International Criminal Court

Palestinian protesters evacuate a fellow demonstrator who was shot by an Israeli sniper during the Great Return March protest, east of Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, April 6, 2018. (Mohammed Zaanoun/Activestills.org)

Israel’s High Court just made an ICC investigation more likely

The court’s rejection of a lawsuit challenging the shooting of protesters in Gaza is a reminder that the Israeli legal system simply isn’t set up to investigate the policy makers and policies that result in alleged war crimes. Israel’s High Court of Justice may have just inadvertently increased the possibility that senior Israeli officials might…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man May 28, 2018

View of the Separation Wall as seen from the Palestinian town of Abu Dis. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Congress won’t allow Palestinians their day in court

The PLO faces punishment—the closure of its diplomatic office in the U.S.—for seeking justice in the International Criminal Court. By James J. Zogby Imagine that you are a victim of a violent crime or theft but are forbidden from reporting it because Congress has passed a law that not only prohibits you from reporting the…

By +972 Magazine November 27, 2017

“Israel’s trusting that people will be ignorant.” Nada Kiswanson, a Palestinian-Swedish lawyer and representative of Al-Haq in The Hague, has been receiving persistent death threats since February 2016.

Who’s sending death threats to Palestinian advocates in The Hague?

In an interview with +972, the Hague representative of Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights group, talks about the slew of threats she and her organization have received for months, and why she believes the Israeli government is behind them. In a small ceremony in The Hague on April 1, 2015, the Palestinian Authority officially signed…

By Amjad Iraqi August 17, 2016

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Eritreans rally outside the European Union Embassy in Ramat Gan, Israel. (photo: Iasso Buletch)

Asylum seekers call on Europe to try Eritrean leader for crimes against humanity

Thousands of Eritrean asylum seekers demonstrate in front of the European Union Embassy in support of a UN Commission of Inquiry to examine human rights abuses by the Eritrean dictatorship. By Inbal Ben Yehuda Over 2,000 Eritrean asylum seekers demonstrated in front of the European Union Embassy in Ramat Gan on Tuesday in support a…

By +972 Magazine June 23, 2016

Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Makarim Wibisono, 23 July 2014. (UN Photo/Violaine Martin)

How to foil a human rights probe: Keep the investigator out

Makarim Wibisono resigns as UN special rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian territories — because Israel never allowed him to visit Palestine. The UN special rapporteur charged with monitoring and investigating Israeli human rights violations in the occupied territories resigned Monday in protest of Israel’s consistent refusal to give him access to said occupied territories. Refusing access…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 5, 2016

Palestinian protesters flee tear gas at a non-violent protest in which Palestinian Minster Ziad Abu Eid died. Activists set out to plant olive trees on lands usurped by Israeli settlements, December 10, 2014. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Challenging Israeli impunity in the ICC

As the Israeli judiciary continues to side with the state and its security services, advocates and human rights lawyers must reevaluate the strategy of litigating Palestinian grievances in the occupier’s courts. By Sagiv Galai Palestinian human rights organizations submitted a classified communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor last month. The information contained will…

By +972 Magazine December 10, 2015

Relatives walk amidst the rubble of the home of Zaki Wahdan in the city of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza City, November 10, 2014. Eight members of the Wahdan family, mostly women and children were killed. (Photo by Anne Paq/Activestills.org)

Palestinian groups present ‘war crimes’ evidence to the ICC

The International Criminal Court prosecutor is conducting a ‘preliminary examination’ into the 2014 Gaza war. But are Israeli officials at higher risk of prosecution for illegally building settlements in the West Bank? Four Palestinian human rights organizations submitted research, testimonies and documentation to International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Monday, which they said contain evidence of…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man November 23, 2015

Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2013. (photo: World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell)

Sorry Israeli leftists, I’ve got no sympathy for you

Half of Israelis are ‘stuck’ with a prime minister they didn’t want. All Palestinians are stuck with a president who lost his democratic mandate years ago. By Talal Jabari I have spoken to quite a few Israelis following Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest win at the polls earlier this month who talk about their disappointment in his…

By +972 Magazine April 1, 2015

The representative of Palestine speaks to the UN Security Council. (UN Photo/Loey Felipe)

How ICC membership could revive Palestinian statehood at the UN

Could a shift in U.S.-Israeli relations lay the groundwork for bolder legal and diplomatic moves in the international arena against Israel and the occupation? By Lolita Brayman Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election success is being portrayed by some as a victory for the international aspects of the Palestinian cause. For months, Palestinians have been trying…

By +972 Magazine March 25, 2015

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon looks over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shoulder at a military exercise, (Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO)

Is the ICC running against Netanyahu in Israeli elections?

It’s election season: Israeli politicians are peddling pure spin about the ICC and possible war crimes investigations. (This analysis first appeared as part of another article, here.) The Israeli government has gone on the offensive against the ICC since Palestine joined the international court. The attacks and misinformation have reached a crescendo since the ICC’s…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 20, 2015

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. (Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO)

Retired Israeli general suggests Syria attack timed for election effect

As elections approach, Israeli politicians are misleading the public about war crimes probes, and according to one general-turned-politician, about war itself. (This analysis originally contained a previous section called, ‘Is the ICC running against Netanyahu in Israeli elections?’ It has been published as a separate article here.) “War is merely the continuation of politics by…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 19, 2015

File photo of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe)

Palestinian ‘lawfare’: Toward brinksmanship or progress?

Palestine’s accession to the International Criminal Court is an official declaration of lawfare, a new battleground in the conflict with Israel; settlements will be the thorniest legal issue in the courtroom (if it ever gets there). By Lolita Brayman Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ signing of the Rome Statute is a game changer for the Israeli-Palestinian…

By +972 Magazine January 10, 2015

American diplomat Dennis Ross (Nrbelex/ CC-BY 2.5)

Stop giving Israelis a pass: What Dennis Ross could have said

Former U.S. ambassador and Mideast peace process envoy Dennis Ross penned a ‘New York Times’ op-ed titled, ‘Stop Giving Palestinians a Pass.’ In it, he calls out European diplomats for supporting international efforts to end the occupation while not demanding more of the Palestinians. Below is a duplication of Ross’s op-ed, almost word for word,…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man January 5, 2015