ISTANBUL

The Gaza Tribunal's final session in Istanbul turned its focus Friday to international legal obligations and accountability, with testimony highlighting allegations of British complicity in Israel's military campaign and political pressure on the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, speaking online, criticized Britain’s handling of the war and the country’s role in supplying military support to Israel. He cited testimony from witnesses and experts documenting widespread civilian harm in Gaza.

Corbyn said the tribunal had heard powerful accounts from British medical workers returning from Gaza: “We heard … about the scale of human suffering, the devastation of humans.” He said their testimony reflected a situation that is “a textbook case of genocide.”

Corbyn stressed concerns that Britain has not fulfilled its duties under international law.

He quoted UK parliamentarian Alicia Kearns, who warned ministers “may be complicit by the supply of weapons, by the supply of intelligence, by the overflow of efforts based in Cyprus, and by the supply of parts … which is causing so much devastation.”

He also referred to evidence on media suppression, noting that “the failure of most British news organizations to report the impact of the genocide in Gaza” has contributed to a harmful narrative.

According to Corbyn, a former British Foreign Office official, instructions were given to diplomats and civil servants “to manage reports to make the situation look less bad,” including efforts “not to record discussions of the issue at all.”

Corbyn added that Tom Valley said Britain “has not only failed to meet its legal obligations,” but that evidence showed active participation in policies enabling continued violations.

'ICC remains only avenue for justice'

Later, law scholar Triestino Mariniello at Liverpool John Moores University said victims in Gaza still view the ICC as a vital path to justice, despite years of delays and political obstruction.

“The ICC remains the only avenue for justice,” Marinello said. He warned that Israel has restricted basic medical supplies, describing how “10 children on a daily basis are subject to amputation of one or more limbs without anesthetics.”

Marinello said that the court's 12-year delay in opening a formal investigation reinforced perceptions of selective justice.

He criticized the narrow focus of current arrest warrant requests, which exclude senior military officials and do not address “genocide, torture, forced displacement,” or crimes preceding October 2023.

Marinello also cited US political retaliation, saying that "the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the prosecutor and held deputies, judges, and Palestinian NGOs," which "has already weakened the ICC's capacity to act."

Gaza Tribunal

The four-day public session marks the culmination of a yearlong effort by international jurists, scholars, and civil society figures to document alleged crimes committed against Palestinians.

The tribunal featured Friday expert presentations and eyewitness testimonies on starvation, ecocide, domicide, and the targeting of civilians and public infrastructure, including the health care and education systems.

Presided over by Richard Falk, former UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, the tribunal aims to produce a comprehensive “people’s record” of what participants describe as genocide, apartheid, and systemic violations of international law in Gaza.

The tribunal’s jury of conscience includes Kenize Mourad, Christine Chinkin, Chandra Muzaffar, Ghada Karmi, Sami Al-Arian, and Biljana Vankovska.