Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, The Hague
For the first time pro-Palestinian groups from across Europe gathered in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague to demand prosecution of crimes committed by the Israeli regime.
The ICC was created in 1998 and has been criticized as a tool for Western interests, and especially for prosecuting, almost exclusively, Africans.
Over 1,000 complaints have been filed against Israel for crimes in Palestine, the vast majority of which has never been investigated, and not a single indictment has ever been issued.
The massacre of thousands during the invasion of the Gaza Strip in 2014, the murder of over 100 protesters during the Great March of Return in 2017, the decade-long blockade of Gaza, as well as decades of apartheid policies have all gone unpunished despite the mountains of evidence.
The ICC’s failure to act has powerful consequences: its refusal to prosecute gives Israel even more assurance that they can keep committing crimes with no fear of being called to justice.
The court’s failure to remain politically neutral has produced widespread disenchantment. However, it remains the “court of last resort” for totally disenfranchised Palestinians, who hope the ICC will send a message by finally prosecuting Israel, and thus preventing more massacres, murders and crimes.