Gaza, genocide and Sri Lanka’s dilemma of conscience

LAST week, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, chaired by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

- By Nevanka de Silva Jayatilleke

The finding by the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Gaza is an inflection point

The Commission of Inquiry found that four out of the five acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention are being carried out. They are: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.

This is not only a moral label on the constant scenes of devastation and horror merging from the Gaza Strip. It is not just a minor legal observation. It is a grave conclusion with far-reaching consequences for international law and for the global community. For Sri Lanka, which has long affirmed support for Palestine, the moment raises many questions. Can we speak more forcefully? What prevents us? And how might our own history figure into our current posture?

For decades Sri Lanka has voted in favour of Palestinian rights in the United Nations, called for ceasefires, demanded humanitarian access, and affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to selfdetermination. This has been consistent and visible. Yet today, when international institutions and many states speak with unprecedented clarity about genocide, Sri Lanka remains reticent. Other countries, from South Africa to Ireland, have issued strong condemnations. Over the weekend, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal took the monumental step of recognising the State of Palestine. At the time of writing, France and a slew of other European states are expected to follow suit, at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Why, then, does Sri Lanka hesitate to match this clarity?