Since March 2021, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has been formally investigating alleged crimes that took place in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. However, since then, there has been limited progress. Delayed justice is justice denied, and this urgently needs critical discussion and action.
During this discussion, co-organized by the International Institute of Social Studies, we will hear from experts, including three human rights advocates from Palestine, and two international legal experts.
- Date
- Thursday 1 Dec 2022, 18:00 - 19:30
- Type
- Symposium
- Spoken Language
- English
- Location
The Grey Space in the Middle, Paviljoensgracht 20, The Hague
- Ticket information
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On 1 December, expert panelists will discuss the ICC's Palestine file, looking at crimes committed by all sides of the conflict as well as the crime of apartheid.
ICC investigation into crimes committed in Palestine
The territory being investigated in relation to the ICC’s Palestine file includes the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and covers crimes committed by all sides to the conflict. This followed a decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 5 February 2021 that the Court had jurisdiction over the territory. Hence, the Prosecutor of the ICC announced on 3 March 2021 that their office would formally open an investigation into alleged crimes that took place.
The period of time that the Court is conducting its criminal investigation dates back to 13 June 2014, which is the date when the matter was formally referred to the Court, up until the present day. From that point onwards, the Court has been gathering evidence from Palestinian, Israeli and international organizations, United Nations officials and independent experts. However, unlike Ukraine where a full scale, on-the-ground investigation was launched within a very short period of time, there is little apparent progress on the Palestine situation, which is hugely frustrating for human rights advocates who have been following the situation closely for years.
In addition to war crimes, another alleged crime that is being investigated is the crime of apartheid, a crime against humanity that human rights organizations, as well as United Nations experts and international legal scholars have written extensively about.
Panelists
Several experts will join us during this important discussion:
- Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestine Center for Human Rights in Gaza, @pchrgaza
- Shawan Jabarin, Director of the Al-Haq Organization, @alhaq_org
- Issam Younis, Director, Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, @AlMezanCenter
- Katie Gallagher, Center for Constitutional Rights, @theCCR
- Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967
The discussion will be moderated by Jeff Handmaker, Associate Professor at the International Institute of Social Studies
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