Palestine–Israel: Commission of Inquiry Report and the Global Community’s Role in Addressing Genocide and Embracing a Rights-Based Approach
- Date and Time: Thursday, 20 June 2024, 12:00 Geneva
- Location: Palais des Nations, Geneva (Room XXIV)
- Organised by: Law for Palestine (L4P), The Independent Commission for Human Rights – Palestine (ICHR), and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Since October 2023, the Gaza Strip has faced unprecedented atrocities committed by the Israeli army, resulting in over 37,200 deaths and 85,000 injuries, most of whom are women and children. The Israeli army has destroyed more than two-thirds of Gaza’s housing stock, decimated almost the entire health and education sectors, displaced the entire population multiple times, and enforced starvation on an unprecedented scale in modern history.
In response, international legal institutions, including the ICJ and the ICC, have begun addressing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. The ICC prosecutor has issued arrest warrants pending confirmation by the Pre-Trial Chamber, and the ICJ has issued provisional measures on multiple occasions, including those concerning the plausibility of genocide in Gaza. In May, the ICJ issued more definitive provisional measures, ordering Israel to “[i]mmediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.
Furthermore, various UN Human Rights Council bodies and procedures have addressed the unfolding genocide in several statements, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, published her report on the “Anatomy of Genocide” in Gaza. Finally, in 12 June 2024, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel (UN COI) issued its first report after the October war addressing the situation. Law for Palestine also submitted a communication to the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor, providing evidence of intent to commit genocide in Gaza, supported by a database of Israeli incitement to genocide.
Despite increasing pressure from international legal institutions, Israel continues its actions in Gaza, defying accountability efforts and publicly attacking international legal institutions.
This side event, held in conjunction with the UN CoI’s report submission to the Human Rights Council, aims to:
- Present and discuss the findings of the UN COI report.
- Address the role of international legal institutions and global civil society in addressing the genocide and alleviating the suffering of the civilian population.
- Address the role of third states in implementing the decisions and recommendations of international legal institutions.
Speakers:
- Jamil Sarhan: ICHR Deputy Director for Gaza Strip
- Chris Sidoti: UN COI Commissioner
- Itay Epshtain: Senior Humanitarian Law and Policy Consultant, serving as Special Advisor to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
- Shahd Hammouri: Lecturer in Law, Kent University.
Moderator:
- Anisha Patel: Member of the Governing Council at Law for Palestine
