English electronica pioneer Brian Eno has pleaded with the International Criminal Court to “exercise the mandate it has been given to prosecute war crimes” in an open letter.
NME reports that in a post shared to Instagram, Eno referenced the “horrific events” that occurred on this day last year, when over a thousand Israelis were killed by Hamas forces. Following the attack, the Israeli cabinet formally declared war on Hamas, the most significant escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in several decades, triggering unprecedented and seemingly unrelenting violence.
Eno and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote that the ongoing military campaign from Israel “amounts to a well-planned, fully-fledged genocide.” According to Reuters, Palestinian health authorities have claimed Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,500 people. The attacks by Jamas on October 7, 2023 killed over 1,200 people.
“Israel retaliated with overwhelming military force,” Eno continued. “A year on the carnage continues, resulting in at least 50 thousand Palestinian deaths so far and no sign of an end.”
“Israel is in the grip of a murderous far-right government which has made its position abundantly clear in public statements: they want an exclusively Jewish state, and they won’t accept or recognize the UN or any other international body that suggests otherwise.”
“Yanis Varoufakis and myself think this is a catastrophic path for Israel itself and, if unchecked, a disastrous development in international relations,” the post continued.
“If this is allowed to happen without any serious reaction from the rest of the world we will have sacrificed any right to the moral high ground and given the nod to any other state that wants to behave in a similar fashion. So, in the following letter we are appealing to the International Criminal Court to exercise the mandate it has been given to prosecute war crimes.”
Eno shared a link to the open letter to the Judges of the International Criminal Court, which can be found here.
In the caption of the post, Eno noted that people could also opt to download the letter and send it to the International Criminal Court. “Their address is Oude Waalsdorperweg 10, 2597 AK Den Haag, Netherlands,” he wrote. “We need them to act as soon as possible. Act now or International Law withers forever.”
Amid releasing new music, Eno has also been an outspoken force amid the ongoing cruelty and joined forces with Nadine Shah, Maxine Peake and others in performing at a special benefit event in support of Palestine at London’s Union Chapel in April, with all proceeds going to Amos Trust’s emergency appeal for Gaza.
Likewise, Eno also joined members of Fontaines D.C., R.E.M., Bastille and more in reading letters from Palestinians suffering in Gaza as part of a Voices For Gaza initiative earlier this year.
Clips were shared on the Instagram page for Voices For Gaza and saw famous faces from across the entertainment industry read letters from Palestinians aloud, recalling the graphic details of the war.
Eno also praised the artists involved in this year’s boycott of The Great Escape, after news broke that the Brighton event was sponsored by Barclays. This sparked controversy due to the bank’s financial investment in companies that supply arms to Israel.
In another statement posted to the Instagram account Bands Boycott Barclays, Eno thanked those “speaking up for Palestine” and said “The young people who are always being told that everything is ‘too complicated’ for them to understand, and that they should leave serious matters to ‘responsible adults.’ Please, I beg you, don’t listen. Follow your instincts. The ‘responsible adults’ have lost the plot. It’s not complicated to understand.”
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