More than 150 organizations and human rights activists, including ECESR, call on the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders for committing war crimes and a genocide in Gaza

More than 150 human rights organizations, social movements, and human rights defenders worldwide urgently call on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim A. A. Khan, to issue arrest warrants for those responsible for genocide and war crimes against the Palestinian people, including the head of the occupation government, Yitzhak Herzog, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The organizations, including the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), stated in a joint statement that their call supports organizations from members of the Global Network for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and its allies in Palestine – Al-Haq Foundation, Al-Mezan Center, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights which filed a lawsuit before the International Criminal Court on November 8, 2023, calling for urgent attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. They highlighted a series of airstrikes by the occupation on densely populated civilian areas within the Gaza Strip, the suffocating blockade imposed on the territory, forced displacement of its residents, the use of poisonous gas, and the deprivation of essential needs such as food, water, fuel, and electricity.

The statement clarified that the legal file provides detailed information regarding these crimes, creating a situation warranting arrest orders under Article No.58(1)(b)(iii) of the Rome Statute. Meanwhile, the three Palestinian human rights organizations called for the cessation of ongoing Israeli aerial bombardment on densely populated civilian areas within the Gaza Strip, the imposed suffocating blockade on these territories, forced displacement of Gaza’s residents, the use of toxic gases, and depriving the population of essentials such as food, water, fuel, and electricity.

The call has been coordinated by ESCR-net, as a global network committed to advancing economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights comprising 270 social movements and non-governmental organizations. They condemned the systematic and widespread killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip (and other areas throughout the occupied Palestinian territories), where 70% of the victims were women and children. Many, possibly thousands, remain unidentified under the rubble, having been killed or injured during continuous airstrikes and military attacks by land, air, and sea over the past forty days, predominantly targeting civilians, civilian structures, and infrastructure.

The organizations affirmed that the occupying government and its army repeatedly demonstrated their intention through widespread destruction, complete blockade, forced displacement, and the expulsion of over one and a half million Palestinians. They utilized famine as a means of warfare, depriving Palestinians of essential needs, including water, medicine, medical care, and securing fuel for hospitals, as well as shelter, sanitation, public services, and more.

The aforementioned organizations and defenders who expressed solidarity, reiterated the call for urgent action from Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prevent the continuation of these forms of genocide, incitement to genocide, crimes against humanity including racial discrimination, and war crimes such as indiscriminate destruction of Palestinian homes and essential public service facilities, including schools and hospitals. This involves requesting arrest warrants issued by the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court against those responsible in the leadership of the Israeli army, including President Yitzhak Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Human rights organizations, including Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, have presented details of these crimes and their ongoing nature, underscoring the need for arrest warrants under Article 58(1)(b) and Article 58(3) of the Rome Statute. We urge you to appeal to theMember  States to provide sufficient funding for the investigation and ensure timely and effective access to justice.

To view the full statement, click here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UzwUxIOdxFl0UWRrQm5pH-1sBf6zCWOW_LgJJwPFQAI/edit