NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE MAIREAD MAGUIRE SUPPORTS CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR ISRAELI WAR CRIMES
COMMENTARY ARCHIVES, 10 Jan 2009
JANUARY 4, 2009 – Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire has today written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and to Father Miguel D’Escoto, President of the UN General Assembly, adding her voice to the many calls from international jurists, human rights organizations and individuals for the UN General Assembly to seriously consider establishing an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI), in view of the ongoing Israeli atrocities against the people of Gaza and Palestine.
An ICTI can be established by the UN General Assembly as a ‘subsidiary organ,’ under article 22 of the UN Charter. Article 22 of the UN Charter states that the UN General Assembly may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions. The purpose of the ICTI would be to investigate and prosecute suspected Israeli war criminals for offences against the Palestinian people.
Mrs. Maguire said, “In November 2008 I visited Gaza and was shocked by the suffering of its people, being under siege as they are for over two years. This collective punishment by the Israeli government has lead to a great humanitarian crisis. Collective punishment of the civilian community by the Israeli government breaks the Geneva Conventions, is illegal, and is a war crime and crime against humanity.”
Instead of protecting the civilian community of Gaza and relieving their suffering by lifting the siege, the Israeli military have carried out seven days of consecutive bombardment of civilians by sea and air. Dropping Israeli bombs from the air and sea on unarmed civilians, many of whom women and children, and destroying mosques, hospitals, homes and infrastructure is illegal and constitutes a war crime.”
The deaths of people in Gaza are now over 600, with over 2,500 people injured – many of whom women and children. The infrastructure of Gaza has been destroyed and the people cut off from the outside world – including from journalists and humanitarian workers locked out of Gaza and unable to aid the people.”
The UN must help uphold human rights and justice for the Palestinian people by seriously considering establishing an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel so that the Israeli government be held accountable for its war crimes.”
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This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 10 Jan 2009.
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