Law for Palestine

Activities

• In January 2024, Law for Palestine launched a database alleging “500+ Instances of Israeli Incitement to Genocide…as a crucial resource for use by the international community, resolute in our commitment to combat the impunity that Israel enjoys and work to bring an end to the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.” A review of the database shows that quotes by Israeli officials are distorted and taken out of context in order to serve Law for Palestine’s political agenda of demonizing Israel. 
  • Law for Palestine added a disclaimer: “Law for Palestine bears no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided.”
• In the aftermath of the brutal Hamas attack of October 7, Law for Palestine published an article titled, “The Palestinian People have the right to resistance by all means available at their disposal.” According to the article, “Resistance by the Palestinian people by all means available at their disposal against an illegal occupying power is a legitimate act…As a consequence, third states are under the obligation to recognize the legitimacy of the Palestinian people’s resistance, and the State of Israel is under the obligation to refrain from persecuting Palestinians for legitimate resistance.”
• In April 2023, Law for Palestine was a signatory on a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General urging the UN to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. According to the letter, the IHRA definition “opens the door to labeling as antisemitic… findings of major Israeli, Palestinian and global human rights organizations that Israeli authorities are committing the crime against humanity of apartheid against Palestinians.”
  • The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, adopted by nearly 30 countries and counting, represents the international consensus definition of antisemitism, as well as how to distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism. An example of the latter includes denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
• In March 2023, Law for Palestine spoke at the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council drawing false equivalencies between Russia and Israel. According to Law for Palestine, “On every occasion, and in accordance with their international obligations, including in the Vienna Declaration, states were very vocal about the illegality of Russia’s actions, imposed sanctions and ordered Russia to end its occupation. Steps we would like to see taken against Israel for its prolonged occupation of Palestine.”
• In November 2022, Law for Palestine Geneva Coordinator Ghada Alrayan participated in the launch event of Al-Haq’s report, “Israeli Apartheid: Tool of Zionist Settler Colonialism,” which called on Member States of the UN General Assembly to “adopt a resolution to reconstitute the UN Special Committee against Apartheid and the UN Centre against Apartheid to address Israeli authorities’ commission of the crime against humanity of apartheid against the Palestinian people as a whole, and empower these bodies to proactively pursue the dismantlement of Israel’s settler colonial apartheid regime.”
  • On October 22, 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense declared Al-Haq a “terror organization” because it is part of “a network of organizations” that operates “on behalf of the ‘Popular Front’.”
• In August 2022, Law for Palestine urged the Israeli government to “immediate[ly] release” Salah Hamouri.  Until his arrest on August 23, 2017, Hamouri worked as a field researcher for the Palestinian NGO Addameer, an “affiliate” of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group. Hamouri was previously arrested in 2005 for “attempting to assassinate Ovadia Yosef…and for his involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.” The PFLP has referred to Hamouri as a “comrade.”
• In October 2021, Law for Palestine published a statement condemning the decision by the Israeli Ministry to designate six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations. According to the statement, “Law for Palestine believes this step is another attempt in a long series by the Israeli occupation to silence voices and crush human rights groups operating professionally and effectively in Palestine. Israel does that in an attempt to evade responsibility for violations documented and followed up on by these groups.”
• In June 2021, Law for Palestine held a webinar titled, “The Apartheid System: What Palestine Can Learn From South Africa?” The webinar discussed “How can Palestinians benefit from labeling Israel as an Apartheid System?” and “What can Palestinians in the oPt and within the Green Line learn from the South African experience?”

Lawfare

• On February 23, 2024, Law for Palestine, the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC),, and the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy filed a criminal complaint against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, and the Minister of Finance Christian Lindner for “the crime of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by providing Israel with weapons and issuing related export permissions.” 
  • In April 2024, the NGOs filed an urgent application against the German government to “stop the approval of war weapons exports to Israel.” 
• In October 2023, Law for Palestine was a signatory on a letter to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to “Issue Arrest Warrants, Investigate Israeli Crimes and Intervene to Deter Incitement to Commit Genocide in Gaza.”
• In January 2023, Law for Palestine held a webinar titled, “On the Table of the ICJ: The Legality/Illegality of Israeli Occupation and the Subsequent International Responsibility.” During the webinar, Al-Haw Head of Research and Advocacy Susan Power affirmed, “it is imperative that third states would fully commit to this process and that the international Courts of Justice also work towards advancing the cause of the Palestinian people for full self-determination and their right of return and take all necessary steps to dismantle Israel’s military administration of the occupied territory.”
• In June 2022, Law for Palestine hosted a webinar titled, “Absence of Palestine in the ICC: Why is Palestine ‘De-Prioritized’, and What is To be Done?” The webinar discussed “the possible action plans to push the case forward and have it ‘re-prioritized’ by the ICC Prosecutor.”

BDS

• In November 2023, Law for Palestine was a signatory on a statement urging states to issue a “Two-Way Arms Embargo on Israel,” demanding that “The US, the UK, Germany, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and other States that authorise the continued transfer of arms, and other forms of military support to Israel to immediately bring an end to such transfers…and immediately halt the provision of any materiel, equipment or other commodity that may foreseeably be used in the commission of serious international law violations including international crimes.”
• In September 2022, Law for Palestine was a signatory on a letter to the European Union to “review its decision to revive the Association Council Meeting, stop the recently signed gas deal and review its bilateral cooperation programmes.” According to the call, “Instead of allowing Israel to entrench its colonial enterprise and apartheid regime, rewarding it with further economic cooperation and trade of harmful military equipment and technologies, the EU and its Member States have an obligation, and interest, to hold Israel accountable and put an end to impunity.”