Sourani: PCHR Continues Efforts to Bring Israeli Leaders and Soldiers to Justice

Ref: 42/2015

On the first anniversary of the latest Israeli offensive on the
Gaza Strip 2014, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) organized a
workshop in cooperation with the National Society for Democracy and Law (NSDL)
on efforts made by human rights organizations to prosecute Israeli war
criminals for the crimes they committed against the Palestinian civilians. The
workshop was attended by a number of representatives of political and popular
powers, civil society and public figures in Rafah City.

Lawyer RajiSourani, Director of PCHR, explained the human rights conditions
in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and the suffering endured by
Palestinians under the cruelest conditions ever in tens of years since the
beginning of the Arab Palestinian-Israeli conflict, especially following the
Israeli offensive that left disastrous impacts on all aspects of life in the
Gaza Strip. He also addressed the settlers’ terrorist acts against Palestinian
civilians and their property, the latest of which was the arson attack on the
house of Dawabsha family, due to which a toddler was killed and the father died
later of his injury.

Moreover, Sourani highlighted the latest updates relevant to the
prosecution of Israeli leaders and soldiers for the crimes they committed
against the Palestinian people, pointing to the unprecedented cooperation among
human rights organizations in documenting the Israeli occupation crimes
especially during the latest Israeli offensive. He added that joint efforts are
relentlessly exerted by these organizations to resort to the International
Criminal Court (ICC) to hold the Israeli leaders and soldiers accountable for
the crimes they committed against the Palestinian people. They also work on
other files that constitute the core of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
including settlement activities, the annexation wall, the blockade and the
latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Sourani tackled the achievements of human rights organizations in
prosecuting Israeli war criminals and how they helped issuing arrest warrants
against Israeli leaders in Spain, Britain and other countries. These countries regrettably
amended their laws to prevent the arrest of the Israeli leaders. Sourani spoke
about the ongoing Israeli attempts to hinder the Palestinians’ access to the
ICC and pressure being practiced on the international community, Palestinian
Authority and even community-based organizations to deny the Palestinians their
right to access justice.

Additionally, Sourani pointed out that after President Abbas had
acceded the Rome Statute and as long as the ICC is for prosecution individuals,
no one would prevent the Palestinians from resorting to it. He referred to the
new legal documentation done by Palestinian human rights organizations that
enabled them to build highly professional legal files to be the foundation for
filing cases on behalf of victims before the ICC. However, Sourani warned
against having great expectations regarding the gains to be achieved by human
rights organizations in international courts, as no country in history gained
freedom by courts or the law. Freedom and self-determination only come by
revolutions and resistance that are stipulated in the international law, but human
rights organizations constitute an important civilized arena, where the
struggle should go on.

When replying to questions raised by the audience, Sourani assured
them that the Israeli authorities will not dare to resort to the ICC to
prosecute leaders of Palestinian armed groups. 
He also emphasized that according to the international humanitarian law,
resistance is a right and duty of people seeking their right to
self-determination.

At the end of the workshop, Sourani called upon the audience to form
a committee from the national, political and popular factions and
community-based organizations to support the efforts made by human rights
organizations to head to the ICC in order to prosecute the Israeli criminals
and have access to justice to ensure judicial remedy.

The audience appreciated PCHR’s role in prosecuting the Israeli war
criminals and demanded that PCHR continue to hold workshops which raise the
legal awareness of the Palestinian society.