Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Submits Amicus Curiae Observations to the International Criminal Court on the Oslo Accords by Al Haq, Al Mezan, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

54. On 6 August 2024, the Palestinian human rights organisations, Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man (Al-Haq), the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al Mezan) filed their joint amicus curiae (friends of the Court) written observations pursuant to Rule 103(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence (RPE) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and in accordance with the Pre-Trial Chamber I decision of 22 July 2024, granting requests of a number of States, international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individual experts, to file written observations.

These written observations came after the Court granted the United Kingdom (UK) request to file amicus curiae observations… The organizations cautioned the Court that allowing amicus curiae interventions in “Article 58 ex parte proceedings, causes unnecessary delay and effectively creates a form of de facto shadow adversarial proceedings (proceedings within proceedings),” which have no legal basis under the statutory framework of the Court…. cautioning the Chamber that “an examination exceeding what is statutorily required from the Chamber to satisfy itself that it has jurisdiction could be viewed as a result of the UK’s request, risking the appearance of unwarranted political pressure.”

… Finally, the observations noted that “the present arrest warrant application is unjustifiably restricted in its scope,” and “called for the inclusion of the Rome Statute crimes of genocide, apartheid, and crimes related to settlements including direct or indirect transfer of settlers into the oPt to the charges against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Minister of Defence, Gallant,” stressing that the crime of genocide is “being perpetrated without pause or remorse.”