Pro-Palestine rights group urges UK to refer Israel to ICC

LONDON - The International Center for Palestinian Justice (ICJP) has called on the British government to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes committed in Palestine, stressing that the occupation regime's policies amount to and amount to the crime of apartheid should be viewed.

ICJP Director Tayab Ali made the remarks in a letter sent to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary James Cleverley on Friday, after London decided, along with a coordinated group of States parties, to jointly referral the situation in the to direct Ukraine to the ICC.

"It is a gross double standard that the British Government, while supporting and facilitating international accountability and legal action against the leader of one nation for war crimes, is at the same time supporting and engaging in friendly relations with another," he said.

"Palestinians are entitled to the same rights and protections under international law as people living in any other territory, and it is imperative that the British Government demonstrate that it will exercise justice and accountability for perpetrators of war crimes in all circumstances." supported - regardless of whether the perpetrators of these war crimes are viewed as friend or foe," he added.

The UK-based NGO also called on London to urgently recognize that the ICC has jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine and that Britain, as a state party to the ICC, is taking this situation and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to court.

In the letter, the ICPJ noted that there is reasonable basis for believing that Israeli forces committed a series of war crimes during the 2014 conflict in the blockaded Gaza Strip, including attacking medical personnel and equipment.

The pro-Palestine rights group also expressed its "deep concern" at the escalation of violence and human rights abuses in Palestine, including recent Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 85 Palestinians since January 2023.

The ICPJ further condemned the ongoing illegal settlement expansion and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, stressing that these extremist policies would encourage the regime's involvement in activities falling within the definition of the crime of apartheid.

The latest development came as Netanyahu visited his British counterpart Sunak in London on Friday, amid protests organized by British Jewish and Israeli groups, as well as pro-Palestinian activists.

Hundreds of protesters shouted "shame" as Netanyahu arrived at 10 Downing Street to discuss a variety of issues, including security and the need to strengthen strategic ties between Britain and Israel.

The visit came after both sides signed what they called a "2030 roadmap for Britain-Israel relations" on Tuesday.

The deal has been condemned as "hypocritical" and "disappointing but not surprising" by Palestinian and international human rights groups.