Santiago de Chile, March 14 (RHC)-- Some 650 Chilean lawyers have filed a legal complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for committing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The complaint includes accusations of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds. The complainants are calling for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and other individuals responsible for these crimes.
The lawyers highlighted the indiscriminate bombing of the besieged Palestinian territory since October 7 and the destruction of residential neighborhoods without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
Chilean lawyer Nelson Haddad said lawyers from various Latin American countries will likely join the complaint. “All countries must denounce war criminals, ensuring they are held accountable, assume their responsibilities, face punishment according to the penalties of the Rome Statute, and provide reparations for victims,” Hadad said.
Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) Shawan Jabarin, and Professor Rodolfo Marcone-Lo Presti from Chile were among those lawyers filing the complaint.
In December 2023, some 100 Chilean lawyers filed a complaint before the ICC with the same conviction.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already verified suspicions that genocide has been committed by Israel. On January 26, the ICJ issued a ruling in which it acknowledged that there was a plausible suspicion that Israel is acting contrary to its obligations in terms of the Genocide Convention in carrying out its military operations in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) recently accused the ICC prosecutor of displayed a “clear double standard” in dealing with the crimes of Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza. The Geneva-based organization said the crimes committed by Israel have gone far beyond the destruction of civilian infrastructure and property.
Israel presses ahead with indiscriminate targeting of Palestinians who are fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. The UN agency UNRWA reports Israeli warplanes have hit one of its aid warehouses in Rafah.
The Palestinian death toll since October now stands at around 31,300, most of them women and children.
