The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and several of its Palestinian and Israeli member organizations visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on Monday and Tuesday. Representatives from Adalah, Al-Haq, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and the Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI) met with several officials and organs of the Court in order to learn about its institutional set up, as well as mechanisms and procedures.
In light of the ongoing preliminary examination by the Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo over crimes committed on Palestinian Territory, and the findings and recommendations of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, the organizations are exploring different avenues to bring justice to the victims of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The pursuit of justice requires accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including those committed by Israel and Palestinian armed groups during Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip "Operation Cast Lead".
United in their struggle against impunity, the undersigned organizations call for immediate domestic investigations into all alleged crimes. Should the parties fail to conduct such investigations in an impartial, independent, credible and timely manner, justice must be sought through international mechanisms.