10 Israeli human rights organizations have pledged to assist the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Karim Khan, in his investigation of violations in Palestine, the first pledge of its kind to urge the court to act.
The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B'Tselem, said in a statement, "Yesterday, a group of human rights organizations active in Israel sent a joint letter, the first of its kind, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Karim Khan, to express its support for his visit, and for moving forward with the investigation regarding Israel.”
The statement added that the letter was sent in the wake of Khan's recent speech to the Assembly of States Parties to the Treaty of Rome.
According to B'Tselem, the Israeli organizations told the court's prosecutor, "We welcome your statement earlier this month (December) that one of your goals for 2023 is to visit Palestine."
The human rights organizations added in their letter, "Our position is that crimes have already been committed and are still being committed, and that the court has the power to investigate and prosecute them, and we are all committed to assisting your office in moving forward with the investigation on the situation in Palestine."
Human rights organizations indicated that Israel has a history of denying access to the occupied Palestinian territories by international bodies and experts, and therefore considered that Khan's visit under these circumstances would be of greater importance.
The letter was signed by 10 organizations;
They are: B'Tselem, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, the Center for the Defense of the Individual, Parents Against Child Arrest, the Human Rights Defenders Fund, Yesh Din, Fighters for Peace, Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, and Turat Zedek (Torah of Truth).
In February 2021, the International Criminal Court in The Hague declared its jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territories, despite Israeli and American objections, but did not officially announce the launch of a criminal investigation.
Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court, while Palestine joined it in 2015 to provide it with successive updates on the status of violations committed by the occupation.
Israel rejects any authority of the International Criminal Court to investigate the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, while it has not officially announced its position on Khan's visit.