Citizen Tribunal on Israeli crimes against Lebanon and Palestine
Proposal for setting up an international citizens’ tribunal on the deeds committed by the Israeli army and secret services in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories
The deeds committed by the Israeli army and secret services in Lebanon, as in the occupied Palestinian territories, constitute a violent affront to the universal human conscience. These are criminal acts, as many people feel instinctively. They are different from the acts that take place in all armed conflict committed by the aggressor as well as by the aggressed. But feeling is not enough. The facts must be established. They must then be assessed in the light of existing international law. This should be done with the detachment and rigour of a process that excludes any a priori conclusions, the results of which will convince all people of good will.
The international community is not an autonomous political and juridical body. It is but a summation of positions adopted by a certain number of governments. In many situations it has proved incapable of applying existing law by distancing itself from geopolitical or ideological contingencies. This impunity has covered up the numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since the end of the second world war.
The unilateral attitude of the United States of America, like the double-speak of many European governments, make it necessary for those defending the law to take the place of failed political powers. The American administration is against any questioning of Israel’s role in acts committed in Lebanon as well as in the occupied Palestinian territories. Germany, Great Britain, Finland and France refuse to support a request formulated at the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the use by the Israeli armed forces of arms that are prohibited by international law. The systematic disinformation practised by an overwhelming majority of the media deprives Western public opinion of balanced information. All this justifies an initiative by the citizens themselves.
This initiative must aim at being of the same high quality as the tribunal initiated by Bertrand Russell during the Vietnam war. It should be carried out with the same rigour, the same credibility and the same concern to go beyond divisions which have no place when it is a question of the rights of people. It must bring together highly qualified experts and personalities who are universally recognized for their moral authority. It must not limit itself up to a restricted circle. For this reason I believe it should not follow in the footsteps of similar initiatives taken in the past, whatever the quality that such work has achieved in the past.
Such an action cannot be carried out properly in a hurry. It require an the formulation of a comprehensive project, together with a precise timetable, the mobilization of appropriate human and financial resources and an irreproachable moral framework. These requirements demand an international mobilization to support such an initiative.
For this purpose we propose that a preparatory committee be set up which will carry out as rapidly as possible all the tasks necessary for launching this initiative. We ask your active participation in creating this preparatory committee.
Co-ordinator:
Raoul Marc JENNAR
chercheur URFIG / Fondation Copernic
consultant de la GUE/NGL au Parlement europà©en (bureau 4E202)
7, place du Chà¢teau, F 66500 Mosset
Tà©l. (PE) : 00 32 2 283 10 43
Tel. : 00 33 468 05 84 25
Port. : 00 33 632 16 65 52
www.urfig.org
raoul.jennar@europarl.europa.eu
Comite’ de coordination en France
Email : contact.tribunal@yahoo.fr
Comità© de Parrainage:
Premià¨re liste
Raoul Jennar (URFIG)
Leila Ghanem (Rà©sdactrice en chef de la revue Bada’el (liban)/ Prà©sidente de l’ADEMA: Paris) Azmi Bishara ( dà©putà© au Kneset)
Georges Labica ( PVCR)
Gustave Massiah ( CEDETIM)
Pierre Galiand ( Ancien dà©putà© europà©en)
Franà§ois Houtart(CETRI)
Samir Amine (FTM/ Dakar)
Haytham Manna (Arab Commission For Human Rights)
Paulette Pierson- Mathy ( Professeur honoraire Università© Libre de Bruxelles)
Alima Boumedienne (Sà©nateur europà©en)
Olivier Besancenot ( dà©putà©/LCR)
Mtre Nabil Machmouchy (Avocat de la cour reprà©sentant juridique d’une trentaine des Association libanaise)
Maitre Raymond G. Merat ( Avocat Honoraire à la cour de Paris, Ancien prà©sident d’interjurist)
John Catalinotto (Worker’s World Newspaper(USA))
Rhetta Morane ( the Peer Review Papers Editor for Action Learning: Research and Practice)
Tayssir Quba’a ( Vice prà©sident du Conseil National Palestinien)
Jean Bricmond/ Belgique
Alain Krà©vine ( LCR)
Mireille Fanon Mandes France( Cedetim, de droit-solidarità©/AIJD et de l’UJFP)
Hugo Ruiz Diaz Baulbueh (AIJD)
Moncef Marzouki ( Comission arabe des droits de l’Homme)
El Mostafa Soleih ( Commision arabe des droits de l’homme)
Nasser Ghazali ( Comission arabe des droits de l’Homme)
Hassan Jouni (Pofesseur en Droit università© libanaise)
Mohamad Tay (Professeur en Droit università© libanaise)
Maitre Abdel Majid Abdely ( Avocat Dr en Droit international/ Tunisie)
Maitre Abdelssalam Ben Moussa Avocat à la cour / Tunisie)
Samah Idriss Rà©dacteur en Chef de Aladab/ prà©sident du Forum liban,ais Assaha)
Helmi Sha’arawi (Prà©sident de l’ARC/Egypt)
Chahida Elbaz (Chercheur / Egypt)
Violette Daguerre (Prà©sidente de la comission arabe des droits de l’Homme)
Saida Garrach ( L’Association Tunisienne des femmes dà©mocrates)
Hilary Wise (Campagen de solidarità© avec le peuple Palestinien /Londres)
Patrick Bond Universitaire Kuwazula Natal / afrique du Sud)
Dennis Brutus
Lau Kin CHI ( Peace Women Across the Globe/ Hong Kong))
P.K. Murthy (Reprà©sentant des syndicats des mineurs/ Inde)
Remy Herrera Universitaire/ FTM /France
Abdel Azim El Maghraby Asst. Secretary of the Arab Lawyers Union)
Rifat Moustafa (Lawyer & International Arbitrator )
Sabah Al- Moukhtar ( Arab Lawyer Netwok)
Jamila Idrissi Urfig Mosset / France
Saad Mehio ( Journaliste/ Liban)
Cassem Ezzedine Ecrivain/ association Ecologia/ Liban)
Salameh Kayleh (Ecrivain)
Monique Crinon (CEDETIM)
Fouad Dib ( Doyen facultà© de droit/Damas)
Mamdouh Habashi ( AGEG/ Egypt)
Ayse Berktay / Istanboul ( Tribunal of Irak)
Bernard Founou ( FTM/ Da kar)
Ari Sitas (Universitaire/Vice prà©sident of the ISA Afrique du Sud )
Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General
Sara Flounders, co-director, International Action Center
LeiLani Dowell, Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST–youth organization)
Toufic Ben Abdallah (ENDA)
Aminata Traorà© ex ministre de culture Mali
Qais Ghanem ( medecin & human rights activist at the U of Ottawa, Canada
Michel Warschawski (Centre d’Information Alternative, Jerusalem)
Sergio Yahni (Centre d’Information ALternative, Jerusalem)]
Lea Tsemel (Avocate, Jerusalem)
Amy Bartholomew (Associate Professor Department of Law Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada)
Dr Fayez Bictache Chercheur politique,ancien ambassadeur.
Louis Adam juriste comptable France
Roland Raivard Professeur France – Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General
Sara Flounders, co-director, International Action Center
LeiLani Dowell, Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST–youth organization)
Toufic Abdallah (ENDA)
Aminata Traorà© ex ministre de culture Mali
Qais Ghanem ( medecin & human rights activist at the U of Ottawa, Canada
Amy Bartholomew (Associate Professor Department of Law
Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada)
Dr Fayez Bictache Chercheur politique, ancien ambassadeur
Niloufer Bhagwat Tribunal Brussel
Christine Pagnoulle Tribunal Brussel
Raymonde COUDERT Università© Paris7 – Denis Diderot
Abdul Ilah Albayaty (BRussells Tribunal Advisory Committee)
Hana Albayaty (BRussells Tribunal Executive Committee)
Ian Douglas (BRussells Tribunal Advisory Committee)
Dirk Adriaensens (BRussells Tribunal Executive Committee)
The court structure
The witnesses:
1) Victims testimony.
2) Testimony from a Reporter covered the war :
Testimony from the parents and friends of the American activist who
was killed by the Israeli soldiers in Palestine and the British journalist
who was injured there.
3) Red Cross witness (international Red Cross representative).
4) Green peace representative.
5) Human rights organization representative.
6) Green line organization.
7) International human rights organization.
8) Economic expert.
9) A municipality president from a destroyed village (Bint Jbeil, Khiyam).
10) A municipality president from (Qana).
11) A municipality president from one of (Aa’yta el shaab, Aa’ytaroon, Aa’ynata).
The Jury:
1) From Lebanon (group of lawyers working on the legal files).
2) The Judges (we are planning to have judges from the 5 sides of the world).
Important notes:
1) The court will be recorded by video and will be broadcasted on (aljazeera mubashar and tele sour) and it will be media campaign in the entire world so we wish that every one could help in this matter where he could do so.
2) There is a financial campaign to cover the judges and the jury costs so we depend on you to help.
3) We will attach a call of action which had been signed by 2000 persons (scientific, parliament members, parliamentary union members, educated men, political groups, and civil society, and congress members, attorneys).
