Three Palestinian rights groups have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging the body to investigate Israel for “apartheid” as well as “genocide” and issue arrest warrants for leaders Israelis.
The complaint, filed Wednesday by human rights organizations Al-Haq, Al Mezan and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, calls for “urgent attention to the continued barrage of Israeli airstrikes on areas densely populated civilian population of the Gaza Strip,” which killed more than 10,500 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, according to Gaza health officials.
The document also calls on the body to expand its ongoing war crimes investigation by examining “the stifling siege imposed on (Gaza), the forced displacement of its population, the use of poison gas and the denial of necessities , such as food, water. , fuel and electricity.
These acts constitute “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity,” including “genocide,” according to the lawsuit.
The three groups want arrest warrants issued for Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) opened a formal investigation into the situation in Palestine in 2021 after determining that “war crimes have been or are being committed by Palestinian and Israeli actors in the West Bank, including Jerusalem- East, and in the Gaza Strip. “.
However, the group has been criticized by rights groups and activists who say its response to ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has been lukewarm.
In the latest ICC filing, the human rights groups’ lawyer, Emmanuel Daoud, referred to the ICC’s ruling against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, and declared that there was “no room for double standards in international justice”.
“Whether war crimes are committed in Ukraine or Palestine, the perpetrators must be held accountable,” Daoud said.
This is not the first time a case against Israel has been brought before the ICC during its month-long war in Gaza.
On October 31, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) filed a complaint with the organization, accusing Israel of having perpetrated war crimes against journalists in Gaza.
On Thursday, Israeli attacks killed at least 39 journalists since October 7, according to figures from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), including 34 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.
‘Criminal liability’
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan highlighted other possible crimes during his visit to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing on October 29, saying preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians could be pursued in under the Rome Statute.
“There should be no obstacles to humanitarian aid being distributed to children, women, men and civilians,” Khan said.
“They are innocent, they have rights under international humanitarian law. These rights are part of the Geneva Conventions, and they even give rise to criminal liability when these rights are restricted under the Rome Statute.
Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has previously rejected the court’s jurisdiction and does not formally engage with the court.
The ICC’s founding statute gives it legal authority to investigate alleged crimes committed in the territory of its members or by their nationals when national authorities are “unwilling or unable” to do so.
On October 10, the ICC prosecutor’s office said its mandate applied to potential crimes committed in the current conflict.