European commission urges trial of 'Israel' for war crimes
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A resolution by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament expresses concern over the Israeli occupation's decision to impose "punitive measures" against the Palestinian people.
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Pedestrians walk into the headquarters of the EU as preparations are made ahead of the EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (AP)
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (EP) has urged EU leaders to aid the International Criminal Court in The Hague in pursuing "Tel Aviv" for war crimes in Palestine.
The resolution draft was supported by 41 members of the committee, including the committee's rapporteur, Evin Incir of the Swedish Social Democrats party. Twenty-four legislators voted against it, while nine abstained.
The committee's resolution, which is expected to be voted on by the EP plenum on July 15, refers to a December 2022 United Nations resolution, initiated by the Palestinians, requesting that the International Court formulate an opinion on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. However, it is uncertain whether the sponsors have a majority to pass it, and what the next stages are, if it passes.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid claimed a month before the resolution was passed that taking the case to the International Court of Justice would "only play into the hands of extremists."
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Following the vote in December 2022, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the UN of "distorting historical facts." He admitted that his entity does not comply with the international body's decisions, by stressing that, like hundreds of other decisions that are not in "Israel's" favor made by the United Nations General Assembly over the years, they are not binding to the Israeli government.
The European Parliament's resolution on Tuesday expressed concern over the Israeli occupation's determination to apply punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership, and civil society, such as withholding funds and placing a ban on West Bank construction plans, according to the European Jewish Press.
The resolution also encouraged the EU to develop ties with the Palestinian Authority. Incir wrote after the debate, "Palestinians have lived under occupation for more than 50 years," adding that "the European Union must step up its cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, assist the people, and take action to end the occupation."
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Earlier this month, the most recent aggression against the Gaza Strip in May saw the unlawful destruction of Palestinians' homes and the killing of Palestinian civilians including children; which was described by Amnesty International as "collective punishment against the civilian population."
In a recent report, Amnesty International investigated nine Israeli airstrikes that inflicted severe damage on civilians and their properties in Gaza.
Three separate attacks targeting PIJ commanders resulted in 10 civilian casualties and injured 20 others on May 9: the airstrikes targetted densely populated areas late at night when families were at home asleep, which is enough evidence that the perpetrators of the attacks knew that the strikes would result in disproportionate harm to civilians and dismissed this prospect as "collateral damage".
Research by Amnesty International showed that there was no evidence to show that the building in the Jabalia refugee camp was used to store weapons or any other military equipment.
“The root cause of this unspeakable violence is Israel’s system of apartheid. This system must be dismantled, the blockade of the Gaza Strip immediately lifted, and those responsible for the crime of apartheid, war crimes, and other crimes under international law must be held to account,” said Heba Morayef, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director at Amnesty International.
