Abuse of Palestinians = UN Crimes Against HumanityMonday 14/03/2022

Jerusalem Institute of Justice- Submission to The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East  Jerusalem, and Israel

Dear Honorable Commission,

We, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice, are a not-for-profit human rights organization, with Special Consultative Status at the UN Economic and Social Council, fighting to promote human rights, defend democracy, and improve the overall quality of life for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Due to our hope of ever-lasting peace in the region, we find it of the utmost importance to address your call for submissions of relevant information and documentation to the mandate of the Commission.

The attached report concerning the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Crimes against Humanity was filed by our organization at the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on the 20^th of February 2019. We argued that a full investigation of crimes against humanity should be pursued, and a case should be lodged, against Mahmoud Abbas, as President of the PA, for his role in the systematic and widespread campaign of murder, torture, and unlawful imprisonment against parts of the Palestinian population in the territory of Judaea and Samaria, known as the “West Bank”. Following this communication, and others, an investigation of the “Situation in Palestine” was commenced by the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC on the 3^rd of March 2021. The submission of this report is in accordance with the COI’s mandate to collect evidence and information of abuses of international human rights law and identify those responsible.

As President of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas has played a pivotal role in exercising effective authority and control over the widespread or systemic murder, imprisonment and torture of the Palestinian civilians, in furtherance of a state policy designed to deter resistance towards his government.

During his time in power, Abbas has directed or allowed these crimes to be committed against various Palestinian groups – including those deemed to have been critical of the current PA government or which have supported rival Palestinian factions. Abbas knew of and was in a position to prevent the crimes against humanity that have been committed against the civilian population of the West Bank, yet he has manifestly failed to do so. Abbas’s acts of widespread and systematic murder against the civilian population of the West Bank constitute crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (“Rome Statute”). In addition, the crimes of torture committed by the Palestinian Authority’s police officers constitute crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.

We urge the commission to look into these violations of Human Rights committed by the Palestinian Authority and include them in their report due to be presented in the Human Rights Council’s June regular session.

Yours sincerely,

Flavia Sevald, CEO,

Jerusalem Institute of Justice,