Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese / Popular Resistance & The Green Party of the United States – 2018-11-20 23:37:25
Green Party Urges International Criminal Court To Prosecute Israel For Crimes Against Palestinians
Green Party Urges International Criminal Court to Prosecute Israel for Crimes against Palestinians
Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese / Popular Resistance
US Green Party Representatives Deliver Call
To International Criminal Court for Full Investigation of
Israel’s War Crimes Against Palestinians
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (November 19, 2018) — Members of the Green Party United States traveled to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, November 29, 2018 to deliver a letter calling for a full investigation of Israel for war crimes it has committed against the Palestinians. [Read the full text below.]
In addition to being endorsed by the Green Party US, the letter was signed by over 1,000 organizations, including Popular Resistance, and individuals from the United States who want prosecutors at the ICC and the world to know that there is a political party along with people in the US who support holding nations accountable to international law.
The Green Party recognizes that the United States is complicit in Israel’s crimes by providing financial support, selling weapons and providing political cover to Israel.
The letter states:
For 70 years [Palestinians] have: suffered the most appalling living conditions imposed upon them by the military occupation and apartheid rule; peacefully resisted the unabated illegal settlements upon their land (at least 80% has been seized since the Nakba); withstood the blockade of Gaza and survived genocidal assaults.
Since 1947, the Palestinians have steadfastly and peacefully fought for their safety, dignity, freedoms and Right of Return proclaimed by the UN General Assembly Resolution 194 passed in 1948. The Right of Return, to include damages and compensation, was deemed their inalienable right in Resolution 3236 passed in 1974. [footnotes omitted.]
Green Party co-chair, Margaret Flowers and Miko Peled, a member of the Green Party US, a dual Israeli and American citizen and author of The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine and other books, met with a representative of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor to deliver a copy of the signed letter. The letter will be entered into the body of evidence being collected as part of a preliminary investigation to determine whether a full investigation will be conducted.
A delegation of Green Party US members, many of whom are on the Green Party US Peace Action and International Committees, made video statements outside the ICC after the letter was delivered.
The delegation included Kevin Zeese, Diane Moxley, Marie Spike, who authored the original draft of the letter, and Stephen Verchinski. The delegation was joined by Dirk Adriaensens of the BRussells Tribunal, which conducted a tribunal on Palestine.
Miko Peled stated, “It was an honor to be part of the GPUS delegation to the ICC, to add our voice to the growing demand to investigate Israel for war crimes. Only when people of the world speak up will the Israeli perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity be brought to justice.”
Members of the delegation understand they have a responsibility to act and to educate others in the United States about the truth of the violent Israeli occupation of Palestine and apartheid state. It is by countering the myths put out by the media and US lawmakers, due to the significant Israeli influence over them, and showing solidarity with Palestinians that the tide will shift toward justice for people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and the millions of refugees who have been forced to flee.
While the Green Party worked on the issue for months, on the same day that the Green Party National Committee voted to endorse the letter, John Bolton said the United States would not cooperate with war crime investigations and called for sanctions against ICC judges if they proceed with an investigation of the United States or Israel.
Prior to visiting the ICC, members of the delegation met with Nils Mollema of Al Haq, an organization founded by Palestinian lawyers to address Israel’s occupation and apartheid. Members of the Green Party of The Netherlands (De Groenen) including Otto ter Haar as well as members of the Green Left Party (Groen Links) participated in that meeting.
Members of the Delegation to the ICC Court on November 19
* Margaret Flowers, Green Party co-chair, member of the Green Party Peace Action Committee and Green Party of Maryland,
* Miko Peled, Green Party US member,
* Dirk Adriaensens of the BRussells Tribunal,
* Diane Moxley of Green Party International Committee and Green Party of New Jersey,
* Stephen Verchinski of the Green Party International Committee and Green Party of New Mexico,
* Marie Spike, of the Green Party International Committee and Green Party of Michigan and
* Kevin Zeese of the Green Party Peace Action Committee and Green Party of Maryland.
Letter: Israeli War Crimes
and Crimes against Humanity
Green Party US
The Right Honorable Ms. Fatou Bensouda
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
Post Office Box 19519
2500 CM, The Hague, The Netherlands
Re: Israeli War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity
(September 12, 2018) — Dear Madame Prosecutor:
We, the undersigned, are crying out in unison with all people of conscience and compassion for the ICC to use its momentous authority to establish and preserve peace and justice throughout the world, most urgently for the oppressed and besieged people of Palestine. We, therefore, implore you to institute a full investigation in relation to the preliminary inquiry opened in 2015. [1]
We agree with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki who told reporters at the ICC in The Hague on May 22, 2018 that the evidence against the Israelis was “insurmountable.” Maliki said his request to move beyond a preliminary inquiry would give prosecutors the authority to investigate alleged crimes starting in 2014 the recent deaths during the protests in Gaza. [2]
When Palestine was recognized as a State in 2012 by the UN General Assembly, the ICC was given jurisdiction over crimes committed in their homeland, however, not before June, 2014. [3]
Although the Court cannot investigate crimes committed before 2014, historical events set the stage for the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The arbitrary UN Partition Resolution of 1947 arrogated 56% of Palestinian land to the Zionists for the creation of a Jewish State. The Palestinians naturally rejected the resolution because it did not include any provisions for their civil or human rights.
The newly anointed Israelis knew they would have to take the appropriated land by force, so they prepared well for the initial onslaught. Palestinians call that first invasion the “Nakba” or Catastrophe, which resulted in ethnic cleansing. [4] Zionist militias brutally raped and molested women and girls; slaughtered men, women and children; sacked 500 villages; and drove out 750,000 Arab and Muslim human beings from their homes, property and livelihoods. [5]
The quality of life for Palestinians has been poor, with little peace or stability since 1947. The wealthy, US-backed, and nuclear-armed Israelis have fought war after war for supremacy and the acquisition of more and more land, while the Palestinians have defended themselves mostly with rocks, burning kites, balloons and tires, homemade rockets and starkly tragic human suicide bombers.
For 70 years they have: suffered the most appalling living conditions imposed upon them by the military occupation and apartheid rule; peacefully resisted the unabated illegal settlements upon their land (at least 80% has been seized since the Nakba); withstood the blockade of Gaza and survived genocidal assaults. [6]
Since 1947 the Palestinians have steadfastly and peacefully fought for their safety, dignity, freedoms and Right of Return proclaimed by the UN General Assembly Resolution 194 passed in 1948. The Right of Return, to include damages and compensation, was deemed their inalienable right in Resolution 3236 passed in 1974. [7]
Nevertheless, we understand that only alleged crimes that have been reported since June of 2014 may be investigated by the ICC starting with Operation Protective Edge launched on July 8, 2014 against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
By August 25th, the IDF had killed 2,076 Palestinians including 525 children. [8] In all 10,224 were injured and Gaza was left in ruins. One teen, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was abducted and burned alive. [9]
Since March 30, 2018, at the heavily blockaded Gaza border, IDF snipers have used live fire and tear gas, a chemical weapon banned in warfare, on Palestinians peacefully protesting on a weekly basis for their Right of Return.
As of August 17, 2018, records indicate that more than 18,000 have been seriously injured and at least 166 killed. [10] On June 13, 2018 the UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution condemning the use of excessive force by Israeli troops on the Palestinian civilians during the protests. [11]
Lastly, we request the Court investigate the reports of 150 illegal settlements on private Palestinian property in the occupied territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank housing 750,000 Israelis. It is our understanding that these settlements are in violation of the UN Security Resolution 242. [12]
Thank you for your consideration of our most sincere and urgent request.
Peace and best wishes,
The Green Party of the United States
References:
1 The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, opens a preliminary examination of the situation of Palestine,” The Netherlands, International Criminal Court, Press Release January 16, 2015″
2 Stephanie van den Berg, “Palestinians demand full investigation into Israel at Hague court” Reuters World News, May 22, 2018
3 Amanda Taub, “Palestine just formally joined the International Criminal Court. Here’s what that means.” Vox, April 1, 2015
4 Ilan Pappe, “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, 2006,” One World Publications, Oxford, England
5 Dana Visalli, “A Brief History of Palestine and Israel Explains Everything,” Global Research, March 13, 2018
6 “Palestine: What has been happening since WWI,” Aljazeera, May 15, 2018
7 Mark Levine “Why Palestinians have a right to return home,” Aljazeera, September 23, 2011
8 “Operation Protective Edge: What happened, why, and what now? American Friends Services Committee
9 Kareem Khadder, Samira Said and Susanna Capelouto “Palestinian teen burned alive autopsy shows,” CNN, July 5, 2014
10 “Gaza protests: All the latest updates.” Aljazeera, August 17, 2018
11 Michelle Nichols “United Nations condemns excessive Israeli force against Palestinians,” Reuters, June 13, 2018
12 Zena Tehan “Israel’s settlements: 50 years of land theft explained,” Aljazeera, November 21, 2017
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191
@GreenPartyUS
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