Euro-Med Monitor calls on to support ICC’s probe into Israeli war crimes
Geneva (QNN)- Euro-Mediterranean Human Right Monitor and Geo Expertise said that Human Rights Council and its member states should support International Criminal Court’s(ICC) probe into the Israeli violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and remove all obstacles before the integrity, independence and impartiality of the probe.
In a joint oral statement at the Human Rights Council on Thursday, delivered by Euro-Med Monitor’s advocacy officer, Ahmed Alnaouq, during Human Rights Council’s 46th Session Agenda Item, Alnaouq said that victims of violations in the oPt received a glimmer of hope in attaining the long-awaited justice after the Court decided to open the investigation.
The statement stated that since its occupation of the Palestinian territory, ‘Israel’ has committed gross human rights violations, some of which may amount to war crimes, such as forced displacement, demographic change, settlements, collective punishment, and military attacks.
The two organizations stressed the importance of the beginning of the investigation and ensuring that Israel doesn’t impede it politically or in the field, whether by pressuring and influencing the Court’s committees and victims alike or putting field obstacles such as preventing the committees to enter the areas under investigation, given that Israel controls militarily all ports of the occupied Palestinian territory.
The statement stressed the need to end the state of impunity that Israel has always enjoyed, to provide justice and compensation to the victims, and deter Israel from continuing to violate the rights of the Palestinians.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda said recently that she launched a formal probe into war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“The investigation will cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation since 13 June 2014, the date to which reference is made in the Referral of the Situation to my Office,” she added.
‘Israel’ is not a member of the court and rejects its jurisdiction, a position backed by its close ally the United States and other countries who are members of the ICC, including Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Lithuania.
Palestinians have welcomed the ruling as a chance for justice for victims of Israeli attacks.
Palestine has asked the court to look into Israeli war crimes during its 2014 war against the Gaza Strip, when the Israelis killed 2147 Palestinians including women and children, and wounded 10870 others, as well as Israel’s construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
