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Human Rights Groups Urge ICC to Open Investigation into the Situation in Palestine
10، Mar 2020

Press Release

On 10 March 2020, Palestinian, regional, and international human rights groups and civil society organisations engaged in a social media Twitter storm calling for the immediate opening of an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the Situation in Palestine, in order to ensure justice and accountability for Palestinian victims of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.

On 20 December 2019, the ICC Prosecutor announced the conclusion of her preliminary examination into the Situation in Palestine and requested a ruling by the Pre-Trial Chamber on the scope of the Court’s territorial jurisdiction in Palestine. Since then, States, civil society organisations, and academics have been invited to submit their observations to the Court in the form of amicus curiae (friends of the court) briefs on the question of jurisdiction, to be filed by 16 March 2020.

Four Palestinian human rights groups, including Al-Haq, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and Al Dameer Association for Human Rights have been authorised to file their joint observations to the Court.

Along with the Palestinian Bar Association, and a group of renowned academics and practitioners, the organisations have argued in favour of the Court’s territorial jurisdiction over the entirety of the occupied Palestinian territory, comprising the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and urged the immediate opening of an ICC investigation.

The Twitter and social media storm by Palestinian, regional, and international civil society organisations aimed to support an investigation by the ICC and to urge the Court to proceed in delivering justice to Palestinian victims, ahead of the submission of amici next week.