NGO’s Endorse the Goldstone Report

A group of more than 100 International Non-Government Organisations are appealing to the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council to review and implment the recommendations of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza submitted by Justice Richard Goldstone to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 29 September 2009.

“We, the NGOs who sign this Appeal, fully endorse and support the implementation of the Report, and believe that the time for accountability has come. It is now the duty of every state and the international community to stop condoning impunity, and prepare the ground for prosecution of all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

“The prolonged situation of impunity has created a justice crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that warrants action”

In its twelfth special session held on 15 and 16 October, 2009, the Human Rights Council has endorsed the report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict led by Justice Richard Goldstone.

In This Report, the Mission concluded that there is evidence of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed during the Gaza conflict including actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity.

The Mission found that, in the lead up to the Israeli military assault on Gaza, Israel imposed a blockade amounting to collective punishment and carried out a systematic policy of isolation and deprivation of the Gaza Strip. It has documented grave and systematic violations during the Gaza war by examining the evidence surrounding the attacks on civilians and non-military targets.

The Report concludes that the Israeli military operation was directed at the people of Gaza as a whole, in furtherance of an overall and continuing policy aimed at punishing the Gaza population, and in a deliberate policy of disproportionate force aimed at the civilian population. The destruction of food supply installations, water sanitation systems, concrete factories and residential houses was the result of a deliberate and systematic policy which has made the daily living, and dignified basic survival, more difficult for the civilian population.

Despite the impartiality of the Report in identifying also violations committed by Palestinian rockets attacks, the Report has nevertheless not been accepted by those who have always insisted on addressing violations by all sides of the conflict.

We, the NGOs who sign this Appeal, fully endorse and support the implementation of the Report, and believe that the time for accountability has come. It is now the duty of every state and the international community to stop condoning impunity, and prepare the ground for prosecution of all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

We call upon all UN member states to endorse the recommendations of the Report, and to take the necessary measures to ensure that all those who committed crimes against the Palestinian people be prosecuted. In this regard we call on all UN members to be on guard against any attempts to prevent the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly and the Security Council from fulfilling their mandate and promptly taking action on the Report.

We believe that ending the state of impunity will better serve peace and security in the region and the world. The new USA administration and EU should take this opportunity to prove their commitment to human rights by fully endorsing the report and to act to bring all those who committed war crimes and crime against humanity to justice.

We call upon all NGOs to mobilize efforts in this direction by organizing meetings and conferences to discuss and devise the most effective means to implement the Goldstone Report.

And as the Goldstone Report states: “… ending occupation is a prerequisite for the return of a dignified life for Palestinians, as well as development of a peaceful solution to the conflict”. In this regard we reiterate that our solidarity with the Palestinian people who are resisting an illegal and atrocious occupation will remain firm and steadfast until they have achieved their own independent state.

1. International Youth and Student Movement forthe United Nations (ISMUN),
2. CETIM- Centre Europe -Tiers Monde
3. Union of Arab Jurists (UAJ)
4. The International Organization for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)
5.  International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
6. Union of Arab Community Based Associations (Ittijah )
7. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
8. North-South XX1
9. Arab Lawyers Union (ALU)
10. General Arab Women Federation (GAWF)
11. The General Federation of Iraqi women (GFIW)
12. International Educational Development Inc (IED)
13. Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR)
14. The Indian Movement “Tupaj Amaru”
15. The United Towns Agency for the North-South Cooperation
16. International Action for Peace and Development in the Great Lakes Region (IAPD-GL),
17. Indian Council of South America (CISA),
18. International Committee For the Respect and Application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights,
19. Association of Humanitarian Lawyers
20. Arab Association of Human Rights (AAHR)
21. International Human Rights Association of American Minorities (IHRAAM),
22. Arab Commission for Human Rights (ACHR)
23. The Arab Lawyers Net Work in the UK
24. DROIT POUR TOUS -Geneva
25. The Spanish Society for Human Rights
26. The International Action Center- New York
27. International Coalition against War Criminals (ICAWC)
28. Women Solidarity for an Independent and Unified Iraq
29. American Association of Juristes
30. The Italian Association of Democratic Lawyers
31. The European-Palestinian Council, Vienna
32. Women Will Association (WWA)
33. The Palestinian Rights Foundation – Ireland
34. Al-Basa’er Media Association
35. National Committee for The Defence of the Rights of internally Displaced Palestinians
36. The Palestinian Forum – Denmark
37. Palestine Now Association – Denmark
38. Canadian Arab Federation (CAF)
39. The Charitable Council in Support of Palestine – France
40. The Iraqi Independent Press Association (IIPA)
41. The Identity Institution- Norway
42. The Association of Social and Cultural Foundations – Moscow
43. Het Palestijns Platform voor Mensenrechten en Solidariteit(PPMS)- Holland
44. De Palestijnse Raad- Amsterdam
45. Monitoring Net of Human Rights in Iraq (MHRI)
46. Steun Palestina-Amsterdam
47. Palestinensische Gemeinde Berlin-Germany
48. The African Association of Human Rights (AAHR)
49. Pal. Bund Deutschland for Rockkehrrecht -Germany
50. Palestinensische Gemeinschaft in Deutschland-Germany
51. Arab Forum Germany
52. Rottvisecenter fur palestinska folket-Sweden
53. Palestinagrupperna Sverige-Sweden
54. The Islamic Council – Copenhagen
55. ABSPP ONLUS-Italy
56. ComitatoGaza Vivru – Milano
57. InfoPal- Italy
58. Damascus Center for Theoretical Studies and Civil Rights
59. Association of Iraqi Diplomats
60. The Association for Aid to the Palestinian People – Italy
61. Greece-Palestinian Friendship Association- Greece
62. Palestinian Cultural Organization – Poland
63. The Indian Movement for Peace and Justice (IMPJ)
64. National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
65. The United Prisoners in Iraq
66. Protection of Human Rights Defenders in the Arab World
67. Association of Victims of American Occupation Prisons,
68. Association of Iraqi intellectual and Academics,
69. Conservation Centre of Environmental & Reserves in Iraq (CCERF),
70. Le Franco Palestinien – France
71. The European Campaign to end the siege on Gaza
72. Organisation of the Solidarity of the People of Africa, Asia and Latin America
73. AssociationCultureSyria-Spain
74. Japan Lawyers International Solidarity Association (JLISA)
75. Malaysia Jurists for Justice (MJfJ)
76. Palestinensischer Bund Deutschland fur das-Berlin
77. Indigenes World Association (IWA)
78. The Palestinian Forum for Rights and Solidarity – Holland
79. Organization for Widows and Orphans (OWO)
80. The Cuban Jurists Centre
81. Koordination Forum Zur Unnterstutzung Palestina-Austria
82. The Palestinian Women’s Forum – Denmark
83. Association of Human Rights Defenders in Iraq (AHRDI)
84. Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People, Beit Sahour, Palestine
85. The Palestinian Community in Norway
86. Millennium Solidarity
87. The Association of Jordanian Civil Society Coalition for the trial of War Criminals
88. Spanish Charity For Palestine – Spain
89. Organization for Justice and Democracy in Iraq (OJDI)
90. The African Center for Human Rights (ACHR)
91. Migrant Defenders association (MDA)
92. Arabian Women Media Centre (AWMC)
93. Arab Council for Education and Culture (ACEC)
94. Adala Association -Palestine
95. Women Association for Al-Quds -Amman
96. Women Hope Association (WHA)
97. El Taller International, Tunisia,
98. Asian Women’s Human Rights Council, Philippines – India ,
99. Centre for Development Studies- India ,
100. Courts of Women Network
101. The Iraqi Commission on Human Rights
102. The Palestinian Return Centre, UK
103. Ikraam Center for Human Rights
104. The Network of Oxford Women for Justice and Peace ( NOW).
105. International Council For Human Rights (ICHR),
106. The Young Women’s Christian Association of Jordan,
107. Justice for Palestine- Scotland
108. Palestinian Academy Society for the Study of International affairs
109. Friends of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme-Oxford
110. The International Institute for Women Solidarity
111. Make WarHistory Group
112. AWAMI BHARAT
113. Barak Human Rights Protection Committee
114. The BRussells Tribunal
115. International Action for Liberation
116. Medical Aid for the Third World

You can download a pdf version of the appeal as well as the full text of the Goldstone report from the Fighting Fathers eBook and Software Library (which can be found here).