Geneva, 29 March 2023

Today and during the 52nd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, Ghada Alrayan, Law for Palestine’s Geneva coordinator, delivered an oral statement shed light on the double standards regarding Russia-Ukraine vs. Israel-Palestine, and called on all states to adopt universal jurisdiction measures in their national courts and support the ICC investigation rather than hinder it.

This is the full statement text:

Mr. Vice-President

Over a year has passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, throughout this year we witnessed the unfortunate double standards of some countries in this respectful council.

On every occasion, and in accordance with their international obligations, including in the Vienna Declaration, states were very vocal about the illegality of Russia’s actions, imposed sanctions and ordered Russia to end its occupation. Steps we would like to see taken against Israel for its prolonged occupation of Palestine.

A small comparison of the voting patterns in the UNGA shows clearly the willingness of some states to hold Russia accountable and shield Israel from accountability for the same actions.

Similarly, within one year, the ICC judges issued arrest warrants against Russian leaders, while the Palestinians are yet to witness the results of the ICC investigation, although their journey with the court started very long ago and faced many obstacles from the same states that supported the court’s investigation on Russia.

With the extremist government leading now in Israel, we can see how the lack of accountability has caused more violence

Therefore, SHAMS and Law for Palestine call upon all states to adopt the universal jurisdiction mechanisms in their national courts to hold Israel accountable and to support the ICC investigation on the matter.

Thank you