Lawyers from 20 countries discuss charges against Israel over flotilla massacre

Lawyers from 20 countries discuss charges against Israel over flotilla massacre

 

BRUSSELS / LONDON, — The Freedom Flotilla alliance, meeting in Geneva on Monday, announced that dozens of lawyers from more than 20 countries will meet to discuss suits filed against Israel over its May 31 attack against the Gaza-bound flotilla that ended in the death of nine activists.

The alliance said in a statement it gave after the meeting: “The Geneva Conventions, which are a set of laws agreed upon by the international community to protect human dignity and life, continue to be violated by Israel because of its total impunity.”

The alliance said it will head out for The Hague on Oct. 14 and to lodge a complaint to the Attorney General of the International Criminal Court.

“In less than two weeks, a large number of lawyers from more than 20 countries will meet to discuss the cases filed against Israel and the continued efforts to place charges against Israeli war criminals,” the alliance said.

“A number of our countries voted in favor of the UN Human Rights Council investigation that convicted Israel of using excessive force and violating international law, but the United States of America used its veto power to vote against the decision.”

A source inside the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza said the campaign, in cooperation with other founding parties of the Freedom Flotilla, are working on all legal, political, and popular levels to hold Israel responsible for the assault.

In other developments, the Freedom Flotilla 2 coalition announced the decision to delay the flotilla’s set date of departure for Gaza until the spring of 2011. The convoy was previously scheduled to head out by the end of 2010.

European Campaign member Rami Abdo said the delay was based on consultations that took place with the flotilla coalition after taking into account increasing requests for participation and the expansion of the coalition.

“Despite threats received by the Freedom Flotilla coalition to stop it from setting sail, we will not retreat, and our preparations are continually increasing,” he said.