KATHY KELLY, kathy.vcnv@gmail.com, @voiceinwild
Kelly is board president of World BEYOND War. The Irish government recently announced it is backing South Africa in its case invoking the Genocide Convention against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Such measures by Ireland have led to a series of attacks on it, which it has refuted. David Cronin, author of Balfour’s Shadow, highlights how much the Irish government has actually gone along with Israel in spite of the long-standing connections between Ireland and Palestine. Kelly was featured on an accuracy.org news release — “St. Patrick’s Day and Gaza” — earlier this year.
Kelly is working with the Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine, a network of over 100 international peace organizations, which has sent a series of letters calling on the UN General Assembly to “fulfill obligations imposed by international law.” The letters to the leadership of the UN state: “Israel has demonstrated its specific intent to physically destroy Palestinians. … No one should be allowed to commit genocide and remain unpunished. We need sustained effort by politically active internationals who insist on compliance with international laws on human rights. We must denounce grave human rights abuses, no matter who commits them.”
Kelly recently wrote the piece “When Will the UN General Assembly Suspend Israel?” She writes: “Israel’s abusive repudiation of the very idea of the United Nations, its escalating and lethal violation of countless international norms, its repeated, deadly attacks on UN sanctuaries and peacekeepers justifies its expulsion.” She also calls for:
* “The revival of the U.N. Committee Against Apartheid to address systemic violations of international law and human rights in the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territory];
* “Consideration of targeted boycotts, sanctions, and divestments, particularly against illegal operations in the OPT;
* “The establishment of an arms embargo on Israel.”