The recently announced ICC decision to fully investigate Israeli war crimes is met by vehement indignance from an overwhelming majority of Zionist political representatives. The issue of external intervention hits a raw nerve, and threatens Israeli impunity.
Much of the past 10 years in Palestine has been characterized by loss. Loss in the literal sense: of land, of homes, of lives. Paramount, however, seems to be the loss of hope. Loss of hope in local and world leaders, in international accountability, and in the prospect of a two-state solution.
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda surely felt compelled to announce an investigation of Israel’s conduct in the occupation so as not to appear to be completely failing her job, but her referral of a “question” concerning the “territory” under jurisdiciton to a “Pre-trial Chamber” of the court risks dragging this process out by months, maybe even years.
After years of delays into launching a full investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatou Bensouda announced on Friday that there is basis to investigate Israel for its actions in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Rights Forum, an organization “committed to a fair and sustainable Dutch and European policy on the Palestine/Israel issue,” announced earlier this week that it was delivering its appeal with the support of 185 organizations from 25 countries. “Without further delay, investigate possible war crimes committed in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory,” the group said in their appeal, which they delivered to Chief ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at The Hague on Tuesday.
Yumna Patel interviews Canadian law professor and UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian territories Michael Lynk about his latest report on the human rights situation in Palestine, and his call for an international ban on Israeli settlement goods.
Israel is “moving rapidly” towards annexing parts of the Palestinian West Bank and tough rhetoric from Israeli politicians could presage a “dramatic” step in the coming months, United Nations investigator Michael Lynk told Mondoweiss.
In response to threats by the United States National Security Adviser John Bolton, the International Criminal Court in Hague said, on Tuesday, that it is an independent and impartial institution with the backing of 123 countries. The statement added that “the ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its work undeterred, in accordance with those principles and the overarching idea of the rule of law.”
Four Palestinian human rights organizations submitted their fourth “substantive communication” to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. The 700-page evidence file submitted alleges that high-level Israeli civilian and military officials have committed “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Tahseer Alayyan, a spokesperson for the Ramallah-based independent Palestinian human rights NGO, al-Haq, told Mondoweiss that the NGOs believe the ICC is the “only remaining window” for Palestinians to “bring justice for the victims” of Israeli violations.
The recent UN report on the Gaza war of 2014 fell for Israeli propaganda when it treated tunnels out of Gaza as a real source of terror but did so to make its allegations against Israel palatable to Israelis, says Palestinian-Canadian human rights lawyer Diana Buttu