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The Herald Scotland

International summit to discuss Israel and Palestine

At the conference being held on July 15 and 16, attendees aim to turn international condemnation of Israel's actions in Gaza into "co-ordinated legal and diplomatic action" amid fears over the breakdown of international law. Arrest warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant. Read More: In theory this would mean they face arrest if they set foot on the territory of any ICC signatory but France and Italy have indicated they consider Mr Netanyahu immune while Hungary withdrew from the ICC after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán hosted his Israeli counterpart. The conference is being jointly chaired by Colombia and South Africa, the latter of which brought a genocide case against Israel which is currently being considered by the International Court of Justice. An ICJ ruling on the allegation is not expected for several years, but in May last year Israel did not comply with an order issued by the court to halt its offensive on the southern city of Rafah. The court also issued an advisory opinion in July 2024 declaring Israel's occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlawful. It ordered Israel to "immediately cease all new settlement activity", provide reparations, evacuate all settlers and demolish parts of the 'security wall' which are on the occupied territories; as well as allowing "all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their original place of residence". Participating states at the conference include the Republic of Ireland, Spain, Brazil, Norway, Portugal and Slovenia. The UK will not take part. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, will open the Bogotá Emergency Conference. She will say: "For too long, international law has been treated as optional — applied selectively to those perceived as weak, ignored by those acting as the powerful. "This double standard has eroded the very foundations of the legal order. That era must end. The law must either be universal, or it will cease to mean anything at all. No one can afford this selective approach. UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese (Image: Creative Commons Licence) "The world will remember what we, states and individuals, did in this moment — whether we recoiled in fear or rose in defence of human dignity. Here in Bogotá, a growing number of states have the opportunity to break the silence and revert to a path of legality by finally saying: enough. Enough impunity. Enough empty rhetoric. Enough exceptionalism. Enough complicity. The time has come to act in pursuit of justice and peace — grounded in rights and freedoms for all, and not mere privileges for some, at the expense of the annihilation of others. "I trust that more States will align their policies with these fundamental principles as we move forward in this existential hour—for both the Palestinian and the Israeli people, and the integrity of the international legal order itself. United in purpose we can reclaim justice and standing together, we will.' Ms Albanese was last week sanctioned by the US government for what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as 'illegitimate and shameful efforts' to promote International Criminal Court action against Israeli and US officials. She will say in Bogotá: 'These attacks shall not be seen as against me personally. They are a warning to everyone, who dares defend international justice and freedom. But we cannot afford to be silenced — and I know I am not alone. This is not about me or any other single individuals, but about justice for the Palestinian people at the most critical juncture in their history.' When the Hague Group was founded the eight initial members - Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa - committed to implementing the ICJ provisional measures, prevent provision or transfer of arms, munitions and related equipment to Israel "where there is a clear risk that such arms and related items might be used to commit or facilitate violations of humanitarian law, international human rights law, or the prohibition on genocide" and to prevent vessels docking at any port "where there is a clear risk of the vessel being used to carry military fuel and weaponry to Israel, which might be used to commit or facilitate violations of humanitarian law, of international human rights law, and of the prohibition on genocide in Palestine". Following the opening of the conference, the states will will deliberate what further concrete measures they can take together. Varsha Gandikota-Nelluta, Executive Secretary of The Hague Group, said: "We meet in Bogotá with a twin imperative: to end Israel's impunity and sever the cords of complicity. The International Court of Justice has already made its rulings, deeming Israel's continued presence in the Palestinian territories as unlawful. There is no absence of legal clarity. 'States will now deliberate how to enforce their obligations — from ceasing arms exports and preventing harbour for vessels carrying military equipment to ensuring justice for all victims. 'These are concrete obligations under international law, determined by the ICJ and adopted in UNGA (United Nations General Assembly), and the deadline is now looming — to turn rhetoric into concrete collective action." Full list of participating states: Republic of Colombia (as co-chair) Republic of South Africa (as co-chair) People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Plurinational State of Bolivia Republic of Botswana Federative Republic of Brazil Republic of Chile People's Republic of China Republic of Cuba Republic of Djibouti Republic of Honduras Republic of Indonesia Republic of Iraq Republic of Ireland Lebanese Republic State of Libya Malaysia United Mexican States Republic of Namibia Republic of Nicaragua Kingdom of Norway Sultanate of Oman Islamic Republic of Pakistan State of Palestine Portuguese Republic State of Qatar Republic of Slovenia Kingdom of Spain Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Republic of Türkiye Oriental Republic of Uruguay Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela