17 Swedish lawyers wrote an opinion article in the newspaper “Dagens Euridik,” which specializes in legal issues, in which they described the complaint against Israel before the International Criminal Court as a result of the Gaza events as “historic.”

The Swedish lawyers are part of a collective effort in the complaint filed by 160 non-governmental organizations and 600 lawyers from different countries.

The complaint stated that Israel's actions in the Gaza war constitute "genocide," according to the legal definition that includes actions taken with the aim of the complete or partial annihilation of a particular ethnic group.

The lawyers said, “Israel claimed that it had the right to defend itself after the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023 (…) but this right is conditional,” speaking of “Israel’s killing since October 7 of at least 20,000 Palestinian civilians, 70 percent of whom are Palestinians.” Women and children, in addition to the displacement of more than 1.9 million Palestinians, and the human suffering in the Gaza Strip.”

The grounds for complaint highlight, among other things, the complete Israeli blockade of Gaza, including water and electricity cuts, restrictions on access to medical care, forced displacement, inhumane statements made by Israeli political and military officials, and indiscriminate bombing of densely populated areas such as Hospitals, schools and religious buildings.

The lawyers pointed out that the support for the lawsuit against Israel is historic and includes a request from the International Criminal Court to investigate whether genocide and other crimes against humanity were committed against the Palestinian population. It also calls for an international arrest warrant to be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The lawyers stressed the importance of subjecting Israel's actions against the Palestinian population to judicial review by the International Criminal Court.

They stressed that lawyers have a special obligation, in accordance with the rules of legal ethics, to work to preserve human rights and freedoms, and that participating in the complaint before the International Criminal Court forms part of this obligation.

“We lawyers have a special place in the legal community and must dare to stand up and resist, even when it is uncomfortable. Human rights always apply unconditionally and to all people,” they concluded.

Source: Alkompis website