The meeting took place in the context of the preliminary analysis that the ICC Prosecutor undertakes following the declaration accepting the ICC’s jurisdiction lodged by the Palestinian Authority on 21 January 2009. The discussions focused on the three main axes to be considered under the Prosecutor’s analysis, namely: 1) the ICC jurisdiction over the situation; 2) the gravity of the crimes committed; 3) the admissibility of the situation in the ICC system, i.e. the willingness and capacity of national tribunals to conduct domestic proceedings for crimes under ICC jurisdiction.
This activity has been undertaken within the framework of FIDH and its Palestinian and Israëli member organisations’ active involvement on international crimes and grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and, in particular, within the context of the follow-up of the recommendations set out in the report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict between December 2008 and January 2009, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone. FIDH and PCHR take this opportunity to recall the relevance of the recommendations contained in the Fact-Finding Mission’s report and call upon all States to fully support them.
These support and appeal will be the essence of the intervention which FIDH together with PCHR will make this Friday 16 October, before the Human Rights Council in the framework of its 12th Special Session on the Human Rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.