Thread by @AhmedAbofoul

🚨1. Powerful open letters, ahead of the #ASP21, sent by 198 Palestinain, regional and international civil society organisations to the @IntlCrimCourt's Prosecutor @KarimKhanQC and the #ICC Assembly of States Parties President, @PASPFernandez🧵

#NGOVoices
alhaq.org/advocacy/20906…

2. Both letters called on them to condemn Israel's brazen designations of the 6 renowned Palestinian civil society organisations as "terrorists" and its raids of their offices which amounts to “tampering with or interfering with the collection of evidence.”

#StandWithThe6

3. The letter to Prosecutor highlighted last year's significant missed opportunities to issue statements on the situation in Palestine, citing his office's policy paper providing for deterrent preventive statements that allow his Office to"react promptly to upsurges of violence."

The letter to the Prosecutor also called on him to visit the occupied Palestinain territory &to consider opening an office there. It also called on him to expedite his investigation into the situation in Palestine including the crimes against humanity of #apartheid & persecution.

4. The letter to the ASP President highlighted that last year, Palestinian organisations delivered a statement during the #ASP20 calling for condemnation of Israel's brazen designations, and warning of further repressive steps by #IsraeliApartheid.

https://twitter.com/AhmedAbofoul/status/1469277015425662987

5. The letter stressed that the right of participation of observer states in the #ASP21 "promotes a key goal of universality", but should also be understood as carrying with it "responsibilities to act in a manner that respects the [@IntlCrimCourt's] mandate."

6. It further noted that last year, Israel attended the #ASP20 as an observer state, despite its efforts to undermine the work of the #ICC and despite its brazen attacks on Palestinain civil society organisations cooperating with the @IntlCrimCourt.

7. The letter to the ASP President further underscored that "Israel’s unsubstantiated & unlawful designations of Palestinian CSOs, apparently at least in part due to their advocacy for justice before the court, is not compatible with support to the ICC’s mission."

#StandWithThe6

8. The letter to ASP President also called on her to implement her proposal on R.169 of the IER, which entails that the Presidency “bears the main responsibility for coordinating an appropriate response[..]to any threat or attack against the Court [..]& those cooperating with it"

9. The letter also reminded the ASP president that "when the Court and its staff were threatened & sanctioned, by the Trump administration," the undersigned organisations, along CSOs and HRDs around the world, stood up for the #ICC and called for the sanctions to be rescinded."

10. The undersigned organisations include #StandWithThe6, @alhaq_org, @Addameer, @DCIPalestine, @BisanResearch, @UAWC1986, @of_committees, @AlMezanCenter, @hrw, @amnesty, @fidh_en, @theCCR, @CIHRS_Alerts, @SOMO, @elsclegal, @TheRightsForum, @DAWNmenaorg, @BADIL_Center, @pchrgaza.