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International commission to sue Israel over killing Palestinian protesters

April 3, 2018 at 11:27 am

A wounded Palestinian is being moved away from the site after Israeli forces fire at protesters during the ‘Great March of Return’ in Gaza on 30 March 2018 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]

Head of the Coordinating Committee of the Great March of Return Zaher Birawi announced yesterday the formation of an international legal committee of law experts who will attempt to prosecute Israel over killing unarmed Palestinian protesters during the first day of the march, Quds Press reported.

In a statement, Birawi said: “The committee is to exert its utmost efforts in cooperation with Palestinian and international rights groups to prosecute the soldiers and leaders of the Israeli occupation army over committing war crimes against unarmed civilians.”

Read: Hamas asks Arab League to take Israel to the ICC

Birawi reiterated that international law guarantees the right to peaceful protests, stressing that opening fire on the protesters while they were calling for the implementation of UN resolutions related to their right to return is a war crime.

He said that the committee is seeking to take the Israeli occupation to every international court there is, including the ICC.

In the statement Birawi called for all documents, images and videos that are proof of the Israeli army’s crimes against unarmed Palestinian protesters to be submitted to the committee.

On Friday, which coincided with Palestine Land Day, Israeli forces shot dead 16 Palestinians and wounded 1,416 others.

Read: Palestinian succumbs to wounds sustained during Friday protests in Gaza