‘Court of public opinion’ to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation, says former UN expert

ISTANBUL

A former UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories said the “court of public opinion” will liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation rather than international law.

“Now I have to tell you, as an international lawyer I don't think that international law will liberate or free Palestine in the end. It's not going to be international courts that will wind up doing this. But the court of public opinion will do,” Michael Lynk, who worked as a UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories from 2016 to 2022, told Anadolu.

Arrest warrants should be issued for those committing war crimes among the Palestinian armed groups and among the senior Israeli political-military leaders and those who administer the settlements, he added.

Underlining that the Israeli army made little statement regarding the number of Palestinian civilian deaths, he said we would safely confine this kind of intense death toll to the “history books.”

He said it would be better if the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor moved ahead and devoted more resources with respect to investigation into the allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

When it comes to the ICC, there has been an open file on the situation of Palestine since January 2015, almost nine years ago, he said.

“It's my wish to see real justice through the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in The Hague with respect to these questions regarding Palestine,” he noted.

Lynk, a Canadian legal academic, added successful conclusion of the cases heard at the international court is very important in creating and deepening public opinion.

Since Oct. 7, at least 11,500 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,800 women and children, and more than 29,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar