Features
“This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza”

South Africa files case with International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide
by Vijaya Chandrasoma
This essay is not meant to be a commentary of the current strife continuing in increasing intensity of violence in Rafah in Southern Gaza and the soon-to-be-extinct nation of Palestine. It is a ridiculously oversimplified account of the anti-Semitism that has plagued the world for centuries. And the imminent establishment of the Jewish State of Israel.
As Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said last week, “The war will continue until we have achieved complete victory. If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails”.
Complete victory is not limited just to the release of hostages or the elimination of Hamas. Complete victory, in Netanyahu’s mind, and the minds of the radical-right Israeli coalition Zionist government, is the displacement, by genocide or any other means, of the entire race of Palestinians, Muslim and Christian, and the establishment of the single, sovereign Jewish State of Israel.
Anti-Semitism has existed in Europe and Russia for centuries, and has flourished in the USA since the Europeans “discovered” the Americas. Pogroms, a Russian word meaning “to wreak havoc, to demolish violently”, have been inflicted on Jewish populations living as legal citizens in European countries, especially Russia, for centuries. They increased in their intensity since the anti-Jewish riots that erupted in Odessa in 1821, and the southern and western provinces of the Russian Empire later that century.
Pogroms were usually perpetrated by anti-Semitic mobs with government and law enforcement encouragement. The attackers raped and murdered their Jewish neighbors, and looted their property with impunity, with the full knowledge that their crimes would go unpunished.
To use a word commonly used by Hitler and Mussolini, now brought back into fashion by Donald J. Trump, Jews were “vermin”, routinely and regularly exterminated, much as the infestation of cockroaches and rats that are routinely obliterated by modern civilized society. Genocide is a process, not an event, rather like pest control. When you dehumanize certain ethnic groups, likening them to rodents carrying disease capable of destroying humanity, killing them is not only necessary, it becomes an imperative. Of course, Trump has been more inclusive in his reference to additional and different varieties of vermin, like Muslims, Hispanics, Blacks, people from “shithole countries” – who knows what goes on in that lunatic piece of cruelty masquerading as a mind?
What is the cause for this age-old discrimination of one specific ethnicity, the Jews, persecution that has escaped the many other races that lived in Europe? The public persona of the Jews in the middle-ages in Europe was that they were sickly and prone to disease (Judenkrankheit, the Jewish malaise), and seen as an ethnic sub-class (untermenschen, or subhuman). However, Jews had achieved prominence in medical, legal and financial professions in Europe since the 12th century. Today, in the USA, they are “accused” of controlling the banking, legal and medical professions, even Hollywood. And they face hostility, as if the perceived inherent inferiority of white community has been, in some perverted way, caused by the Jews.
Pogroms reached their logical and brutal climax with the Holocaust in Germany in the 1930s, when Hitler and the Nazis committed genocide of six million Jews from 1935 to 1945. At the end of the war, when the Allies and the Americans were confronted with the horrors of German concentration camps, they were struck with a collective guilty conscience, and forced to accept and condemn the reality of Hitler’s barbarous methods of extermination.
What to do? European and American anti-Semitism did not suddenly disappear with the Holocaust. In fact, there were significant anti-Semitic, pro-Hitler movements in America in the 1920s and 1930s. Prominent Americans like Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh were friends with Adolf Hitler and led these anti-Semitic and isolationist movements in America. Anti-Semitism lingers in Europe and the USA to the present day, a deepening resentment against the prominence and success of Jews in public, professional and economic life.
The 2017 anti-Semitic riots in Charlottesville, Virginia, with its slogan “The Jews will not replace us” epitomizing the white-supremacist, neo-Nazi movement, had the support of a significant section of the white population, including the president of the nation. This white supremacist movement, which now encompasses in its hatred not only Jews, but Blacks and non-white immigrants, is the phenomenon that keeps an evil monster like Trump currently in line for a second term of the presidency.
Hatred of immigrants, fleeing personal threats to their lives and liberty from their home countries, “yearning to breathe free” – the very definition of asylum seekers – has increased in intensity after the Trump years. Perhaps after the election of the nation’s first Black president. These are the wretches, the huddled masses, brutally and frequently abused by Trump in his political rants as assassins, rapists, drug traffickers, denizens of mental asylums, the latest a comparison to the fictional movie cannibal Hannibal Lecter. And of course, dark-skinned people from “shithole countries” who poison the blood of the citizens of a country of immigrants with the most mixed blood – poisonous and pure – from every country in the world.
The inhumane barbarity of Hitler’s “Final Solution”, when six million Jews and five million human beings of “impure blood” were tortured and exterminated in gas ovens in concentration camps, was exposed to the world after WW II. And the world’s fingers were pointed not only at the Nazis, but at all those Europeans who had committed anti-Semitic violence in the past and Germans who did nothing while Hitler committed genocide, the smoke and stink of human flesh billowing from concentration camps right before their eyes.
Unlike numerous previous genocides, improved communications ensured that the Holocaust was too well known in the world as a crime against humanity to be swept under the carpet, or justified in the name of “civilization”.
So the Western Allies, the Rulers of the post WW II world, came to a decision, to the advantage of both themselves and the Jews. The Balfour Declaration, issued by the British government in 1917, justified Western Allies’ support for the establishment of “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
In 1947, as much as 97% of the land in Palestine was owned by Palestinian Arabs and Christians, just three percent by Jews. Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, constituted the vast majority of the population of Palestine. After World War II, Jews in Europe were encouraged to emigrate to the “Holy Land”, with the added incentive that the land had been promised to the Jews by the Christian God, Yahweh Himself.
An article written by Dr. V.J.M. de Silva, “The Israeli Palestine Conflict – Some Random Thoughts” (The Island, August 12, 2014) tends to support colonial conquest of Palestine by European Jews, citing the verse found in Genesis 17.8: “And I will give unto thee (Abraham) and thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God”, which gave divine legitimacy to the Jewish occupation and ownership of Palestine. The Promised Land.
The late Hameed Abdul Karim, Sri Lankan journalist and activist in the defense of the Palestinian cause, responded, “the media has projected the Palestinian catastrophe as a Muslim issue and not a humanitarian one, as it certainly is: that the conflict in Palestine is between Jews and Muslims. They have subtly left out of the picture the Palestinian Christians, who made up 20% of the population (in 1947)”. Mr. Karim goes on to say that the first village destroyed during the 1948 Israeli war against Palestine (named The Nakba, literally “the catastrophe”) was a Christian Village named Deir Yassin, when over 240 Palestinian Christians were lined up against walls and shot in cold blood by a Zionist terrorist organization, Irgun, headed by future Israeli Prime Minister and co-recipient with Egyptian President Sadat, in 1979, of the Noble Prize (for Peace, no less), Menachem Begin.
Since the Nakba, Jews, with the unqualified financial and military support of the Americans, have accelerated the establishment of a single-state Jewish state of Israel. There have been proposals over the years by various international mediators to establish a two-state solution, which have all failed because no agreement as to the proposed terms of settlement could be reached by the protagonists.
The atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which seems to have all the elements of a false-flag operation, with the complicity of Netanyahu and his radical right-wing cabinet, have given the perfect excuse for the Zionists to complete the job – the original goal of the extermination of the Palestinians and the establishment of the Promised Land.
President Biden may have at last realized that the ultimate motive of the right-wing Israelis was always the establishment of the sovereign Jewish state of Israel, that the Jews, especially under the leadership of Netanyahu, never had any intention for a two-state solution. Biden has threatened Netanyahu that unless the Israeli Defense Forces cease their genocidal operations in Rafah in Southern Gaza, work towards a negotiated ceasefire and a two-state solution, Americans will be forced to suspend military and financial aid to Israel. To which, as noted above, Netanyahu has thumbed his nose, saying that they will stand alone, that they already have the necessary weapons, including an estimated stockpile range of between 90 and 400 nuclear warheads – provided by the USA over the past 76 years – to complete the job.
Of course, the nations of the Arab world are prohibited by the United States from developing a nuclear arsenal as a defense against a possible nuclear attack by Israel, on pain of being bombed to the Stone Age. The hallmark hypocritical double standard of the “Free World”.
Biden’s demands for a ceasefire and political negotiations for a two-state solution has aroused vociferous protests from the powerful American Jewish lobby, members of which have always identified themselves as Jews first, Americans second.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, opened hearings on Thursday, May 16 on a case filed by South Africa “that the situation in Gaza has reached a new and horrific stage, that Israel’s actions in Gaza are part of the end game. This is the last step in the destruction of Gaza”.
The election of Trump in November, which according to current national polls, seems, incredibly, an even money chance, will help Israel expedite the complete destruction of Palestine. Trump will also encourage Russia to invade other independent European nations after Ukraine, seeing that Trump is a good buddy and admirer of both Netanyahu and Putin. And with the current bromance flourishing between Putin and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, who are currently celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations in Peking with majestic pomp and military circumstance, Trump will be drooling for the day when he may be accepted, even as a lowly, lapdog partner, of this unholy alliance of his pantheon of strongmen.
Features
US withdrawal from UNHRC, a boon to political repression and ultra-nationalism

The US’ reported withdrawal from the UNHRC and some other vital UN agencies could be seen as a fillip to anti-democratic and ultra-nationalistic forces worldwide. Besides, the stark message is being conveyed that the developing regions of the world would from now on suffer further impoverishment and powerlessness.
The UNHRC needs to be more effective and proactive in bringing to book those states that are lagging in upholding and implementing human rights standards. But thus far it has been notable in the main in only ‘naming and shaming’ periodically those countries that stand accused of human rights and associated violations. More states and their rulers who have proved notorious violators of International Law, for instance, need to be brought to justice.
Hopefully, the UNHRC would be more dynamic in carrying out its responsibilities going forward but it needs material, moral and financial sustenance in increasing measure as it goes about trying to implement its brief. By withdrawing its support for the UNHRC at this juncture the US has further weakened the body and thereby provided a stimulant to the forces of repression worldwide.
What ought to be equally disquieting for the ethically-conscious is the withdrawal of US support for the WHO, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees or the UNRWA and the Paris Climate Agreement. With these actions the US under President Donald Trump has forfeited all claims to being the world’s foremost democracy. It could no longer lead from the front, so to speak, in championing human rights and democratic development.
It is no coincidence that almost at the time of these decisions by the US, President Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the time of writing what transpired at these talks is not known to the public but it is plain to see that under the ultra-rightist Israeli Prime Minister, there would be no easy closure to the Middle East conflict and the accompanying blood-letting.
This is in view of the fact that the hawkish Trump administration would be hand-in-glove with the Netanyahu regime right along. There would be no political solution in the foreseeable future nor could it be guaranteed by the main stakeholders to the Middle East question that the current ceasefire would continue.
As mentioned in this column before, Israel would need strong security guarantees from the Palestinian camp and its supporters before it sits earnestly at the negotiating table but a policy of repression by the Israeli state would in no way help in resolving the conflict and in ushering even a measure of peace in the region. With the staunch support of the Trump administration the Netanyahu regime could stave off Palestinian resistance for the time being and save face among its supporters but peace in the Middle East would continue to be a lost cause.
The issues in focus would only be further compounded by the US decision to cease support for the rehabilitation and material sustenance of Palestinian refugees. This policy decision would only result in the further alienation and estrangement of Palestinians from the Western world. Consequently, Intifada-type uprisings should only be expected in the future.
As should be obvious, the US decision to pull out of the WHO would further weaken this vital agency of the UN. A drop in material, medical and financial assistance for the WHO would translate into graver hardships for the suffering civilians in the world’s conflict and war zones. The end result could be the alienation of the communities concerned from the wider international community, resulting in escalating law and order and governance issues worldwide. Among other things, the world would be having on its hands aggravating identity politics consequent to civilian publics being radicalized.
Considering the foregoing, the inference is inescapable that the US is heading in the direction of increasing international isolation and a policy of disengaging from multilateral institutions and arrangements geared to worthy causes that could serve world peace. As matters stand, it would not be wrong to conclude that the Trump administration is quite content with the prevailing ‘international disorder’.
One of the most negative consequences of the US decision to pull out of the UNHRC is the encouragement the forces of repression and ultra-nationalism could gain by it. In almost all the states of South Asia, to consider one region that is notable from this viewpoint, the forces of ultra-nationalism and majoritarian chauvinism could be said to be predominant.
Unfortunately, such forces seem to be on the rise once again in even post-Hasina Bangladesh. In Sri Lanka these forces are somewhat dormant at present but they could erupt to the surface, depending on how diligently the present government guards against their rise.
However, the government of Sri Lanka could not be said to be going the extra mile currently to blunt the appeal of ultra-nationalism, whether it is of the Southern kind or of the Northern kind. Crunch time for the Sri Lankan state would come when it has to seriously cooperate with the UNHRC and help bring those accused of war crimes in Sri Lanka to justice. On whether it could cooperate in this exercise would depend the democratic credentials of the present regime.
The cumulative result of the Trump administration weakening the UN and its agencies would be the relentless rise of anti-democratic, fascistic and repressive regimes the world over. Given this backdrop, one could expect the war in the Ukraine and those wasting civil wars in Africa to rage on. In the case of the Ukraine, the possibility of the US and NATO not being of one mind on ways of ending the war there, could render closure of the conflict any time soon impossible.
However, waiting on the US with the expectation that it would be pulling itself together, so to speak, before long and addressing the issue of international law and order would be tantamount to handing over the world to a most uncertain future. It is highly unlikely that the Trump administration would prove equal to the challenge of bringing even a measure of order out of the current global chaos, given the primacy it would be attaching to what it sees as its national interest.
Rather than wait in suspense, democracy oriented sections the world over would do well to come together in a meeting of minds, with the UN playing a catalytic role in it, to figure out how they could pool all the resources at their command to bring about a world order that would be more respectful of International Law in word and spirit.
Features
‘The Onset: A Short Story’: A philosophical drama attempting to redefine perception and cinema

Debut filmmaker, Thevin Gamage, presents a bold challenge to the time-honoured conventions of cinema. Through his daring short film, Thevin invites audiences to reconsider ‘the truth’ of cinematic rules. The 180-degree rule is broken with seamless subtlety, and a fresh perspective is offered on breaking the fourth wall.
This 13+ minute dialogue-driven drama, ‘The Onset: A Short Story’ featuring two actors and created with the collaboration of a debut cinematographer, was shot entirely in his living room—a testament to ingenuity and creative audacity.
The film not only aims to redefine the language of cinema but also thematically contests one of Plato’s most renowned teachings—The Allegory of the Cave. Thevin offers a fresh lens to examine ‘truth’ blending bold cinematic innovation with a philosophical exploration of perception, arrogance, and enlightenment.
At its heart, this story reflects the universal tension between belief and truth, highlighting the cost of breaking free from illusions. His debut is both a defiant act of rebellion and a bold invitation to shape the evolution of future cinema, leaving audiences with as many questions as answers.
Born into a family of artists in Sri Lanka, Thevin, grew up surrounded by a legacy of creativity yet confined by the traditional expectations of society. His parents achieved success as actors and later as entrepreneurs.
For Thevin, questioning the rules was not rebellion for its own sake—it was a search for freedom, truth, and new perspectives. This drive began in childhood, where strict parental expectations collided with his innate creativity. Movies became his escape, a lens through which he experienced life, love, and possibility.
Yet it wasn’t until his late twenties, after years of academic success and professional detours that he finally embraced his calling as a filmmaker. His audacious short film bridges his personal journey with his artistic vision. By breaking the 180-degree rule and redefining the fourth wall, the film demonstrates that cinematic rules can evolve—not as acts of rebellion, but as purposeful explorations of storytelling.
In the spirit of art and its boundless novelty, Thevin Gamage seeks to induct exactly that: originality.
His debut film is a bold exploration of cinematic boundaries and philosophical inquiry, redefining two foundational principles of cinema. This film invites audiences to experience a narrative that subtly bends the historical rules of the 180-degree rule and the fourth wall—often without them even realizing it.
This debut dares you.
It’s a resolute challenge to tradition and a provocative reminder that “rules” are just a few letters that form a word.
****
About young filmmaker

Thevin Gamage
Thevin Gamage is a South Asian filmmaker whose journey reflects both a profound reverence for tradition and an unrelenting desire to transcend it.
Born into a family of artists in Sri Lanka, Thevin was shaped by a legacy of creativity and resilience. His grandfather, Sri Lanka’s first film makeup artist, pioneered his craft with remarkable dedication, laying the foundation for a family deeply rooted in the arts. Though Thevin never met him, his grandfather Regie de Silva’strailblazing work ethic and passion for storytelling helped shape the family ethos, inspiring Thevin’s mother and, in turn, Thevin himself. Reggie was the first Sri Lankan makeup artist. He went to India for his studies in makeup artistry and was active during the era when B.A.W. Jayamanne and Rukmani Devi pioneered the Sri Lankan film industry.
Thevin’s mother, Kumudumali De Silva, a celebrated Best Supporting Actress winner two decades ago and recent Lifetime Achievement Award honoree for her contributions to the wedding industry, met his father, Nihal Gamage, while on set. Together, they transitioned from the entertainment industry to entrepreneurial success, founding a wedding photography and bridal dressing business. Their ventures flourished, even leading to the publication of their own wedding magazine, providing a middle-class life of success and recognition.
Despite these creative roots, societal expectations in Sri Lanka compelled Thevin to pursue academics. After excelling at the University of Toronto with a degree in Political Science, Economics, and Psychology, Thevin still yearned for storytelling. In his late twenties, after years of professional detours, he enrolled in film school and committed fully to his craft.
Operating outside the framework of traditional film production companies, Thevin embraced the challenges of independence. From conceptualization to execution, his debut film is a testament to his determination, ingenuity, and unwavering commitment to his vision. His journey as an independent filmmaker exemplifies the power of creative freedom to challenge norms and shape unique perspectives.
Thevin’s work invites audiences to question, reimagine, and ultimately transform their understanding of storytelling. His journey is not just one of artistic pursuit but an act of defiance—an effort to inspire others to embrace the power of the arts and forge paths beyond traditional norms.
Features
Top three at 40th Mrs World pageant

While South African model Tshego Gaelae becomes the first Black woman to win the Mrs. World title in its 40-year history, we, too, were in the spotlight, at the finals.
Ishadi Amanda took the No. 02 slot, being the first runner-up at the prestigious pageant, held in Las Vegas, USA, from 29-30 January, 2025.
Thailand’s Ploy Panperm was placed third, as the second runner-up.
Sri Lanka’s Ishadi had support from the audience when her name was announced as one of the three finalists.
The Mrs World pageant winner, from South Africa, expressed her thanks on Instagram, saying, “To God be the glory. Thank you so much for the love and support, I am beyond grateful and elated! My beautiful South Africa, the crown is coming home,” she shared with her followers, encapsulating her elation and gratitude.
The Mrs World pageant, established in 1984, stands as the first international beauty contest solely for married women, providing a platform for married contestants to showcase not just their beauty, but also their intellect and community outreach efforts.
Before being picked as the winner, Mrs South Africa was asked: “What is the biggest challenge you have faced and achieved?” And her answer was brilliant:

Rosy Senanayake: Mrs World 1984
“I was so stressed on social media. Social media people should use it to share knowledge and good things. But it’s used to stress people out. But I stood up for myself without that social media pressure. I used the same social media that stressed me out to share good thoughts and hope to get to the victorious place I am today.”
Gaelae’s success is a testament to the ideals celebrated by the pageant, where diversity and empowerment take centre stage.
Gaelae balances her roles as a devoted mother, wife, labour relations manager, and model.
Being the first black woman to clinch the title at the Mrs World pageant has ignited a sense of pride and celebration among South Africans.
The Mrs South Africa Organisation, which played a crucial role in supporting Gaelae’s remarkable journey, also expressed their pride through a statement: “From Soweto to Vegas and now the World, @mrsworldpageant The Crown is Coming Home! Thank you to everyone who supported our queen on her incredible Journey.”
Gaelae returned home to a triumphant celebration fit for a queen.
At the airport to welcome her were her family, friends, church community, the Mrs South African team board and alumni, and the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg.

The crowning of the 40th Mrs World winner
And, guess what? Gaelae is now in touch with me!
Second Runner-up Mrs Thailand Ploy Panperm is quoted as having said: “I believe that modern married women have the potential to excel in multiple roles – as wives, mothers and even as beauty queens – embodying intelligence, talent and beauty.”
For the record, it was our very own Rosy Senanayake who brought Sri Lanka fame at this pageant … being crowned Mrs World at the very first Mrs World pageant, in 1984.
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