestinian civilians”.
“Such reasoning not only contradicts the foundations of international law but also emboldens the continuation of genocide, undermining the very principles upon which the Court’s authority rests,” the AOHR UK urged.
Sebutinde was the only ICJ judge to vote against all provisional measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza in January 2024. An Israeli judge voted in favour of two of the measures.
