CCR lawsuit: A blow to the war criminals

Bulletin: On Jan. 31 the U.S. federal court in Oakland, California, found that “it is plausible that Israel’s conduct amounts to genocide,” while dismissing the case on jurisdictional grounds. (ccrjustice.org)

Striking another blow at the war criminals in Washington and Tel Aviv, on Jan. 26, Palestinians, both in the U.S. and Gaza, gave testimony in a civil case brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights asking a U.S. federal court in Oakland, California, to “immediately order the United States to cease military support for Israel’s unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and opposed the government’s efforts to have the case dismissed.” (CCR release, Jan. 26)

The hundreds of thousands of activists who have been demonstrating for an end to the Israeli assault on Gaza and/or in solidarity with the liberation of Palestine now have a boost from a legal case right in the belly of the imperialist beast. 

Of course, the people who have been demonstrating must continue their demonstrations as they have been since the week following October 7. Only by expanding the struggle can these heroic activists in the U.S. hope to assist the Palestinian people. Demonstrations, sit-ins, blocking traffic, strikes, boycotts, disruptions, and shutdowns are all legitimate tools of struggle for the masses.

It would be an error to believe that a legal case alone could win such a decisive battle against Israeli genocide. It would also be an omission for those engaged in such a broad and deep anti-imperialist conflict to refuse any tool they might be able to use.

The South African case brought before the International Court of Justice — even if short of a complete victory — has encouraged millions of people worldwide to take action to stop Israel’s genocide. It’s possible to argue that the Yemeni peoples’ disruption of shipping to Israel is not only justified by that legal case, but also required.

Now the CCR has brought its case in federal court charging U.S. officials, specifically President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, with “failing in their legal responsibility to prevent – and their complicity in – Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” 

The charges and the Jan. 26 testimony presented to the court showed that Israel is committing genocide and that the U.S. government is complicit. The U.S. defense lawyers did not even challenge the facts that the CCR lawyers presented.

We would argue that the lawsuit justifies demonstrations and sit-ins and whatever similar actions organizations in the U.S. take to obstruct these crimes it named. In addition, those universities that repress organizations that call for ending genocide could also be considered complicit in those crimes. 

If you are among those fighting to stop genocide in Gaza, you are doing right by the vast majority of humanity. That’s the message of the South African case before the ICJ and the CCR case in U.S. federal court. To aid the liberation of Palestine, we have to keep fighting in the streets, on the campuses and in the workplaces. By bringing the lawsuit, the CCR has opened another door to expanding that struggle.

For more details on the CCR case, see ccrjustice.org