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| PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
Ref: 171/2005
Date: 22 December 2005
Sourani Delivers a Speech before the General Assembly of the Coalition for Peace in Rome and Holds a Series of Meetings in London
Rome – Upon an invitation by Ms. Alexandra Macozni, Secretary General of the Coalition for Peace, Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, delivered a speech at the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Coalition. At least 200 members of this organization throughout the world and Ms. Lusia Morgantini, Member of the European Parliament, attended the meeting.
In his speech, Mr. Sourani first talked about the upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections, which will be held on 25 January 2005, emphasizing that these elections represent the Palestinian people’s choice. Elections represent democracy and the rule of law and renew the Palestinian political legitimacy, he added. Elections are the response to Israel’s attempts to undermine the Palestinian political legitimacy. Any attempts to damage elections would undermine the Palestinian political legitimacy and representation inside and outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and the postponement of elections would mean the triumph of chaos, Mr. Sourani further added.
Mr. Sourani asserted that the unilateral disengagement plan implemented by Israel in the Gaza Strip is an attempt to trade the idea of the lack of a Palestinian political partner. This idea came into existence when President Arafat was under an Israeli siege and was not recognized by Israel. Even though Mahmoud Abbas was elected as a president, Israel has continued to follow the same policy. Mr. Sourani stated that the disengagement plan has undoubtedly proved that Israel was and is still an occupying power in the Gaza Strip, as it controls the lives of the Palestinian civilian population. He asserted that Israel has sold to the world an illusion called “withdrawal.” The separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank economically and politically, and Israel’s control over the Rafah International Crossing Point through international monitoring teams and video cameras, having the right to decide who can travel through the crossing point prove that the Israeli belligerent occupation is still effective in the Gaza Strip. The operation of the Rafah International Crossing Point under Israeli conditions proves that Israel still controls the lives of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip. There is no Palestinian control over the crossing point, Mr. Sourani asserted.
Mr. Sourani further stated that Sharon has succeeded in moving the focus of discussion away from the core issues in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. No one talks about Jerusalem, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, the Annexation Wall and settlement expansion. This is Sharon’s goal, which implies imposing a unilateral solution, which is called a long-term disengagement plan, through creating facts on the ground.
Mr. Sourani also held an extensive meeting at offices of the International Legal Assistance Consortium. He talked about the situation in the OPT, and PCHR’s joint efforts with its partners to prosecute suspects of committing war crimes against Palestinian civilians before the international judiciary in London, New York and Bern. It is worth noting that Mr. Sourani is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Democratic Lawyers in Paris.
London – Mr. Sourani held extensive meetings with Daniel McCover and Kate Minard of Hickman & Rose Sols., PCHR’s partner in cases brought against suspects of committing war crimes against Palestinian civilians, including General Doron Almog and Avi Dichter. He discussed with them new cases to be brought before the judiciary in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Furthermore, Mr. Sourani, McCover and Ms. Emily Thorn, Member of the British Parliament, held a meeting with Mr. Richard Bradley, Director of the Judicial Cooperation Department at the British Interior Ministry, hid aide Ms. Claire Field, and Mr. Murphy from the British Foreign Ministry. The legal team was mainly interested in the two visits by two Israeli delegations to the British Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry after a British court had issued an arrest warrant against General Doron Almog. The legal team criticized Jack Straw’s statement, in which he apologized for the arrest warrant. The team asserted that this statement undermines the rule of law in the United Kingdom as a democratic country. Mr. Sourani asserted that the United Kingdom as a High Contracting Party to the Fourth Geneva Convention is obliged to act to ensure the rule of law practically and legally, and that none of its official bodies should act above the law. He further asserted that there is a need to apply justice without selectivity or politicization, and demanded law enforcement bodies to reinforce the rule of law and implement court rulings. The British team refused to talk about the issues raised by the Israeli delegations, particularly with regard to Doron Almog’s case, but asserted that there is no change in the British judicial policies.
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