London session of the Russel Tribunal on Palestine. ” Corporate Complicity in Israel’s violations in international human rights law and international humanitarian law”. On the jury are Gianni Tognoni, Pr. Pierre Galand, Lord Anthony Gifford QC, Mairead Corrigan, John Dugard, Ambassador of France Stephane Hessel, Ronald Kasrils, Michael Mansfield QC, Cynthia McKinney. The jury listen to experts giving evidence. Ambassador of France Stephane Hessel. (Kristian Buus/Russel Tribunal)Many of the present felt that the official and legalistic proceedings of The Russell Tribunal gave the ongoing civil society struggle formal legitimacy and could possibly open another avenue for direct action against the illegal Israeli Occupation. Moreover, the recorded proceedings, which are now available online, can also be Thrust Bearing used and deployed as an activist resource and tool. The consensus being that action is the way forward but that action has to be strategic and concentrated and localised.
For example, campaigners can consider taking action against companies such as VIOLIA if they run local municipal or campus transportation services, or if G4S is contracted to provide security for an institutions you happen to be a member of.
These are just some of the possible avenues for action at a local level. Finally, as the international jurists and others who presented at The Tribunal reminded us pursuing legal action is often difficult, expensive and time consuming and perhaps it should come as a last resort after direct action, petitioning and lobbying of key officials has been exhausted. Nevertheless, despite all its limitations the law is available in the pursuit of justice and the defence of human rights. In the spirit of the Russell Tribunal the straggle goes on.
The next session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will be held in 2011 in South Africa and will examine the applicability of The Crime of Apartheid to Israel’s Occupation.
Teodora Todorova is a PhD candidate working on the civil society answer to the official Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The rest of her time Needle Roller Bearing is spend on the struggle for refugee, migrant and women’s rights.
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