World must deny Israel ‘tools of genocide’, says growing alliance of activist states

Protesters outside the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur, as Malaysia’s foreign minister told the Hague Group that states should identity companies enabling Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. Photograph: Fazry Ismail/EPA

The international community has a legal and moral duty to deny Israel “the tools of genocide”, the Malaysian foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, said at a meeting in New York of the Hague Group, the growing alliance of countries dedicated to coordinating practical economic and legal steps to isolate Israel over the war in Gaza.

The group, co-chaired by South Africa and Colombia, has become a central exchange for practical steps to try to pressure Israel, including stepping up collective action at ports and airports to prevent the transfer of weapons and goods to Israel, including dual-use heavy machinery.