The decision by the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to pursue war crimes investigations into Israel’s actions against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip is welcomed by BDS Australia.
Bensouda’s statement that, “I am satisfied that (i) war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip (“Gaza”) (ii) potential cases arising from the situation would be admissible; and (iii) there are no substantial reasons to believe that an investigation would not serve the interests of justice”, comes after the Court had been presented with extensive documentation over five years to support such an investigation.
Greg Barns, criminal barrister and former National President of the Australian Lawyers Alliance states:
“The ICC and the Rome Statute that governs it is supported by Australia. Therefore it would be hypocritical if Australian politicians did not support the ICC in its further work on Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinians.
“The ICC decision should be supported by all Australians who oppose the apartheid policies of Israel.
Associate Professor Jake Lynch, Chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney and Leverhulme Visiting Professor, Coventry University, 2019-20 says:
“The ICC announcement finally opens the door to justice for the Palestinians, after decades of dispossession and oppression by the Israeli military security state. It comes as revulsion at Israel’s excesses, and support for remedial action, is growing among concerned peoples around the world.
BDS Australia’s Hilmi Dabbagh says:
“This is the first step towards accountability for decades of grave crimes against Palestinians and we commend the ICC for finally taking steps to bring justice to so many and to shine a light on these ongoing crimes which must be stopped by the international community.
Read the media release from BDS Australia.
Director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, Ms Rawan Arraf said:
“This is a major breakthrough and a huge advance for those all around the world fighting to end impunity for serious international crimes.”
“Australia’s position has been rejected by the majority of the Court. It is Australia who played politics and lost. We hope Australia will now support the right of all victims to access justice equally, and end selective support for justice and accountability.”
“Today’s decision is the result of decades long struggle led by Palestinian human rights defenders, victims’ communities and civil society organisations, against a backdrop of daily violence and an aggressive amount of political pressure and lobbying, in attempts to bury an investigation and grant impunity to perpetrators of atrocity crimes.”
“Once again, an international court has affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The Court has recognised that serious harms the Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, cannot be ignored.”
Read the media release from the Australian Centre for International Justice.
[JMedia: Total reprehensible political action by the ICC – a farce to say the least.]