Israel Withholds Tax Review in Retaliation for Palestine ICC Bid

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

JERUSALEM, Israel/Palestine – The Israeli government has halted the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinians following the Palestinian Authority’s bid to join the International Criminal Court, Israeli officials said on Saturday. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced earlier this week that Palestine seeks to join the ICC in The Hague primarily for the purpose of pursuing war-crimes charges against Israel, specifically in regard to last military offensive in Gaza. The move is intended to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the occupied territories that Palestinians demand for a future state. The Palestine bit at the ICC follows a failed motion last week in the U.N. Security Council to set a 2017 deadline for a Palestinian state to be established. President Abbas signed the Rome Statute on December 31, the signing ceremony was broadcast live on Palestine TV.

Palestinian boys carry a poster of President Abbas during a rally marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, at Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah January 1, 2015. (Photo courtesy of Haaretz)

The Israeli government said $127 million collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority last month would be held back. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the decision to withhold the revenue in consultation with senior ministers on Thursday an Israeli official told said. These tax revenues make up two-thirds of the annual budget of the Palestinian Authority, excluding foreign aid. The funds are critical for the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule, and is used to pay the salaries for its public employees.

Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestine Liberation Organization, said of the Israeli government’s actions that the move showed that Israel was scared over the move to join the ICC. “Israel collects our customs and our taxes for us so then when they withhold these funds it means that this month people will not be able to pay the schools, the hospitals, the medical supplies, the milk and bread, so they are trying to suffocate the whole nation,” Erekat said. “It shows that when it comes to enforcing collective punishment, they are punishing 4 million Palestinians, starving them, because they want to act with impunity,” he added. “This shows the legitimacy of what we are doing in the ICC.”

In addition to the tax revenue freeze, an Israeli official said that the Israeli government was “weighing the possibilities for large-scale prosecution in the United States and elsewhere” of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials. Israel would probably press for these cases through non-governmental groups and pro-Israel legal organizations capable of filing lawsuits abroad.

When asked about the possibility of Palestinian leaders, particularly members and leaders of Hamas, being pursued for war crimes, Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour said that the option was “political posturing.” “We are not afraid of the judgment of the law, especially international law,” he said, speaking at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Friday.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War. Momentum to recognize a Palestinian state has been building since Abbas succeeded in a bid for de facto recognition at the U.N. General Assembly in 2012, which made Palestinians eligible to join the ICC. In 2012 the Israeli government froze review transfers to the Palestine in retaliation for Palestine’s launch of a campaign for recognition of statehood at the United Nations.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Israel to Freeze Tax Payment to Palestinians over ICC Bid – 3 January 2015

BBC News – Israel Freezes Palestine Tax Funds over ICC Bid – 3 January 2015

The Jerusalem Post – Abbas Signs Rome Statute, Paving Way for Possible War Crimes Probe against Israel at ICC – 31 December 2014

Haaretz – Israel to Halt Transfer of Tax Revenues to Palestinians Following ICC Bid – 3 January 2015

War Crimes Prosecution Watch Volume 9 – Issue 20 December 29, 2014

Swedish Mosques Burned in Multiple Targeted Attacks

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Over the past twelve months there have been 14 attacks on mosques in Sweden, with three arsons alone in the past week. With no suspects and praise online, it appears that these recent attacks fall in line with a rising “Islamophobia” sentiment in Sweden.

People add hearts to the front of a mosque that was firebombed, calling it a “love bombing.” (Photo courtesy of Vox)

In addition to the recent arsons, there have also been several accounts of vandalism with racist remarks and symbols attached to mosques and even cars of Muslims. Muslim women claim that they are harassed on the streets on The Swedish Democratic Party, a popular nationalist political party, has also increasingly been adding fuel to the anti-immigrant movement. Sweden Democrats have pushed for a 90% reduction in asylum seekers allowed into Sweden due to the fact that roughly 16% of Sweden’s population is foreign-born, many from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Sweden accepts more asylum seekers per capita than any other nation in Europe, and expects over 100,000 asylum applications this year; Sweden Democrats aim to change that.

While Sweden Democrats aim to make change through political means, others have taken matters into their own hands. On Thursday, a mosque in Uppsala was attacked with a petrol bomb, although the building did not catch fire. Not long before, however, arson at a mosque in Eskilstuna injured five people. Social media praise claims that these attacks intend to intimidate and scare away Muslims. Some of the anti-Muslim sentiment comes from the fact that Sweden has one of the highest rates of ISIS recruits in Europe and reports of sleeper cells within Sweden.

In response to the rising Islamophobia, Muslims have staged a rally in Stockholm to raise support for Muslims across the nation. Further, the rally aims to solidify the validity of a Muslim political acceptance in Sweden, essentially affirming the high asylum rate and combatting Sweden Democrats’ proposed changes.

For more information, please see:

NDTV – In Sweden, the Land of the Open Door, Anti-Muslim Fervor Finds a Foothold – 3 January 2015

The Sydney Morning Herald – Sweden hit by third mosque arson attack – 2 January 2015

Vox – Thousands of people in Sweden show the right way to respond to Islamophobia – 2 January 2015

BBC – Sweden protest after three mosque fires in one week – 2 January 2015

The Local – Sweden’s Islamophobia is getting stronger – 2 January 2015

2014 Deadliest Year in Syrian Civil War

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

DAMASCUS, Syria – According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a human rights organization based in the United Kingdom, more than 76,000 people were killed in fighting in Syria in 2014, making last year the deadliest year in the country’s four-year-old civil war. More than 200,000 have been killed since the conflict began in 2011. Reportedly, 17,790 of those killed in Syria last year were civilians and 17,000 were fighters from militant groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and al-Nusra Front. Another 15,000 fighters killed in fighting came from moderate rebel groups and other Islamist factions. 22,627 of those killed were Syrian soldiers and fighters loyal to the Assad regime. According to the human rights group, 2,051 of those killed in Syria were civilian children.

Residents look for belongings amid debris of a collapsed building in Aleppo December 31, 2014. (Photo courtesy of Time Magazine)

The announcement of 2014’s death tolls came shortly after President Assad made a rare appearance on what was said to be the front lines of the conflict for a New Year’s Eve dinner of baked beans, boiled potatoes and tomatoes in an eastern Damascus neighborhood that has seen fierce fighting, according to Syrian state TV. “On New Year’s Eve families gather but you decided to be here to protect your country,” Assad told the troops. “I like to be with you on this occasion.”
the Syrian Observatory for Human also reports that An estimated 10.8 million people are in need inside Syria, Over 10 million displaced by the conflict, 3.2 million refugees in neighboring countries, More than 50% of the country live in extreme poverty, Half of the country’s children are not in school.

In a statement announcing the 2014 death toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights blasted the “silence of the international community” as the fighting has dragged on. Assad, meanwhile, described the rebels as “rats” during his appearance with government troops.

The advance of ISIS militants in Syria played a major role in the increase in violence over the past year. Airstrikes carried out by the United States and other countries in the region also contributed to the deaths. Airstrikes continued  on Thursday with 17 ISIS targets hit near the Syrian cities of Raqqa, Kobane and Deir al-Zour and 12 near the Iraqi cities of Falluja, Mosul and Sinjar.

Iraq also reported a sharp rise in deaths over the past year. according to the 15,538 people were killed in 2014 and more than 22,000 were injured during the course of the year making it the deadliest year since 2011. The UK-based NGO Iraq Body Count gave a higher figure of 17,073 civilian deaths. The sharp rise in deaths is mostly related to the advance of ISIS in Northern Iraq. 2014 began with the government losing control of Falluja and parts of Ramadi in western Iraq and in June, an offensive by ISIS left large parts of northern Iraq in militant hands, including the second largest city in Iraq, Mosul.

For more information please see:

The Hill – 2014 proves deadly year for Iraq, Syria – 2 January 2014

BBC News –BBC News – Syria conflict: 76,000 die in deadliest year – activists – 1 January 2014

Time Magazine – More Than 76,000 Killed in Syria in 2014, Making it the Deadliest Year Yet – 1 January 2014

USA Today – Activists: 76,000 killed in Syria conflict in 2014 – 1 January 2014

Ley Pulpin Continues to Spark Protests in Peru

By Mridula Tirumalasetti

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LIMA, Peru—At least 5000 people protested in the capital on Monday against a new Peruvian labor law, which discriminates against young people. Protests were held outside of the home of President Ollanta Humala, in downtown Plaza San Martin, and in front of Confiep, which is Peru’s biggest business organization. The peaceful protest has been the third protest against the legislation. The first protest earlier this month became violent as police armed with riot gear and water tanks used tear gas and beat protesters to disperse crowds. Some protesters fought back by throwing sticks and stones, and small Molotov cocktails.

Protesters march in opposition to the new Youth Labor Law (photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

The Youth Employment Law, which has been dubbed “Ley Pulpin” is supported by President Humala and passed by Congress. The law allows for employers to cut employment benefits, such as social security, life insurance, bonuses, and holiday benefits for young employees between the ages of 18 and 24.

The Peruvian government maintains that the new law will not only help reduce youth unemployment, which is four times higher for those aged between 18 and 24 than those between the ages of 30 and 65, but it will also help the poor. Lawmakers believe that because it will be cheaper to employ young people, employers will be more drawn to the idea of hiring new graduates and younger workers. Further, the benefits initially reduced will be incorporated if the employee continues to work for the employer after he or she turns 25.

However, the law has been met with opposition from student groups and labor unions. “We cannot allow the government, through their inaction and the few measures they have taken to reactivate our economy, to claim it has an effect on us young people with this package [law], with these abusive measures that violate the labor rights of the young,” declared Leonardo Rojas, one of the many protesters. Another protester, Marco Agurre said, “Unfortunately the fundamental rights of young people are being assaulted, many young people, this law is affecting all the young people in the country.” Picket signs were used, such as the one protester Cesar Ames used which read, “We are not just university students but also the people, citizens, and hundreds of members of the unions to annul this law and to open it up for debate and a general plan about what the labor law is.”

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has also criticized the new law. The ILO argues that the informal labor sector will not disappear, which is what the Peruvian government has claimed to justify the law.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera—Thousands protests against Peru labour laws—31 December 2014

teleSur—Peruvian Youth to Protest Against New Labor Law—22 December 2014

teleSur—Peruvian Police Attack Youth Labor Rights Protesters—19 December 2014

SkyNews—5,000 protest employment laws in Peru—30 December 2014

Peruvian Times—New Round of Protests Take Off Against Youth Labor Law—30 December 2014