The ICJ intervened today with the President of the UN Security Council calling for taking appropriate firm measures to halt Israel’s decision to deport Palestinians.
In a letter to the President of the Security Council, ICJ Secretary-General Adama Dieng said that the mass deportations of 417 Palestinians to Lebanon constitutes not only a gross violation of the provisions of humanitarian law, but also poses a threat to international peace and security. The ICJ also deplored the 12 December incident of the kidnapping and eventual killing of an Israeli soldier by Hamas.
The ICJ called upon the Security Council to take appropriate measures under Articles 39 and 41 of the UN Charter to compel Israel to desist from the illegal deportations and to return the deportees. By taking such measures, jurists said that the Security Council is merely exercising its responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the Middle East.
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), headquartered in Geneva, is a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the OAU. Founded 40 years ago, its task is to defend the Rule of Law throughout the world and to work towards the full observance of the provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The ICJ has been a driving force behind the adoption of numerous international declarations and standards including the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, the UN Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, the European Convention Against Torture and the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights. It is composed of 31 distinguished jurists from around the globe and has 75 national sections and affiliated organizations.
