– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Dec. 14: Three hundred lawyers have volunteered to prosecute Israel for its crimes against Palestinians. Lawyers for Palestinian victims of Israeli attacks on Gaza have filed a complaint at International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Dutch city of The Hague.
French lawyer Gilles Devers took the initiative and mobilized in only 10 days an army of lawyers from many countries around the world and said that they are able to mobilize 3,000 more if needed. They submitted a complaint to the Public Prosecutor against associations and unions committing genocide.
After submitting the complaint, addressing the media, Devers asserted that Israeli acts in Gaza constitute factors of the crime of genocide. The Palestinian issue will be presented in all national and international courts. He also added that the doors are open for all those who want to testify against Israeli crimes. He sent a beautiful message to Palestinians, “You did not have anyone to defend you, but now you have an army in international and national courts.”
Further he said, “We are here primarily to practice advocacy before the ICC, before the ICC prosecutor. And we are here to say to the prosecutor that we have witnessed what is happening (in Gaza) and it compels the necessity to submit a petition over genocide. But at the same time, we are here for the Palestinians. The Palestinian case will now be heard in all the national and international courts.”
“The ICC is currently investigating the war crimes in a related investigation. The crime of genocide should also be included in this,” he said, adding that forcing over one million people to be displaced and cutting access to water, energy, food and medicine indicates that Israel wants total annihilation of the population in Gaza.”
Also speaking to the press, Pierre Galand, a former Belgian senator, urged Belgium’s Foreign Ministry to recognize the State of Palestine as soon as possible.
“We are here for the protection of human rights and delivery of justice,” he said.
Abdel Majid Mrari, head of the Middle East and North Africa division at the Brussels-based Alliance for Freedom and Dignity, noted that the ICC has judicial authority over the crimes committed in Gaza.
Israel, as revealed by its political and military authorities, wants to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians, he said.
