LONDON, March 6 (NNN-BERNAMA-ANADOLU) – Anger has been mounting worldwide over a recent UN inquiry which found that Israeli security forces committed serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law during the Great March of Return rallies in 2018, with many calling for those responsible to be held accountable.
“The report reinforces all previous Palestinian and international reports that Israel is committing war crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem,” said Zaher Birawi, head of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG).
“I call for immediate action by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into these crimes and to hold the occupation and its leaders accountable for all their attacks and bring them to international justice, to stop dealing with Israel as a state above the law and to work for the international protection of the Palestinian people,” Birawi told Anadolu Agency.
He said he is also calling for “Arab and international practical action to end the blockade imposed on Gaza for 12 years immediately and to grant more than 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza freedom of movement and all they need for a decent human life”.
The president of the Muslim Association of Britain, Anas Altikriti, said the UN findings are “as clear a condemnation of Israel as one can imagine”.
“The UN enquiry concluded with a verdict describing Israel’s killing of Palestinian protestors within the same bracket as war crimes, Altikriti said, speaking to Anadolu Agency.
“The issue remains as to what the international community, and especially the major democratic states, will do to reflect such a clear and unequivocal indictment of Israel,” Altikriti said.
“Past experiences, unfortunately, inform us that little if anything will be done and that Israel will carry on its brutal inhumane policies regardless.
“If anything, this presents a serious challenge to the moral standing of the international community and world order,” he added.
The report, published last week, also elicited reactions from many British politicians, including Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
“The UN says Israel’s killings of demonstrators in Gaza — including children, paramedics, and journalists — may constitute ‘war crimes or crimes against humanity’,” Corbyn said on Twitter.
“The UK government must unequivocally condemn the killings and freeze arms sales to Israel,” he said.
–NNN-BERNAMA-ANADOLU
