Europa & Palestine News « Europa & Middle East News
Dear President Abbas,
Letter to President Abbas: The Ball Is Now In The Court Of Palestine
Dear President Abbas,
We, the undersigned Palestinian and international human rights organizations, write to urge you to ensure that Palestine pursues the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by promptly acceding to the Rome Statute and/or filing a further declaration accepting the Court’s jurisdiction over crimes committed on Palestinian territory from 1 July 2002.
Taking such steps could ensure access to international justice for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on Palestinian territories, and would send an important message that such crimes cannot be committed with impunity.
As you know, following the UN General Assembly’s decision in November 2012 to upgrade Palestine’s status to “non-member observer state”, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor stated that the decision “does not cure the legal invalidity of [Palestine's] 2009 declaration” which accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction over acts committed on its territory since 1 July 2002, and that “at this stage, the Office has no legal basis to open a new preliminary examination.”
The Office stated that it was, therefore, not in a position to consider allegations of serious crimes committed in Palestine without further steps by your government. On this basis, the current ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, has said that “the ball is now in the court of Palestine” to seek the court’s jurisdiction.
We understand the pressure that Palestine is under from Israel and the United States not to pursue the jurisdiction of the ICC, whether during or after the current US-sponsored negotiations with Israel. We are aware that even countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada, which are states parties to the ICC treaty and purport to seek its universal ratification, have, at times, opposed Palestine seeking access to the ICC.
We oppose these efforts to politicize justice for victims of serious crimes under international law, and urge you to resist them. Justice is an important end in its own right, preserving the rights of victims and affected communities regardless of the uncertain prospects for peace. The commission of war crimes with impunity has regularly undermined the peace process. A credible prosecution threat would help to advance the cause of peace.
Palestine’s accession in April to 20 international treaties and conventions was a significant and positive step, obliging the Palestinian government to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights, and requiring Palestinian forces to abide by international rules on armed conflict. Accession to the Rome Statute would be a vital further step towards protecting human rights by ensuring that the ICC can step in to address impunity when domestic authorities are genuinely unable or unwilling to do so.
Seeking the ICC’s jurisdiction over serious crimes committed on Palestinian territory should therefore be seen as an apolitical step towards ending impunity and could help deter future abuses.
The ICC represents an important tool for justice and effective remedies for victims. We urge you to seize it without any further delay.
Sincerely,
Sahar Francis, Executive Director
Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
Khalil Abu Shammala, Executive Director
Al Dameer Association for Human Rights
Shawan Jabarin, General Director
Al-Haq
Issam Younis, General Director
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
Munir Nuseibah, Director
Al-Quds University Human Rights Clinic
Salil Shetty, Secretary General
Amnesty International
Nidal Azza, Director
Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
Rifat Kassis, Director
Defense for Children International – Palestine
Shawqi Issa, Director
Ensan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
Ken Roth, Executive Director
Human Rights Watch
Helmi al-Araj, General Director
Hurryyat Centre for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights
Said Benarbia, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme
International Commission of Jurists
Karim Lahidji, President
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Issam Aruri, Director
Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center
Raji Sourani, Director
Palestinian Center for Human Rights
Iyad Barghouti, Director
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
Maha Abu Dayyeh, General Director
Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and CounsellingSource: Al-Mezan for Human Rights
Two foreign UN workers were shot dead at Galkayo airport in Puntland, Somalia. They were one Briton and one French working for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) based in Kenya but had regular visit to Somalia.
She added: “For
almost 20 years ago I founded Mentor Foundation – an international
non-governmental organisation focused on the prevention of drug misuse
with the mission to help vulnerable children- and through this work I
have met many children growing up in societies affected by drug abuse
and have seen the harm it causes. Mentor has actively sought to support
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime since decades ago.”
His Excellency
Khaled Shamaa, Ambassador of Egypt before Austria and Permanent
Representative before the international organizations in Vienna, was the
President and chairperson of this year’s session. He opened the meeting
by thanking the Member States of the UNODC for their trust and for
choosing him to head the session. He welcomed Her Majesty the Queen in
Sweden, the UN deputy Secretary-General, and he thanked the (UNODC)
director and the attendants.
The executive
director of (UNODC) Fedotov said: “I t was his hope that the debate
would help Member States “find common ground and come up with a powerful
message that will enable us to strengthen our cooperation, to address
the world drug problem in a balanced, humane and effective way, based on
the international conventions.”
Darkness, shortage of fuel, flooding, hunger. Two Palestinians were killed and thousands evacuated to shelters while international community is blind and keeps silence like nothing is happening.
Power outages are something that Gaza has dealt with for years. Israel’s restrictions on the amount of fuel Gaza could import, together with supply from Egypt not always being reliable, meant regular cuts for homes and businesses, hospitals, schools and even basic infrastructure. 
