On the eve of President Barack Obama’s visit to the Middle East, a Brussels-based ‘public enquiry’ has called for Israel to be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to answer for its human rights violations in the Occupied Territories of Palestine.

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RToP), which held the closing session of its four-year tribunal in Brussels last Sunday, also announced calls for Palestine to be recognised as a full member of the ICC.

In addition, it laid out plans for a specific UN General Assembly on Apartheid, and a special committee on apartheid such as the one set up in South Africa.

Founding Pink Floyd member Roger Waters, who was a member of the RToP jury, said he would write an open letter to fellow musicians across the world to encourage them to take a stand on the issue of Palestine and to join the cultural boycott against Israel.

“What is right is right, what is wrong is wrong,” he said.

“There comes a time where you have to stand up and speak out your truth. Especially in the US, musicians are scared to criticise Israel and the Israeli government. But I’ve been to Palestine, I’ve been to Gaza, I’ve seen the wall and after such an experience I’ve formed my own opinion.”

Even though Sunday’s session was officially the last of the Tribunal, the iconic American civil rights activist Angela Davis, said its work had only just begun:

“This has been a wrap-up of our work, but the Tribunal’s activities are not over. We’ll make sure that our recommendations are followed and complied with.”

Speaking of President Obama’s four-day visit to Israel, Jordan and the West Bank on 20 March, Northern Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, another RToP juror, said: “President Obama has a great opportunity to show that he is a friend of the Israelis, going to Israel and calling for an end to the Occupation and for human rights and international law to be respected.

“Will he do that? I don’t know, but …what I know is that Palestine cannot wait: a solution to the Palestinian issue is pivotal for the Middle East and ultimately for the whole world, and the Russell Tribunal is providing answers to such a demand for peace.”

Legitimacy

Israel’s government has refused to accept the legitimacy of the Russell Tribunal. Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told news agency AFP: "They can write what they like, they only represent themselves. It’s a private body with no legal or political weight and has moral weight only among its members.

"It has no political or legal significance, it is an ideological and propaganda document that people write for their like-minded friends."

But Waters dismisses these criticisms: “I would very much like that a legal expert from Israel came here and challenged the Tribunal’s outcome and conclusions on a factual basis. I think nobody can, and that is why Israel has always refused to defend itself before this people’s court.

The Tribunal has urged the European Union to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement (the legal framework governing EU-Israel relations) and for EU member states to ban products coming from the Israeli settlements.

Other RToP recommendations include tackling US and private corporate complicity in Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the need for boycott, divestment and sanctions initiatives, and a campaign to draw attention to UN inactivity on the issue.

Fadwa Barghouti, the wife of the jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is currently serving five life sentences after being found guilty of the murder and attempted murder of Israeli soldiers, read a letter from her husband to the Tribunal.

In it, he paid tribute to the former French Resistance fighter and honorary RToP juror Stéphane Hessel, who died on 27 February this year:

“I salute the fighter, the diplomat, the writer, who is supporting our struggle.

“And those rising up in the Arab world against tyranny – their dream has filled us with hope. The Russell Tribunal is a key tool in supporting is in reaching our goal of justice and peace based on international law.”

For a full list of the Tribunal’s conclusions click here.