More Countries Take Initiatives to Hold Israel Responsible for Its Crimes
In light of Israel's relentless crimes against the Palestinian people since October 7, 2023, more and more countries are taking stands aimed at holding it to account. As of January 20, the death toll in Gaza alone has now surpassed 25,000, with 178 confirmed deaths that day.
Mexico and Chile have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe possible war crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians in its ongoing war on Gaza. The referral was "due to the growing concern over the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets," the Mexican foreign ministry said. Chile's Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren said his country stands by "investigation of any possible war crime" committed by either side of the conflict.
Nearly 50 lawyers are preparing a separate lawsuit against the U.S. and UK governments on the grounds that they are complicit in Israeli forces' war crimes in Palestine. The initiative, led by South African lawyer Wikus Van Rensburg, aims to prosecute those who are complicit in the crime in civilian courts in collaboration with lawyers from the U.S. and UK, with whom he is already in contact. "The United States must now be held accountable for the crimes it committed," Rensburg told Anadolu news agency in an interview.
Meanwhile, Indonesia has filed a new lawsuit against Israel at the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Indonesian Foreign Ministry had previously assembled a team of experts to help draft Indonesia's ICJ case to hold Israel accountable for its "policies and practices" in the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to the local Jakarta Post, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that the case will help support global order based on international law, as well as support the Palestinians. This statement was made ahead of a meeting of dozens of international law experts and academics in the capital, Jakarta.
Indonesia and Slovenia have also announced that they will join a prior case already underway at the ICJ, going back to December 2022 when the UN General Assembly voted to request that the ICJ issue an advisory opinion on whether Israeli policies against Palestinians violated international law. Slovenia said it would take part in the hearings that start on February 19, citing Israel's war on Gaza and increased Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank as the reasons.
"This is a very broad spectrum of alleged violations that have been committed in the region for decades and whose horrific consequences are still visible today," Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said at a press conference on January 11.
"In the light of recent events in Gaza and the West Bank, Slovenia, as one of the few EU countries [to do so], has decided to actively participate and present its views in these proceedings before the International Court of Justice, which has been asked to give an advisory opinion."
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 6 - January 22, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54065.HTM
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