Latest news with #InternationalCentreofJusticeforPalestinians
Morocco World
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Lawyers Establish ‘Global 195' Coalition to Cease Israeli Impunity in Palestine
Rabat – The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) announced on March 18 the launch of the 'Global 195' initiative; which aims to establish a 'global network of accountability' against Israelis and dual nationals involved in committing war crimes in Gaza through domestic and international legal mechanisms. Global 195 will focus on individuals from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) as well as key Israeli political and military figures, including policymakers and operational personnel responsible for violations of international law. Countries participating in the coalition include Malaysia, Türkiye, Norway, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the United Kingdom. The coalition plans on applying for private arrest warrants and initiating legal proceedings in various jurisdictions. According to the announcement, preparations are already underway in the United Kingdom to pursue legal action against British citizens suspected of involvement in war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. The evidence for the initiative comes from ICJP's 'Justice for Gaza' investigation, which has collected over 135 eyewitness testimonies from across Gaza corroborated by open-source material, all meeting criminal legal standards required by UK and international courts. The evidence shows patterns of systematic violations, including indiscriminate bombardments of civilians, targeting of vital infrastructure, and attacks on refugee camps. The coalition has also gathered data showing attacks on designated 'safe zones' and the use of starvation as a weapon of war were part of a coordinated strategy. At a launch event in London, ICJP Director Tayab Ali paid tribute to the 404 Palestinians killed in Israel's latest attacks on Gaza, earlier on the same day. 'Today's events are a reminder of why initiatives like Global 195 are essential towards creating some form of accountability as this genocide continued unabated and supported by western governments and global corporations,' said Ali. Ali pointed out the failure of international institutions to prosecute Israeli war criminals and the role of civil society in filling this gap. 'Impunity for grave international crimes is not legally sustainable,' Ali said. 'Where states fail to act, we must ensure justice is pursued.' ICJP's efforts are supported by various civil society organizations, including ICJ Norway and Defend International Law, who issued a joint statement calling for an independent investigation in order to 'combat impunity for atrocity crimes regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator or the victim.' 'We are convinced that such crimes have been committed in Gaza. This complaint should now lead to independent and impartial investigations of the alleged war crimes, also by prosecutors in third States assigned with extraterritorial jurisdiction,' stated the civil society organizations. The coalition's efforts echo previous initiatives like those of the Belgium based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF); which focuses on 'offensive legal action against perpetrators, accomplices and inciters of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.' The foundation's name and work are a eulogy to the memory of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child who was brutally and deliberately murdered by Israel last year. Hind's entire family was killed before her eyes, and she was murdered shortly after while she was emergency services for help on the phone. The HRF had previously filed complaints against several IOF soldiers while they are outside of Israel in order to insure that those involved in the genocide in Gaza are held accountable for their crimes; including Ghassan Alian who allegedly supervised and implemented the humanitarian aid and electricity blockade to the enclave.
Middle East Eye
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Legal coalition to pursue Israelis accused of war crimes around the world
Lawyers have launched a global coalition to pursue legal action around the world against Israelis and Israeli dual nationals accused of involvement in suspected war crimes in Gaza. At a launch event in London on Tuesday, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) said the Global 195 initiative would seek to use domestic and international legal mechanisms to seek justice against Israeli soldiers and others 'spanning the entire Israeli military and political chain of command'. Speaking at a press conference, Tayab Ali, director of the ICJP, began his remarks by paying tribute to the hundreds of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes after it broke the ceasefire with Hamas in the early hours of Tuesday morning. 'Today's events are a reminder of why initiatives like Global 195 are essential towards creating some form of accountability as this genocide continued unabated and supported by western governments and global corporations,' Ali said. 'The obstruction of international legal institutions in pursuing individuals responsible for war crimes in Palestine, coupled with the failure of national police forces to fulfil their obligations under humanitarian law and universal jurisdiction principles, has allowed impunity for Israeli suspected war criminals to persist. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'Under international law, states have a duty to investigate and prosecute war crimes, yet these obligations have been systematically neglected. The launch of Global 195 is a necessary legal intervention to remedy this failure.' Ali added that the Global 195 initiative would target figures ranging 'from senior policymakers to operational personnel, who are directly or indirectly responsible for violations of international law'. Eyewitness testimonies He noted that the ICJP had collected 135 eyewitness testimonies from Gaza that corroborated open-source material taken across the besieged enclave. The evidence, according to Ali, includes individuals who may have perpetrated war crimes that include indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, destruction of civilian infrastructure, attacks on designated 'safe zones', mass displacement policies and use of starvation against a civilian population. The ICJP added that it had been working with former detectives from London's Metropolitan Police to ensure that the evidence it collects meets a high standard and can be used in future cases. The press conference included legal scholars from Bosnia, Canada, Malaysia, Norway and Turkey, who will be working with the ICJP in bringing cases against nationals suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation: Pursuing Israeli soldiers worldwide for Gaza war crimes Read More » Shane Martinez, who heads the ICJP's branch in Canada, said several Canadian lawyers were working to prosecute Canadian nationals and charities who are fundraising or fighting for the Israeli army. This latest project is one of several that have been launched since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza in 2023. Last month, MEE spoke to Dyab Abou Jahjah, president of the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has been pursuing legal cases against Israeli soldiers suspected of perpetrating war crimes. Like the ICJP, Jahjah said their foundation had compiled over 8,000 pieces of evidence from social media related to alleged war crimes by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation is named in honour of a six-year-old Palestinian girl whose tragic death at the hands of Israeli soldiers on 29 January 2024 has become symbolic of the widespread violations of international humanitarian law committed by Israeli forces. An investigation in June revealed that Rajab and six of her family members were targeted with 335 Israeli army bullets as they attempted to flee northern Gaza in their car.
