Amnesty calls on Israel to end 'brutal occupation' as public hearings begin

A large crowd in Dublin demonstrated in support of Palestinians over the weekend. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

International human rights organisation Amnesty International has called for Israel to end its “brutal occupation” of Gaza and the West Bank ahead of the beginning of public hearings at the International Court of Justice regarding the occupation.

The organisation’s secretary general Agnes Callamard said that the occupation has “entrenched” a system of “apartheid” placed on Palestinian citizens, and that it has been characterised by “widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians”.

“The world must recognise that ending Israel’s illegal occupation is a prerequisite to stopping the recurrent human rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” Ms Callamard said.

The ICJ is set to hold a week of public hearings in the Hague from Monday after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2022 requesting a position from the court in terms of the legality of Israel’s policies concerning those territories.

More than 50 countries are scheduled to participate in those hearings.

Amnesty International noted that under international humanitarian law, the occupation of any territory during a conflict is meant to be temporary and should “preserve as much as possible the situation that existed at the beginning of the occupation”.

It said that the more-than-50-year duration of the Israeli occupation of Palestine shows that Israel’s “intention is for the occupation to be permanent and for the benefit of the occupying power and its own citizens”.

“All states must review their relations with Israel to ensure that they are not contributing to sustaining the occupation or the system of apartheid,” Ms Callamard said.

“As European foreign ministers gather in Brussels today, the need to make a clear and united call for an end to Israel’s occupation has never been more urgent.” 

Death toll

 War has been raging in Gaza since the military action carried out by the strip’s governing faction Hamas on October 6 last which saw over 1,000 Israelis killed.

The death toll stemming from the current Israeli reprisal action within Gaza itself is now roughly 29,000, with 90% of the strip’s 2.1 million population having been displaced by the conflict.

“For 56 years Palestinians in the OPT have been living trapped and oppressed under Israel’s brutal occupation, subjected to systemic discrimination,” Ms Callamard said.

“Every aspect of their daily lives is disrupted and controlled by Israeli authorities,” she said, adding that “violent Israeli settlers have been attacking Palestinians for decades with virtually total impunity”.

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Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took part in a major demonstration for Palestine in Dublin on Saturday.

Organisers of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign said it was the fourth such national mobilisation since March of 2023, and called for an end to Israel’s action in Gaza and for the Irish government to “take action to hold Israel accountable”.

Crowds gathered at Parnell Square before a procession across the city centre to the Department of Foreign Affairs, where there were speeches and performances of Irish and Palestinian music.

Banners read “Freedom and justice for Palestine”, and others called for a ceasefire in Gaza now.