16 January  2001

MIFTAH takes initiative to launch Palestinian legal campaign against Israeli political assassinations

In light of the recent Israeli campaign against Palestinian activists and prominent political figures, through assassinations and extra judicial killings, MIFTAH hosted a meeting, at the request of Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information, Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo, to mobilize Palestinian efforts in holding Israel legally accountable before international courts.
The preparatory meeting was held at MIFTAH on Monday January 15th, 2000, with the participation of Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Mr. Yasser Abed Rabbo, prominent Palestinian experts in the fields of international and humanitarian law, as well as representatives of various Palestinian non-governmental institutions concerned with legal and human rights issues. The initiative has been institutionalized as The Palestinian Council Against Political Assassinations.
The meeting discussed the legal implications of Israel’s political assassinations and extra judicial killings, and examined the mechanisms whereby these violations could be systematically documented and legally pursued before the relevant international courts and tribunals dealing with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The participants also discussed the existing Palestinian mechanisms concerned with the issue of war crimes and Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, as well as ways of coordination with these institutions.
The council discussed the necessary steps to pursue a public campaign of information focused at the legal and political aspects of the issue, and to prepare legal cases with the required evidence. The council aims to coordinate its efforts locally, regionally, and internationally.
The council’s initial effort will focus on mobilizing a group of Palestinian experts in international legal issues, as well as various governmental and non-governmental Palestinian institutions, to take concrete steps towards the fulfillment of this objective.

Source: Miftah

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