Craig Mokhiber, a veteran human rights lawyer and former director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, calling for urgent global accountability. Mokhiber, who resigned in October 2023 in protest of the UN’s inaction, says the statements and actions of Israeli officials amount to clear violations of international law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Speaking on The Electronic Intifada live stream, Mokhiber reacted to a recent statement by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, in which Katz warned Gaza residents that unless Hamas is expelled and Israeli hostages are returned, “Israel will act with forces never seen before” and that residents could face “utter destruction and devastation.” Mokhiber called the statement an explicit declaration of war crimes and noted that it follows a pattern of increasingly brazen rhetoric from Israeli officials, who appear to act without fear of legal consequences.
War Crimes in Full Public View
Mokhiber emphasized that spreading terror among the civilian population is a crime under international humanitarian law, as is collective punishment. “What you’re hearing is the sound of impunity,” he said. “When you have a government official engaged in crimes against humanity and genocide who feels confident to broadcast a war crime… this is a direct contribution to cases before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”
He elaborated on the legal ramifications, explaining that Katz’s statement violated multiple provisions of international law. “Under the Geneva Conventions, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, collective punishment, and forced displacement are all considered war crimes,” he said. “What Katz has done is essentially admit to these crimes in public, confident that Israel will face no consequences. This is an unprecedented level of impunity.”
Mokhiber noted that the Israeli strategy is not merely about targeting Hamas militants but punishing the entire population of Gaza. “Listen carefully to what Katz said,” he warned. “He was very explicit in not directing his statement to Hamas or any armed resistance. He said that he was explicitly addressing the residents of Gaza, the civilian population. He’s threatening them with ‘total ruin,’ with harsher attacks than they have already experienced—attacks that have already broken records for civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure.”
The Sound of Impunity
When asked whether the ICC’s recent indictment of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, had any deterrent effect, Mokhiber expressed frustration. “It’s clear they’re not afraid. That’s the sound of impunity we’re hearing,” he said. “They’re confident that impunity, guaranteed by the government of the United States, will continue.”
He pointed out the hypocrisy in international responses, highlighting how Western nations have imposed sanctions and taken swift action against war crimes committed by other states but remain paralyzed when it comes to Israel. “The United States and its allies have built an entire system of international justice to punish crimes of this nature,” he said. “Yet, when Israel commits them in full public view, these same states block accountability mechanisms, veto UN resolutions, and actively shield Israel from consequences.”
However, he pointed out that despite Israel’s defiance, the international legal case against its leaders is growing stronger. “Now Israel is on trial for genocide in the International Court of Justice. Its leaders are indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court,” he said, adding that “a wealth of evidence” has been collected by major human rights organizations.
He explained that the international legal mechanisms were moving slowly but were still making historic progress. “This is not the world that we had two years ago,” he said. “Legal action is being taken in national courts around the world. Every major human rights mechanism has concluded that Israel is perpetrating genocide. This is a level of accountability we did not see just a couple of years ago.”
The Legal Obligation to Stop Genocide and Yemen’s Role
Mokhiber stressed that international law does not merely suggest that states should avoid complicity in genocide—it obligates them to actively intervene to stop it. “Under the Genocide Convention, every state in the world has an affirmative obligation to prevent genocide wherever it occurs,” he explained. “This is not a passive duty. It means states must take real, effective action to stop the killing, to block arms transfers, and to impose sanctions on perpetrators. Failing to act is a violation of their legal obligations.”
He criticized Western nations for actively supporting Israel’s military operations. “Not only are countries like the United States and Germany failing in their duty to stop genocide—they are actually enabling it, in direct violation of international law,” he said. “They are providing weapons, military aid, and diplomatic cover, making them complicit in the crimes.”
Mokhiber pointed to Yemen’s actions as a rare case of a state actually fulfilling its obligations under international law. “The Houthi authorities in Yemen have taken concrete steps by imposing a naval blockade on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea,” he said. “And what is their justification? They argue that they are fulfilling their legal duty to prevent genocide by disrupting Israel’s ability to continue its mass killings.”
He contrasted Yemen’s actions with the failure of more powerful states. “Instead of enforcing arms embargoes and sanctions, Western governments are attacking Yemen for doing what international law actually requires,” he said. “The United States and its allies are calling the Houthis ‘terrorists’ for attempting to stop the flow of military supplies to a genocidal regime. This is the world turned upside down.”
According to Mokhiber, Yemen’s blockade aligns with existing international legal precedent. “The International Court of Justice has ruled in multiple cases that states must take all available measures to prevent genocide,” he said. “This means they should not be facilitating the flow of arms, technology, and economic resources to a state engaged in mass atrocities. Yet, while Yemen is attempting to enforce this obligation, other states are not only ignoring their duty—they are openly violating it.”
Mokhiber warned that history will not look kindly on nations that failed to act. “These Western states are not just failing morally—they are in direct breach of international law,” he said. “There will come a day when leaders in Washington, London, and Berlin will have to answer for their role in enabling genocide.”
What Comes Next?
While Israeli officials continue to issue public threats and escalate their military campaign, pressure is mounting on international bodies to take concrete action. The ICC’s indictments and ICJ hearings mark a shift in accountability, but Mokhiber warns that without broader global intervention, Israel will continue its assault on Gaza with impunity.
“This just feeds the case for accountability, and we have to make sure that happens,” he said. “The international community must act decisively before it is too late.”
As the war in Gaza continues into its 18th month, with more than 500 Palestinians—including at least 200 children—killed in Israeli airstrikes just last week, Mokhiber’s urgent plea serves as yet another reminder that global inaction in the face of genocide is itself a crime.
