Says international law has not protected children in Gaza and in the West Bank
Emmanuel Ukudolo I Monday, Feb. 19, 2024
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The people of Palestine have called on the International Criminal Court ICC to put an end to the 57 years of tortious and continued illegal occupation of their land by Israel.
Representatives of Palestine, namely, Ambassador of Palestine to the UN, Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Professor Alain Pellet and Phillipe Sands made the call at the Public Hearing on Illegal Occupation of Palestine by Israel at the International Criminal Court, ICC at the Hague, Netherlands.
Mansour who made an emotional presentation to the judges of the ICC, weeping in the process said Israel has continued to operate with impunity in breach of international laws and UN resolutions because there has been no consequence.
According to him, the breaches have reached the most inhumane level and that there has been settler violence in every community in the West Bank, with rhetoric by Israeli leaders supporting their operation with everything targeted at getting rid of Palestinians from their land.
He said that as a result of the present state of lack of consequence, international law has failed to protect children in Palestine and their homes, stressing that it is now very shameful to be regarded as somebody from Palestine.
He said that it took the UN decades to recognise and commemorate Nakba, the forced eviction of Palestinians from their homeland by Israel, adding that the discrimination against Palestine on their soil and apartheid policy against Palestinians and the state of Palestine will continue forever unless the occupation by Israel ends.
“Palestinians are only asking for their theri rights”, he said, adding that Israel has formalised occupation and constantly put thousands of settlers in Palestine.
“Israel has consistently rejected calls by the UN, the law is clear but it is being tempered with because there is no consequence”, he noted, adding that Palestine can no longer wait for their freedom to be dictated at the whims of Israeli occupation force.
He called on the ICC to declare the occupation illegal unconditionally. “The occupation must come to immediate and unconditional end”, he said, “ declare that the occupation is prolonged, and territories are annexed”, he said, adding that the occupation has relegated Palestinians to inferior human beings on their land.
Alain Pellet drew attention of the court to dozens of resolutions passed by the UN that has been violated with impunity by Israel.
According to him, once violations are identified and attributed, Israel cannot avoid its responsibility under international law and that ongoing negotiations cannot prevent the ICC from ruling on Israel’s actions.
He noted that the occupation started since 1967 and for 57 years including East Jerusalem and that Palestinians have right to self determination and that refusal to grant this right to self determination is the root cause of the evil in the Middle East.
He also referred to UN resolutions which have called on Israel to pay compensation and reparation to victims of their atrocities and called on states yet to recognise Palestine to do so.
Pellet argued that Israel has stuck to policy of discrimination and repression of Paletinians on Palestinian soil. He called on the ICC to bring the prolong occupation of Palestine to an end by stating the consequence of Israel’s continued violation of international law so that states in the Middle East can live in peace and security.
Earlier Phillipe Sands told the court that the occupation of Palestine by Israel has made Palestine to be permanently dependent on aids to survive with no airport and standing army, adding that all the universities have either being demolished on placed under occupation, farmland destroyed and that Israel has continued to deny Palestine rights to statehood and nationhood.
He averred that the court has the right to end the occupation, stressing that self determination under international law is not amenable to negotiations, quoting how the UN intervened in countries like Namibia and many others.
He declared that Israel’s actions are manifest affront on international law and called on the court to declare the occupation of Palestine by Israel illegal.
