By Yasmine Darwish / GICJ

Over the past few days, Israeli forces have stormed on a daily basis the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Notably, on Friday, April 15, as thousands of Palestinians gathered to pray during the holy month of Ramadan, the  Israeli forces fired rubber bullets, stun grenades, and baton-charged the Palestinian civilian worshippers performing the dawn prayer, resulting in the arrest of more than 300 people and the injury of at least 158. On Tuesday, April 19, 622 Israeli settlers under the protection of the armed forces also took part to the attack. They broke into the walled holy compound without regard for the elderly, women, and children, causing panic and forcing people to run for cover from police rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas. Videos show police officers using batons to subdue arrested Palestinians and clear people from the esplanade. In one video, an officer clubbed an unarmed man as he stood next to a child. Few days after the attack, the Israeli police stormed the same site on April 17 and 18, injuring at least 30 Palestinians. 

In 2021, similar violence by the Israeli troops and illegal settlers at the Al Aqsa Mosque set off a devastating 11-day Israeli assault on besieged Gaza that killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza, including 39 women and 67 children, and wounded over 1,900. Under the protection of the Israeli police, Israeli settlers repeatedly stormed into the Al-Aqsa mosque in an attempt to appropriate this Muslim space. Therefore, Israel’s policy of ethnic cleansing goes beyond the killing of Palestinians. The occupying power is not merely performing military occupation but actively erasing Palestinian lives, culture and history. The expansion of Israel’s settlement has left Palestinians with no other option than to resist such policies. Some 700,000 Jewish settlers now live in both areas, in settlements regarded as illegal under international law.

Israel’s repeated attacks without legitimate security reasons reflect a cynical disregard for the religion of others. The fundamental rights of Palestinians are increasingly undermined by the racist policies of the Israeli government, and ethnic cleansing is a reality that can no longer be denied. These actions taken as a whole are now widely recognized as constituting the crime of apartheid and amount to the international crime of genocide. 

Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) strongly condemns all these violations and we call for the necessary measures be taken to limit them, and for all responsible to be held accountable. GICJ reiterates its condemnation of Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, which is a cruel system of domination and crime against humanity. We call for sanctions on Israel and encourage the International Community to take effective measures.

Al Aqba, Palestine, Human Rights, Apartheid, Crimes, Accountability, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, Illegal settiers, Justice, geneva4justice, GICJ,  GenevaInternationalCentreForJustice