Ref: 13/2009
Date: 25 May 2009
Sourani Participates in an International Conference in Italy: Is There a Court for Gaza?
On 22 May 2009, the Lelio E Lisli Basso Foundation organized an international conference entitled “Is There a Court for Gaza?” in the conference hall of the Marini Palace in Rome. Dozens of justices, lawyers, international law professors, academics and politicians from around the world attended the conference which aimed at highlighting war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) during the recent military offensive on the Gaza Strip between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009.
Justice Salvatore Senese, President of the Permanent Peoples’ Court of Lelio E Lisli Basso Foundation, opened the conference and presided the first session. The second session was presided by Jianni Tognoni, Secretary General of the Permanent Peoples’ Court. The final session was headed by Elena Paciotti, President of Lelio E Lisli Basso Foundation. During the course of the three sessions of the conference, different Justices, lawyers and international law professors gave presentations, including:
1) Lawyer Gilles Devers;
2) Giuseppe Palmisano, professor of international law in Camerino University in Italy;
3) François Rigaux, professor emeritus of international law in the Catholic University of Lovanio in Belgium;
4) Richard Falk, professor of international law in Princeton University in USA and UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian territories;
5) Roland Kessous, Avocat General in the Cassation Court of Paris;
6) Flavia Lattanzi, Justice in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia;
7) Antoni Pigrau Solé, professor of international law in the University of Rovira I Virgili di Tarragona in Spain and a member of the Permanent Peoples’ Court;
8) Eric David, professor of international law in Université Libre de Bruxelles;
9) Justice Franco Ippolito, member of the Permanent Peoples’ Court; and
10) Mario Lana, president of the Forensic Union for the Protection of Human Rights.
Lana nominated Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), for one of the most important international human rights prizes granted in Italy.
From Palestine, the conferees were Ambassador Leila Shahid, Palestine delegate-general to the European Union and Belgium, and Mr. Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR. In his presentation, Sourani talked in detail about the most significant crimes that IOF continue to commit in the West Bank, including ethnic cleansing, efforts to establish a Jewish majority in Jerusalem, the continued construction of the annexation wall, expansion of settlements, political assassinations, arbitrary arrests, incursions and willful killings. Sourani noted that all these crimes have transformed the West Bank into a reality that embodies an apartheid system. Sourani further talked about the Gaza Strip and about the siege that reached the peak prior to IOF recent offensive on Gaza that began on 27 December 2008. He also talked about continued political assassinations, incursions into towns and villages and the numerous war crimes that IOF continue to commit in the Gaza Strip. Sourani explained that the recent offensive represented the peak of IOF war crimes against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.
Sourani referred to Israel’s demand to the Pope to apologize for the Holocaust, contrasting it with the crimes which continue to be committed by Israel against Palestinian civilians and their property. He said that Palestinian human rights organizations documented and reported on IOF’s crimes and that, for the first time in history, Ramattan News Agency broadcasted live Israeli war crimes. Sourani strongly condemned the European official positions, including refusal of the results of the Palestinian elections; trends to promote relations with Israel; and declaring positions through many wrongful and rude statements made by many European political leaders during the IOF offensive on Gaza, justifying this war and considering it to be defensive not offensive.
In addition, Sourani discussed the legal options available to prosecute Israeli war criminals. He stressed that universal jurisdiction has proven its effectiveness in spite of all attempts made to amend laws and allow Israeli war criminals to continue to enjoy impunity. Sourani called upon the European community, jurists and intellectuals to join the battle aimed at enforcing rule of law, ensuring independence of judicial systems and the enforcement of international human rights law law and international humanitarian law.
Sourani concluded by thanking Lelio E Lisli Basso Foundation for its distinctive efforts it demonstrated in the organization of this conference. He also thanked the Foundation for its continued support for the Palestinian cause, their support for the Palestinian people’s rights and for their activities aiming at prosecuting Israeli war criminals and holding them accountable for the crimes they committed against the Palestinian civilians. He noted that Palestinians have not achieved victory against the occupation yet; however, they have won the battle of international legitimacy. He affirmed that Palestinians are attached to their rights and that after 61 years since the Nakba of 1948 and after 42 years of occupation, Palestinians will not accept that their highest aspirations be limited to enjoying the right to life, adequate standard of living and to the right to health care.
Lelio E Lisli Basso Foundation is an Italian foundation that defends the rights and freedoms of people at the international level. It is named after a prominent member of the Italian parliament who is one of the most important defenders for the rights of peoples struggling for liberation and independence.