Gaza Tribunal Gathers in Sarajevo in Attempt to Hold Israel to Account Over 'Genocide and War Crimes'
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An independent 'people's tribunal' established by scholars and experts on genocide and international law from around the world held its first public session on Monday in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of investigating Israel's' alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Led by Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International law at Princeton University and former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, the four day Gaza Tribunal tribunal will hear from scholars, lawyers, journalists, UN special rapporteurs and eyewitnesses to the horrors of Gaza.
Opening the public session Richard Falk said: "The Gaza tribunal is devoted to bearing witness to Israel's crimes against the peoples of Gaza. Beyond this the purpose of the tribunal is to add whatever it can to the torment and outrage of peoples around the world to bring the Gaza ordeal of death and destruction to a rapid end by urging action to be taken in the name of our common humanity."
Although it has no formal legal status, the tribunal hopes to catalyse opposition to Israel's genocide in Gaza and to urge states to act where they previously have not, to meaningfully sanction Israel in an attempt to bring an end to the violence.
People's tribunals first began during the Vietnam war when philosopher Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre hosted a similar project, in an attempt to hold the US to account over war crimes.
Prof Falk added that the Gaza Tribunal was also inspired by a similar civil-society led exercise during the Iraq War, prompted by the 'regime-changing aggression that brought chaos and misery to the Iraqi people.'
"This legacy of earlier people's tribunals has a common feature that defines the mission of the Gaza tribunal. It is the failure of organised international society to enforce international law and hold the perpetrators accountable. In short these tribunals arise only when governments and their institutions fail or refuse to address severe injustices, especially bearing upon war and peace."
On Monday, the tribunal heard from Dr Nimer Sultany, a reader in Public Law at SOAS, who told attendees: "Palestine is a clear case in which the naming of the colonial condition has been delayed, or avoided, for so long. For too long.
"This lack of naming exposes an uneven application of principles and human rights. This lack of naming prolongs injustice and delays the application of human rights standards. We are here today to name the genocide."
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He added: "We need to be careful of the recent revisionism which seeks to justify the prolonged silence of so many, in the face of the most barbaric crime of our lifetime, [and] definitely of this century."
Commenting on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's recent statement that "within a few months, we will be able to declare that we have won. Gaza will be totally destroyed," Sultany said: "These revisionists are pretending that there is something new in Smotrich's recent statement.
"[They pretend] that Smotrich and Ben Ghivir [the far right Israeli National Security Minister] are not members of the security cabinet, which is constitutionally responsible for the war policy…and that Netanyhu's political survival did not depend on them in October 2023 as much as now."
Sultany's remarks come as there is an increasing scrutiny of Israel in Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz argued on Monday that "to cause such...
For digital and print editions, packed with exclusive investigations, analysis, features, and columns….
SUBSCRIBE
An independent 'people's tribunal' established by scholars and experts on genocide and international law from around the world held its first public session on Monday in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of investigating Israel's' alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Led by Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International law at Princeton University and former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, the four day Gaza Tribunal tribunal will hear from scholars, lawyers, journalists, UN special rapporteurs and eyewitnesses to the horrors of Gaza.
Opening the public session Richard Falk said: "The Gaza tribunal is devoted to bearing witness to Israel's crimes against the peoples of Gaza. Beyond this the purpose of the tribunal is to add whatever it can to the torment and outrage of peoples around the world to bring the Gaza ordeal of death and destruction to a rapid end by urging action to be taken in the name of our common humanity."
Although it has no formal legal status, the tribunal hopes to catalyse opposition to Israel's genocide in Gaza and to urge states to act where they previously have not, to meaningfully sanction Israel in an attempt to bring an end to the violence.
People's tribunals first began during the Vietnam war when philosopher Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre hosted a similar project, in an attempt to hold the US to account over war crimes.
Prof Falk added that the Gaza Tribunal was also inspired by a similar civil-society led exercise during the Iraq War, prompted by the 'regime-changing aggression that brought chaos and misery to the Iraqi people.'
"This legacy of earlier people's tribunals has a common feature that defines the mission of the Gaza tribunal. It is the failure of organised international society to enforce international law and hold the perpetrators accountable. In short these tribunals arise only when governments and their institutions fail or refuse to address severe injustices, especially bearing upon war and peace."
On Monday, the tribunal heard from Dr Nimer Sultany, a reader in Public Law at SOAS, who told attendees: "Palestine is a clear case in which the naming of the colonial condition has been delayed, or avoided, for so long. For too long.
"This lack of naming exposes an uneven application of principles and human rights. This lack of naming prolongs injustice and delays the application of human rights standards. We are here today to name the genocide."
UK Sanctions on Israeli Settlers are 'Wholly Insufficient' - the Violence Should be 'Treated as Terrorism Rather Than Criminality'
The Foreign Secretary David Lammy is being urged to go much further in response to violence by Israeli settlers
Byline Times Team
He added: "We need to be careful of the recent revisionism which seeks to justify the prolonged silence of so many, in the face of the most barbaric crime of our lifetime, [and] definitely of this century."
Commenting on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's recent statement that "within a few months, we will be able to declare that we have won. Gaza will be totally destroyed," Sultany said: "These revisionists are pretending that there is something new in Smotrich's recent statement.
"[They pretend] that Smotrich and Ben Ghivir [the far right Israeli National Security Minister] are not members of the security cabinet, which is constitutionally responsible for the war policy…and that Netanyhu's political survival did not depend on them in October 2023 as much as now."
Sultany's remarks come as there is an increasing scrutiny of Israel in Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz argued on Monday that "to cause such...
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