A complaint to the International Criminal Court accuses the President of the European Commission of supporting “Israel’s crimes”

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The Geneva International Peace Research Institute (GIPRI) has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, on charges of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel against the Palestinians.

Yesterday (Sunday), the former independent expert at the United Nations, Alfred de Zayas, published a statement about the initiative he is leading within the Geneva International Peace Research Institute against the President of the European Commission.

The statement pointed out that a complaint had been filed with the International Criminal Court against the President of the European Commission, on charges of complicity in crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.

According to the statement, the complaint calls on the International Criminal Court to conduct an investigation against von der Leyen.

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that von der Leyen’s unconditional support for Israel – military, economic, diplomatic and political – has enabled it to commit war crimes and the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the statement said.

He stressed that the President of the Commission, in her capacity, had an “effective” role in accessing the military support provided by the European Union to the Israeli occupation army.

He stated that von der Leyen did not impose economic and military sanctions on Israel, and made many statements containing information about providing diplomatic support to it.

The President of the European Commission is facing criticism for adopting an "extremely pro-Israel position" and for her unconditional support for Tel Aviv since October 7, 2023.

It is noteworthy that von der Leyen made a solidarity visit to Israel on the sixth day of the violent attacks on Gaza, and expressed the European Union's "unconditional support" for Tel Aviv.

During her contacts with Israeli officials, von der Leyen did not mention the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the targeting of civilians and infrastructure.

EU staff wrote a joint letter on October 20, 2023, urging von der Leyen to call a ceasefire and protect civilian lives rather than support Israel unconditionally.

Last February, European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell said that, by visiting Israel in late 2023, von der Leyen “represented only herself in terms of international politics, and left a huge geopolitical cost for Europe.”

Since last October 7, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza, which has left more than 116,000 Palestinians martyred and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of children and the elderly.

Israel ignores the International Criminal Court’s intention to issue international arrest warrants against its Prime Minister and Defense Minister. For their responsibility for “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” in Gaza.

For the 18th year, Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip, and its war forced about two million of its residents, numbering about 2.3 million Palestinians, to flee in catastrophic conditions, with severe scarcity of food, water, and medicine.