ACCOUNTABILITY FOR VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Abstract

The origin of the Israeli-Palestine conflict can be traced back to Jewish immigration and sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine between Jews and Arabs. It has been referred to as the world's most intractable conflict with the ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip reaching six decades. The core of the conflict is the abuse and neglect of international humanitarian laws by all parties. At the general level, what are the legal consequences when rules of international law are broken? In the context of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, all sides are frequently accused of violating international humanitarian law as well as international human rights law. Israeli Forces have been accused of causing extensive and unnecessary destruction of civilian property in the Palestinians territories contrary to the Fourth Geneva Convention, or of building a wall in violation of international law, transferring the Israeli population into the Occupied West Bank (settlements), impeding humanitarian access as well as committing a range of violations of international humanitarian law during military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Meanwhile Palestinian militants in Gaza have been accused of making no attempt to comply with the principle of distinction by launching indiscriminate rocket attacks at civilian areas. This paper observed that these violations amounts to war crimes committed by both sides but regretted that there is no political will on the part of the International community to hold them accountable for war crimes. The paper recommends a collective action of the international community to punish all those involved in the violations of international humanitarian law between Israel and Palestine