Gaza Tribunal issues its final findings, ‘moral judgment’ in Istanbul

(MENAFN) The Gaza Tribunal issued its final verdict in Istanbul on Sunday, declaring that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and urging the international community to take immediate steps to end the atrocities.

The announcement concluded four days of hearings in which international jurists, experts, and witnesses presented extensive evidence and testimonies describing what they called systematic crimes. The statement, delivered by Christine Chinkin, who chaired the Jury of Conscience, framed the tribunal as an act of moral responsibility in the face of global inaction.

“The Jury, guided by conscience and informed by international law, does not speak with the authority of states, but when law is silenced by power, conscience must become the final tribunal,” the members said. They explained that the initiative served as a civil society response to what they described as the ongoing impunity surrounding Israel’s actions in Gaza. The jury emphasized that genocide must be identified and recorded to prevent future violence, adding that “Genocide in Gaza is the concern of all humanity. When states are silent civil society can and must speak out.”

According to the tribunal, its findings create a lasting archive that documents “the truth of the genocide against the Palestinian people” and expresses solidarity with global movements that have protested the war and called for accountability. The verdict also aimed to challenge the dominant “security narrative” promoted by Israel and its allies, rejecting portrayals that reduce Palestinian suffering to a humanitarian issue.

The jury said it had reviewed vast evidence of crimes, their causes, and the complicity of other governments and institutions, basing its conclusions on international law, human rights conventions, and the Rome Statute. It described its judgment as an act of moral duty and reaffirmed its commitment to principles outlined in the Sarajevo Declaration of May 2025.

In its assessment, the tribunal accused Israel of carrying out what it called an ongoing genocide characterized by a deliberate and organized campaign of destruction. It cited the mass demolition of homes and vital infrastructure, the collapse of electricity, water, and sanitation systems, and the destruction of hospitals, schools, universities, and cultural sites. It stated that the use of hunger, denial of medical care, and forced displacement were deliberate tools of collective punishment, not accidental consequences of war, and insisted that such acts could not be justified by military necessity.

The statement also held Western governments—especially the United States—responsible for enabling Israel’s actions through diplomatic protection, arms supplies, intelligence support, and military cooperation. This, the tribunal argued, represented a violation of their international obligations to prevent and end genocide. It warned that silence and inaction in the face of these crimes amount to complicity.

Beyond state involvement, the jury accused media organizations, corporations, and financial institutions of sustaining the war effort, creating what it called a “political economy of genocide” driven by global interests and 21st-century imperialism. It further criticized international governance structures for failing to uphold their responsibilities, accusing the United Nations of being “paralyzed by the veto and political selectivity” and therefore unable to fulfill its founding mission to prevent war. However, it commended the efforts of independent UN mechanisms, including Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and the Commission of Inquiry, for their continued work on accountability.

The tribunal linked Israel’s actions to a broader historical context, describing them as part of a century-long settler-colonial project rooted in Zionist ideology and supported by Western powers, particularly the United States. It said that the genocide in Gaza was being carried out openly in real time using advanced technology against a besieged population, while international courts such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have been unable to enforce their rulings due to political obstruction and sanctions against those pursuing justice.

In its concluding recommendations, the tribunal called for the prosecution and isolation of all individuals, governments, and institutions involved in or supporting the atrocities. It urged the suspension of Israel’s membership in international organizations, including the United Nations, and called on global actors to activate the Uniting for Peace mechanism to establish a protective force in Palestinian territories.

The statement reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, return, and steadfastness, while urging a worldwide movement to dismantle Zionist structures across political, cultural, and economic spheres. It stressed that the tribunal’s opposition is directed at Zionism as a supremacist and colonial ideology, not at Jews or Judaism, and called for a unified political framework based on equality, restitution, decolonization, and the right of return.

Issuing its conclusions “in the name of justice, dignity, and peace,” the jury ended with a warning to the world: “Silence is not neutral; silence is complicity; neutrality is surrender to evil.”

The tribunal sessions, held at Istanbul University, marked the culmination of a year-long effort by international scholars, legal experts, and civil society representatives to document Israel’s alleged crimes in Gaza. The hearings built upon previous sessions in Sarajevo and elsewhere, covering themes such as international law, global governance, history, ethics, and philosophy.

Over four days, experts presented analyses on starvation, environmental devastation, attacks on civilians, and the destruction of essential services including healthcare and education.

The final day featured a comprehensive discussion evaluating the tribunal’s work. Chaired by Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, the initiative sought to establish a “people’s record” of what participants described as genocide, apartheid, and grave violations of international law in Gaza.

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