Pro-Palestine Group Files Property Crimes Case with ICC Against “Israel”
By Staff, Agencies
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians [ICJP] has filed a war crime complaint with the International Criminal Court [ICC] against the "Israeli" entity’s criminal property seizure from Palestinians.
The complaint, lodged on Wednesday, revolved around the entity’s “long and continued policy” of depriving Palestinian civilians of property for the regime’s settlements built on occupied land and “in circumstances not justified by military necessity.”
It dealt with the cases of Rezk Salem Hamed Kadih in Gaza and members of the Salhiya family from Sheikh Jarrah, a flashpoint Palestinian neighborhood of occupied East al-Quds [Jerusalem], following an investigation that opened on 3 March 2021.
During the investigation, Fatou Bensouda, then-ICC prosecutor, said that “there was a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem [al-Quds], and the Gaza Strip; potential cases arising from the situation would be admissible, and there were no substantial reasons to believe that an investigation would not serve the interests of justice.”
The complaint urged the ICC prosecutor to include the cases it has submitted, and intends to submit, as part of the formal investigation.
The rights group stated that evidence of the “Israeli” entity’s property-related crimes was “vast, credible and clear.”
“The fact that this has been allowed to continue as an accepted policy for ‘Israel’s’ illegal expansion is mind-blowing,” said Tayab Ali, ICJP director.
Ali further criticized EU countries as well as Europe and the US for their support for the apartheid “Israeli” regime.
“The silence and support from countries in the EU as well as the UK and USA is tantamount to complicity in these crimes,” he said.
The complaint mentioned the confiscation of the Kadih family’s land in the town of Khuza’a, in the Yunis district of southern Gaza.
The land, covering an area of about 36,000 square meters, was inherited by Kadih and his six siblings.
The “Israeli” entity also used “excessive force to remove family members from the land” and established a permanent military presence there, claiming military necessity. “The ‘Israeli’ military entered the land with bulldozers and opened fire at the farmers on the land,” the complaint read.
Currently, the family only possesses a small amount of the original land and is not allowed to access all the remaining pieces.
Kadih family’s case, which represents “‘Israel’s’ longstanding, systematic practice of confiscating or occupying Palestinian territory,” is reflective of the apartheid regime’s general policy, the complaint said.
It also mentioned another piece of land, a 6,500 square meter property located in Karm al-Mufti, in Sheikh Jarrah, belonging to Salhiya family.
Despite 23 years of court actions against the apartheid “Israeli” regime, the family has been facing expulsion since 2017. Their land was allocated for school construction.
The “Israeli” entity issued an ultimatum for evacuation of the property. In January, the regime forces raided the house, violently arrested and assaulted family members, and razed the house to the ground.
