The Bogota Cheap Actions Walmart Summit was a revolutionary transformation of international affairs. There was a two day Hague Group Emergency Conference on Palestine which occurred on July 15 and 16. They met to discuss as well as to do. The focus of their theme was Gaza. Largely, they were preoccupied with how Israel behaved. The primary demand that they made was accountability and this summit did nothing to impress. It was a strategic bid to influence the world’s reaction to one of the most burning issues of the decade.
The Context on the Gaza Strip
The conflict in Gaza has escalated into one of the humanitarian disasters all over the world. Thousands of civilian people have been killed. Rudimentary infrastructure has failed. The supplies like food, water and medicine have been exhausted. Israel claims to be at war with Hamas critics claim that it has passed the border of proportionality. Pictures of schools, hospitals and refugee camps over bombed have been scattered all over the world. These images haunt the opinion of the people, and they pressure governments. They provoke a reply from diplomats. Here begin the confrontations which Bogota became a stage.
A Strange Host
It was noteworthy that Colombia was selected as a host of the summit. Latin America has always taken an ambiguous position in Middle East. There were governments that inclined to the idea of Washington. Other were inclined to Palestinian solidarity. In the leadership by Bogota a strong side was taken. It brought authenticity of the conference and revealed that the problem is not restricted to Europe or the Middle East. It verified the fact that the Gaza war has become a global moral test.
The Hague Group
It is still not a formal alliance with the Hague Group as convened. It is the manifestation of an increasingly united movement, however. These 12 countries settled on radical measures. They suggested an arms and trade embargo of Israel. They have committed loyalty to accountability at the International Court of Justice. They urged war crimes investigations. They indicated that international law needs to apply to everyone without consideration for power. Those stances contravene decades of diplomatic restraint. This is increasing isolation to Israel. To the Palestinians it gives symbolic strength.
The Embargo Question
A sanction against Israel is not easy to impose. Israel is quite ingratiated into the world markets and has a good relationship with the United States and Europe. However, just the discussion of an embargo itself is important. It increases the cost of the current strategy of Israel. It provides a fresh impetus to campaigns by civil society and compels large companies to do reputational risks calculations. Symbolic weight may be carried by even partial boycotts. At the Bogot251919 youth summit the embargo was juxtaposed on the table as an acceptable instrument of diplomacy.
Responsibility and Law
The other sharp edge of the conference was the focus on law. The representatives spoke out on crimes against humanity. They demanded an immediate ICJ and ICC intervention. They pushed them to prosecute war crimes under universal jurisdiction. This framing is important and has ceased to be a matter concerning geopolitics. It concerns justice and is with respect to the notion that there is no state that cannot be questioned. To Israel, this is perilous. It runs the risk of converting battlefield wins into courtroom losers. To the Palestinians it provides the acknowledgement that their victimization cannot be ignored.
Responses and Dangers
Responses to Bogota were rapid. Israel ignored the summit as biased. Washington condemned but was careful to be explicit. European capitals looking with interest calls for restraint may have the unspoken sympathy of some governments, but few will come out openly supporting them. Nonetheless, the reputational isolation runs the risk of Israel. The pressure will only increase if more summits like Bogota are created. Provided that the opinion of the population has continued to change, even Western allies will face even greater difficulty in upholding the status quo.
A Moral Front
What Bogota in effect symbolizes is an ethical battlefield. It claims that it is not a peripheral issue that is Gaza and claims that the world community cannot be silent anymore. It claims that even mighty countries must be answerable to a law. These words may not end the war within the same day. Possibly they will not alter the calculations of Israeli forces tomorrow. Still, they sow, and they change discourse. They reconstruct what is tolerable in diplomacy such changes count.
The Bogota Summit did not consist of the biggest or the most influential gathering. It is one of the most momentous, however. It marked that Gaza has been a fault line in the global world. It has shown that international law is regaining attention on the center. It questioned the notion that Israel can do as it please. It provided the Palestinian cause with a new impetus in terms of diplomacy. Whether trials succeed embargoes or not is uncertain. But the rule is plain enough. Bogota has told the world it is watching and that it is no longer possible to remain silent.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.
