Ref: 60/2009

On 4 and 5 November 2009, the Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), spoke at the al Zeitona conference in Beirut. The conference was entitled “Israel and International Law” and featured a number of prominent speakers. Key among them were Prof. John Dugard (Head of the Independent Fact Finding Mission of the League of Arab States) and Prof. Paul De Waert, (a member of the Independent Fact Finding Mission of the League of Arab States). Both individuals are world respected international law experts, who have made a significant contribution to the Palestinian cause.

At the conference Mr. Sourani spoke about the pursuit of universal jurisdiction, emphasizing that this was the most important legal mechanism available to Palestinians in the face of a Security Council veto, and incomplete accession to the International Criminal Court.

On 9, 10 and 11 November Mr. Sourani will participate in two conferences in Brussels, both of which relate to the practice of universal jurisdiction and the pursuit of Israeli suspects. On 12 November Mr. Sourani will participate in a meeting of FIDH’s Legal Action Group in Paris.