Damning report

Why in the News

The United Nations (UN) International Commission of Inquiry on Israel and the Palestinian territories has concluded that Israeli security forces continued to commit “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide” a year after the October 2025 ceasefire brokered by the United States (U.S.). The report exposes the gap between what the UN can document and what it can enforce, and it tests India’s stated principles.

What is the Commission, and what has its latest report found?

1. Commission of Inquiry: A UN body that works like an independent fact finding panel and briefs the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Retired Indian judge Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar chairs it, succeeding 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navanethem Pillay.
2. Third report: The Commission’s third report since October 2023 covers “killings and bodily and mental harm by state actors”, mainly Israeli security forces.
3. Evidence base: It draws on medical records, satellite imagery, forensic analysis, witness testimony and videos posted by Israeli soldiers.
4. Use of AI: The report finds soldiers targeted civilians, including infants, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify and execute targets with impunity. It quotes top Israeli officials claiming the killings.
5. The takeaway: Findings built on forensic and documentary evidence are hard to dismiss as opinion.

What does the report ask member states to do?

1. Prevent and prosecute genocide: The report calls on UN members to “employ all means” to prevent the genocide and to investigate and prosecute suspects for it.
2. Rules for AI in war: It asks for clear rules on the use of AI in conflicts.
3. Earlier recommendations: The Commission had earlier asked members to halt military transfers to Israel and sanction those linked to child abuses.
4. International Criminal Court (ICC): It also asked members to help the ICC enforce arrest warrants against Israeli officials and soldiers.

Why have the findings produced so little action?

1. Toll without response: More than 75,000 Palestinians have been killed across the Palestinian territories since 2023, yet “little or no action” is being taken by member states, including Israel.
2. No enforcement power: The UNGA cannot implement any resolution aimed at stopping Israel’s actions, because its resolutions only recommend.
3. Security Council deadlock: The UN Security Council lacks the consensus to act, given the U.S.’s support for Israel.
4. Visa withheld: The U.S. withheld a visa for Justice Muralidhar, so he could not present the report to the UNGA in person.

Is India’s silence consistent with its stated principles?

1. Balancing position: India upholds Palestinian rights and sends humanitarian aid, but avoids any recommendation that could harm relations with Israel.
2. Abstentions at the UN: India has abstained on UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire or for action against Israel.
3. Arms supply: India continues to supply Israel with arms, ammunition, ordnance and drone parts.
4. Official silence: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has neither criticised Israel nor commented on the Commission’s reports under either chairperson.
5. Principles versus practice: Silence on documented atrocities conflicts with India’s stated principles and places India on the wrong side of history.

Challenges

1. Enforcement gap: A commission can document crimes but cannot compel any state to act on its findings.
2. No settled law on AI targeting: No agreed international rules yet govern the use of AI to pick and strike targets in war.
3. Arrests depend on states: The ICC has no police force, so its warrants work only when member states arrest suspects.

Way Forward

1. Uniting for Peace: The UNGA should use the Uniting for Peace procedure (Resolution 377 of 1950) to recommend collective measures when the Security Council is deadlocked.
2. Stated position: The MEA should set out India’s position on the Commission’s findings at the UNGA.
3. Export review: India should review its arms and drone part supplies to Israel against its obligations under international humanitarian law.

Conclusion

The UN has documented alleged genocide in detail, but no UN body is able or willing to enforce what it has found. For India, the unresolved question is how long its stated principles and its Israel policy can be kept apart.

Key numbers

1. Children killed: 21,500 since 2023 (Commission chairperson’s UNGA briefing).
2. Women killed: 11,000 since 2023 (Commission chairperson’s UNGA briefing).

Back2Basics: International Criminal Court (ICC)

1. Formation: It began work in 2002, when the Rome Statute entered into force.
2. Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands.
3. Mandate: It prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.
4. India’s status: India is not a party to the Rome Statute.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2022] With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements : 1. The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States. 2. Inter-governmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly. 3. Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters. Which of the statements given above are correct ? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 ANSWER: (d)”