A historic undertaking as the Hague Group announced unprecedented coordinated measures to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza and broader assault on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, while defending international law globally.
As the multilateral Emergency Ministerial Conference on Palestine in Bogotá, Colombia, came to a close, a number of states announced their endorsement and adoption of six coordinated diplomatic, legal, and economic measures to be taken against Israel.
The Emergency Conference was convened by the governments of Colombia and South Africa as co-chairs of the Hague Group, and brought together 30 states from across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America to deliberate on measures that would “move beyond words of condemnation” and instead put in place resolute actions to defend international law, end Israeli offences, and support the Palestinian people.
All 30 participating states agreed that the era of impunity must end and that international law must be enforced without fear or favour.
The states also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine.
The two-day conference, which began on Tuesday at the Palacio San Carlos in downtown Bogotá, brought together delegates with renowned international experts, UN officials, and Palestinian organisations, before moving into a closed-door session to deliberate on concrete measures.
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Twelve states: Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa, have committed to immediately implement the six measures and have set September 20th, coinciding with the 80th UN General Assembly, as the date for more states to join the coordinated response.
The six measures to be adopted read as follows:
1. Prevent the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel.
2. Prevent the transit, docking, and servicing of vessels at any port…. in all cases where there is a clear risk of the vessel being used to carry arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel.
3. Prevent the carriage of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel on vessels bearing our flag… and ensure full accountability, including de-flagging, for non-compliance with this prohibition.
4. Commence an urgent review of all public contracts, to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory and entrenching its unlawful presence.
5. Comply with obligations to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law, through robust, impartial and independent investigations and prosecutions at national or international levels, to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.
6. Support universal jurisdiction mandates, as and where applicable in national legal frameworks and judiciaries, to ensure justice for victims of international crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In a statement released, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, said the 12 states had taken a momentous step forward.
“The clock is now ticking for states, from Europe to the Arab world and beyond, to join them.”
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The conference agreed to set a deadline for states’ final decisions by September 2025.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said: “We came to Bogotá to make history, and we did.”
“Together, we have begun the work of ending the era of impunity. These measures show that we will no longer allow international law to be treated as optional, or Palestinian life as disposable.”
South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said: “What we have achieved here is a collective affirmation that no state is above the law.”
“The Hague Group was born to advance international law in an era of impunity. The measures adopted in Bogotá show that we are serious, and that coordinated state action is possible.”
Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Executive Secretary of The Hague Group, said the conference marked a turning point not just for Palestine but for the future of the international system.
“For decades, states- particularly in the Global South- have borne the cost of a broken international system. In Bogotá, they came together to reclaim it, not with words, but with actions.
Image credit: Progressive International
