Press Releases

BADIL participates in the New York Session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine

As an endorser and participant in the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RToP), BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights maintained a strong and active presence at the Tribunal’s fourth session held in New York City this past weekend.

BADIL’s US-based Legal Advocacy Consultant participated as a member of the Tribunal’s Legal Committee. In that capacity, she helped draft the final legal findings on behalf of the Jury. In particular, she focused on the US’s complicity in Israel’s violations manifested in unequivocal economic, diplomatic, and military support. The document, furthermore, reflects the United Nations’ obligations to prevent and restrain these violations, and how its failure to do so amounts to abrogation of its legal duties. 

BADIL’s presence at RToP also extended to the realm of Twitter. BADIL actively live-tweeted highlights from most of the RToP’s session; these postings were closely followed by thousands worldwide. Live-tweeting allowed us to emphasize issues pertaining to Palestinian refugees and Internally Displaced Persons as they were brought up in the Tribunal, as well as to document the testimonies provided. Additionally, issues of BADIL’s recent publications and statements were distributed to other RToP participants.

As the jury examined in its initial draft of the summary of findings, the United States and the United Nations are guilty of complicity in Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights. BADIL welcomes the jury’s reaffirmation of the rights of Palestinian refugees as being non-negotiable and also representative of the wider applicability of international law to the Palestine issue in general.