Istanbul: At the Gaza Tribunal’s final session in Istanbul on complicity, international systems, resistance, and solidarity, experts accused Western media outlets, US universities, government officials, and corporate actors of enabling Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
According to Anadolu Agency, US journalist, comedian, and filmmaker Katie Halper criticized Western media for shaping public perception by selectively reporting and obscuring facts about civilian suffering. Halper recounted her experience in 2020 when producers refused to air her segment on The Hill’s show Rising, where she argued that Israel was an apartheid state. She claimed that since October 7, 2023, Western corporate media’s complicity has been pervasive, often using passive or misdemeanor attribution and dehumanizing Palestinians. She also highlighted misleading coverage of sexual violence allegations and accused major outlets of suppressing contradictory evidence while amplifying narratives supporting Israeli government claims.
Testifying on university complicity, Maura Finkelstein, a former tenured professor in the US dismissed for her stance on Palestine, accused higher education institutions of actively supporting Israel’s genocide through finances, partnerships, and repression of dissent. Finkelstein detailed student-led boycotts and divestments against US weapons manufacturers and firms supplying equipment used by Israel’s military. She also revealed intelligence-sharing and research ties, citing the University of Southern California’s provision of human cadavers for military training in Gaza. Finkelstein warned of intensified suppression of Palestine advocacy, resulting in a chilling effect across higher education.
Lily Greenberg, a former Biden administration political appointee, testified remotely on government complicity. Greenberg, who resigned in May 2024, stated she could no longer serve in a government complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. She described a stifling atmosphere after the October 7, 2023 attacks, where leadership focused on Israel’s right to self-defense while omitting international law considerations. Greenberg revealed that officials were aware of civilian casualties and infrastructure collapse, but policies remained unchanged. She called for suspending US military support to Israel and reforms to reduce pro-Israel lobbying influence.
Shahd Hammouri, a law lecturer at Kent Law School, described corporate and weapons-industry involvement as a structural driver of atrocities. She labeled Israel a militarized state economy, noting that during the genocide in Gaza, Israel produced over 102,000 tons of explosives and tested new weapons. Hammouri argued that global markets and corporate investors profit from militarization and extractive ventures involving Israeli-linked firms worldwide, framing the genocide as an effect of the globalized market economy.
The Gaza Tribunal, presided over by Richard Falk, former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, aims to document crimes against Palestinians. The tribunal’s jury of conscience includes Kenize Mourad, Christine Chinkin, Chandra Muzaffar, Ghada Karmi, Sami Al-Arian, and Biljana Vankovska. The panel is expected to issue a final opinion summarizing findings on genocide, apartheid, and systemic violations in Gaza.