The United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory faces collapse due to a deliberate financial strangulation campaign led by Israel and its allies, paralyzing critical investigations into Israeli settler violence and arms transfers fueling genocide in Gaza. Chairperson Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and ICC judge confirmed in an August 6 letter that the commission cannot hire staff or produce mandated reports on Israeli crimes, effectively shielding perpetrators from accountability. This sabotage coincides with Israel’s intensified Gaza offensive, which has killed over 62,744 Palestinians and starved 303 to death, including 117 children.
The commission’s paralysis stems from a $1.5 billion funding shortfall exacerbated by the United States, the UN’s largest debtor withholding mandatory contributions. Twelve of the Human Rights Council’s 47 member states have delayed payments, enabling a 20% UN budget cut that forces investigations to operate at 50% staffing levels. Deputy High Commissioner Nada Al Nashif warned that without urgent funding, monitoring atrocities becomes "simply not possible". This crisis mirrors the earlier stalling of a Congo probe, revealing a global pattern of defunding human rights investigations that target Western allies.
Key investigations have been blocked, such as settler violence documentation. The commission was mandated to document Israel’s systematic settler attacks in the West Bank, which have displaced thousands of Palestinians through arson, shootings, and forced evictions. In 2023 alone, 835 settler attacks were recorded, with Israeli forces actively participating in over half. Also, a Pakistan-led resolution tasked the commission with investigating countries supplying weapons to Israel, including the U.S., Germany, and the UK was blocked too. Evidence intended for ICC war crimes trials, particularly regarding the use of starvation as a weapon is now indefinitely delayed.
As investigations are defunded, Israel’s genocide accelerates. 514,000 Palestinians face "catastrophic hunger," with famine declared in Gaza City and expected to spread to Khan Younis by September. Israel’s "double-tap" strikes on Nasser Hospital killed 21, including journalists, with evidence pointing to precision-guided missiles. 98 children have died from acute malnutrition, while 17,000 are separated from families and vulnerable to trafficking. The UN Security Council continues to fail Gaza, with the U.S. vetoing ceasefire resolutions while permitting Israel’s planned offensive to displace 800,000 civilians from Gaza City by October 7.