Muslim parliamentary union calls for Israel to be prosecuted for Gaza war crimes

A meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called for Israeli leaders to be prosecuted for the regime’s crimes against the besieged Gaza Strip, warning that the ongoing situation risks triggering an “unprecedented explosion” in the region.  

The call was made via the final communiqué of the 5th emergency meeting of the permanent Palestine committee of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday. The meeting was merged with the first meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly.

The communiqué said Israel must be put on trial for its war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against civilians in Gaza.

“We want the international community to fully take up its responsibility to condemn these measures and try to put an immediate end to the aggression,” the communiqué said.

The statement hailed South Africa for filing a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and called for PUIC members to support South Africa’s efforts to bring Israeli criminals to justice.

‘Situation risks explosion’

The statement said the world must work to put an immediate end to Israel’s onslaught, warning that Muslim nations cannot remain indifferent as Israel keeps slaughtering Palestinians and that the situation risks causing an explosion of anger leading to a conflict in the region.  

The communiqué said PUIC members support the Palestinian people’s resistance against Israel in all its forms, as all nations under occupation are entitled to defend themselves in the face of attacks.

The statement rejected Israel’s plan to forcibly displace Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and called for the return of all Palestinians to their homeland.

The communiqué also slammed US support for Israel's  onslaught, saying Washington has provided the regime with various types of advanced weapons and ammunition.

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It said the US has also attempted to whitewash Israel’s crimes in the international arena and used its veto power to prevent the UN from taking action against the regime.

The statement also called on member states to support Palestinians financially and politically, and work to deliver more aid to the besieged strip and help Palestinians rebuild the houses destroyed by Israel’s war machine.

Representatives from 26 Islamic and Asian countries, including Bahrain, Turkey, Algeria, Oman and China, attended the PUIC meeting in Tehran.

The PUIC was established in Iran in 1999, with its head office in Tehran.

In the Wednesday meeting, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the Israeli regime was founded on genocide and aggression and its survival depends on perpetrating such heinous crimes.

“What is coming to pass in the Gaza Strip today is a cause of deep concern and shame for humanity. It is double injustice to a nation that has been deprived of all human rights and has been under aggression and occupation for more than seven decades,” Qalibaf said.

“No awakened conscience can be dismissive of the heinous and widespread bloody crimes being committed by the Israeli Zionist regime’s war machine in Gaza and its horrendous effects on the peace and security of the region and the world.”

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