Legal coalition to pursue Israelis accused of war crimes around the world

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has launched a global coalition of lawyers in London, called the "Global 195 Initiative," aimed at using domestic and international legal mechanisms to prosecute Israelis and individuals with dual Israeli nationality suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza. The initiative will seek justice by targeting Israeli soldiers and other personnel in "the entire Israeli military and political chain of command."

At a press conference, ICJP Director Tayab Ali first expressed his condolences for the hundreds of Palestinian deaths caused by Israeli airstrikes. He emphasized that the "Global 195 Initiative" is crucial for establishing some form of accountability, given the ongoing "genocide" against Palestinians supported by Western governments and global corporations. Ali pointed out that the obstruction of international legal bodies in holding those responsible for war crimes in Palestine accountable, coupled with the failure of national police forces to fulfill their obligations under humanitarian law and the principle of universal jurisdiction, has allowed alleged Israeli war criminals to evade justice.

Ali stated that under international law, states have an obligation to investigate and prosecute war crimes, but these obligations are systematically ignored. The "Global 195 Initiative" is a necessary legal intervention aimed at correcting this failure. The initiative will target individuals at all levels, "from high-level decision-makers to combatants," who are directly or indirectly responsible for violations of international law. The ICJP has collected 135 witness testimonies from Gaza, corroborating open-source materials obtained from the besieged area.

Ali claimed that the evidence includes individuals who may have committed war crimes, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, attacks on designated "safe zones," mass expulsion policies, and the use of starvation against civilians. The ICJP also stated that they have been working with former detectives from the London Metropolitan Police to ensure that the evidence they have collected is of a high standard and can be used in future cases.

Legal scholars from Bosnia, Canada, Malaysia, Norway, and Turkey also attended the press conference and will collaborate with the ICJP to file lawsuits against their nationals suspected of committing war crimes in Gaza. Sean Martinez, head of the ICJP's Canadian branch, stated that some Canadian lawyers are working to prosecute Canadian nationals and charities that raise funds for or participate in the Israeli military. Several similar projects have been launched since Israel began bombing Gaza in 2023. Last month, Middle East Eye (MEE) interviewed Diab Abu Jaja, chairman of the Hind Rajab Foundation, which has been filing lawsuits against Israeli soldiers suspected of committing war crimes. Like the ICJP, Jaja stated that their foundation has collected over 8,000 pieces of evidence from social media related to alleged war crimes committed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. The Hind Rajab Foundation is named after a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli soldiers on January 29, 2024, her tragic death has become a symbol of the widespread violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli army. An investigation conducted in June revealed that Rajab and her six family members were attacked by Israeli forces with 335 bullets while trying to escape northern Gaza by car.