The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) has announced the launch of Global 195, a worldwide legal coalition dedicated to holding accountable Israeli and dual national individuals alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The initiative establishes a global network of accountability, which will ensure that domestic and international legal mechanisms are utilised to pursue individuals suspected of war crimes, wherever they may be. The coalition will work simultaneously within multiple jurisdictions to apply for private arrest warrants and initiate legal proceedings against those implicated. Some of the countries represented include Malaysia, Turkiye, Norway, Canada, Bosnia and the UK.
The scope of Global 195 includes individuals who have fought in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), as well as figures spanning the entire Israeli military and political chain of command, from senior policymakers to operational personnel, who are directly or indirectly responsible for violations of international law.
Utilising a comprehensive evidence library compiled to a criminal legal standard, members of Global 195 will not only submit criminal complaints to national law enforcement agencies, but will also initiate private prosecutions in national courts against war crimes suspects who are either nationals of those countries or present within their jurisdiction. In the UK, advanced preparations have already been made to pursue legal action against British citizens suspected of joining the IDF or committing war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
ICJP has secured a coalition of legal practitioners and organisations in countries across the world to leverage national legal systems in prosecuting war crime suspects. The Global 195 project will continue to establish legal teams around the world.
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At today’s international press conference in Westminster, London, coalition lawyers from the respective countries joined in person and via video link, including ICJP Director Tayab Ali and ICJP Canada’s Shane Martinez, to present and explain the initiative.
“The primary evidence used by the coalition has been gathered over the past eighteen months as part of ICJP’s Justice for Gaza investigation,” they said. “This evidence, collected meticulously by ICJP’s investigation team, which includes expertise from former Metropolitan Police detectives, meets the evidentiary standards required by UK and international criminal courts and tribunals.”
The compendium of evidence includes:
- 135 first-hand eyewitness testimonies, supported by open-source intelligence (OSINT).
- Accounts from across Gaza: 16 per cent from Northern Gaza, 20 per cent from Gaza Governorate, 21 per cent from Deir Al-Balah, 15 per cent from Khan Yunis, and 28 per cent from Rafah.
- Investigative findings confirming a pattern of systematic violations, including:
- Indiscriminate and disproportionate bombardment of civilians.
- Deliberate and systematic targeting of vital infrastructure.
- Attacks on designated ‘safe zones’ and intensified airstrikes on refugee camps.
- Use of starvation as a weapon of war.
- Enforced mass displacement policies.
Given the gravity of these findings, ICJP underscores the urgent need for legal accountability.
Global 195 was established to bridge the gap left by international institutions and state actors in failing to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
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“The obstruction of international legal institutions in pursuing individuals responsible for war crimes in Palestine, coupled with the failure of national police forces to fulfil their obligations under humanitarian law and universal jurisdiction principles, has allowed impunity for Israeli suspected war criminals to persist,” said ICJP Director Tayab Ali in his speech at the launch. “Under international law, states have a duty to investigate and prosecute war crimes, yet these obligations have been systematically neglected. The launch of Global 195 is a necessary legal intervention to remedy this failure.”
Ali explained that by activating domestic legal mechanisms across multiple jurisdictions, Global 195 will be ensuring that those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza are subject to legal accountability and no longer have anywhere to hide. “Impunity for grave international crimes is not legally sustainable. States have an obligation to act, and where they fail, civil society must step in to ensure justice is pursued.”
Huseyin Disli, Vice President of Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS), pointed out that the association is committed to advancing the Palestinian people’s pursuit of freedom, justice, reparations and safe return and upholds their right to resist, prevent and respond to acts of genocide, apartheid, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A joint statement from ICJP Norway and Defend International Law said: “As civil society organisations seeking to enhance respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, we find it important to combat impunity for atrocity crimes regardless of the nationality of the perpetrator or the victim. We are convinced that such crimes have been committed in Gaza. This complaint should now lead to independent and impartial investigations of the alleged war crimes, also by prosecutors in third States assigned with extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
Awang Armadajaya bin Awang Mahmud, Advocate and Solicitor (Malaya), Messrs. Hasshahari & Partners, said that over the course of the past few months, he has had the opportunity to peruse through the overwhelming evidence of war crimes in Gaza collected by ICJP. He reiterated the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and expressed opposition to all forms of oppression against the Palestinians, including through the commission of horrific international crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.
“With this in mind, we call upon our Government to escalate the necessary legal and diplomatic coordination among States for the investigation and prosecution of the alleged war criminals identified in the complaint. We have also made recommendations to the Government in relation to border control and restrictions, asset-freezing and potentially financial sanctions.
“We further invite Malaysian legal professionals to join the cause and become part of ‘Malaysian Lawyers for Palestine. The movement is currently in the process of gaining formal recognition. Hopefully, it will attract more talent and dedication to the Palestinian cause.”
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