December 31, 2014, New York – Today, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) released the following statement in response to news that Palestine has moved to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), along with numerous other treaties including the two Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
With the move to grant the ICC jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Palestine, a new door is open to hold Israeli officials accountable for the serious violations committed against Palestinians. This is one avenue the United States cannot block. U.S. and Israeli efforts to keep Palestine from accepting both the protections and responsibilities of the ICC – a court neither country will join – have failed. We hope this marks the end of the era of Israeli impunity and U.S. complicity.
We congratulate the many Palestinians, including our colleagues at PCHR and Al Haq, who have long worked non-violently and within the confines of international law for justice, on today’s developments.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.