The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) welcomes today’s announcement by the Australian Greens of a plan to establish a permanent International War Crimes Unit dedicated to investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of international war crimes and crimes against humanity, including Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
For too long, Australia has served as a safe haven for war criminals, failing in its international obligations to investigate or prosecute those responsible for atrocities.
Despite ongoing advocacy by Australian legal experts and human rights bodies, including the Australian Centre for International Justice, and the existence of similar permanent investigation units in like-minded countries such as the UK, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France and Switzerland, Australia remains an outlier, having yet to establish such a body.
Without a dedicated war crimes investigation unit, Australia lacks the capacity to meets its obligations to hold perpetrators of genocide and other crimes against humanity accountable, including Israeli individuals responsible for the crimes of genocide, torture, illegal occupation and apartheid in Palestine.
With the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice relying upon member states to enforce their rulings and orders on international crimes, the establishment of this unit is a necessary step towards ensuring Australia has the means to meaningfully address international law violations.
The establishment of this unit is also critical in ensuring Australia is not complicit in shielding war criminals from justice.
APAN calls on all elected representatives of all political parties to support this critical initiative and ensure that those responsible for war crimes, including Israeli officials and military personnel, are subject to investigation and prosecution under Australian law.
Comments attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
“Australia cannot claim to uphold international law while failing to hold the perpetrators of genocide and apartheid accountable.
“Establishing a permanent International War Crimes Unit is not just a moral and legal imperative, but a test of Australia’s commitment to justice and to ending impunity for war criminals.
“War criminals, including Israeli officials responsible for inciting, ordering and facilitating the genocide in Gaza and ongoing apartheid and illegal occupation across Palestine, should not be able to live or move about freely in Australia while their victims suffer in exile or under occupation.”