9 countries form 'Hague Group' to defend Palestinian rights
Nine countries have announced the creation of the "Hague Group" to fight for the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people.
Representatives from South Africa, Malaysia, Namibia, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Senegal, Honduras and Belize met in The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday, at a conference organized by the international political organization Progressive International, to coordinate legal, diplomatic and economic action against Israel's violations of international law.
Following discussions at the meeting, the nine countries have announced the creation of The Hague Group, which they say is their 'emergency operation.'
The group said it was appalled by the scale of loss of life, livelihoods, communities and cultural heritage resulting from Israel's genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip and other occupied Palestinian territories. The Hague Group said it could no longer "remain silent" in the face of such international crimes.
The group said, "We are determined to adhere to our responsibilities to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian state, and to support the achievement of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to have their own independent Palestinian state."
It should be noted that, in May last year, independent experts and lawyers in The Hague announced their support for the decision of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to request arrest warrants for officials of the Israeli occupation regime, for their involvement in war crimes in Gaza.
