The Palestinian State: an Opportunity to Seek Redress for Victims of International Crimes

03/12/2012
Press release

FIDH International Board, meeting between November 30 to December 2nd 2012 [1], welcomes the adoption by the UN General Assembly of a resolution recognizing Palestine as a non-member observer State of the United Nations. This decision responds to decades of struggle by the Palestinian people for the realisation of their right to self-determination.

The Israeli authorities must respect their new neighbouring State and refrain from violating the human rights of Palestine’s citizens. FIDH International Board reiterates its call on the Israeli authorities to withdraw from the occupied territories and to respect Palestinian territorial integrity as per the internationally recognized borders of 1967.

The recognition of Palestine’s statehood is also a crucial step in the struggle for justice and accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity that are being committed. FIDH condemns the declarations made by States conditioning their support for the statehood bid on the Palestinian authority’s commitment not to accede to the International Criminal Court.

The Palestinian authorities now have a historic opportunity to further the recognition of Palestinian citizens’ civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, by acceding to all international human rights instruments. FIDH’s International Board calls on the Palestinian authorities to promptly ratify the Rome Statute, as a means of preventing the perpetration of international crimes and ensuring the respect of international law against the development of settlements and the commission of other war crimes and crimes against humanity, and of protecting any civilians. At the same time, FIDH recalls that declaration submitted by the Palestinian authorities in January 2009, already recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC for the acts committed on the territory of Palestine since 1 July 2002.

For more information, see FIDH member organisations’ statements

PCHR “Land Mark day: Palestinian Statehood
Al Haq “Upholding International Law as the Foundation for Enhancing Palestine’s Status at the UN
ACRI Question and Answer – “Possible Implications of the recognition of Palestinian Statehood

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