By Romana Rubeo 
In its final declaration, the Gaza Tribunal in Sarajevo outlined a comprehensive call for global accountability, resistance, and the dismantling of systems that sustain the oppression of Palestinians.
In a sweeping and uncompromising final declaration, the Gaza Tribunal convened in Sarajevo condemned the “continuing genocide in Palestine,” holding Israel responsible for a wide range of crimes including apartheid, settler colonialism, and systematic extermination.
The Gaza Tribunal was formally launched in London in November 2024 by a coalition of academics, intellectuals, human rights advocates, and representatives from civil society organizations.
Led by Richard Falk, international law expert and former UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, the Gaza Tribunal aims to provide a platform for the “comprehensive examination of legal, ethical, and geopolitical dimensions” of the “ongoing crises” in the Gaza Strip “through the lens of international law and human rights,” according to a media statement.
“We, the members of the Gaza Tribunal, having gathered in Sarajevo from 26 to 29 May 2025, declare our collective moral outrage at the continuing genocide in Palestine,” the declaration opened, affirming solidarity with the Palestinian people and a commitment to end impunity for “perpetrators and enablers.”
‘Court of Conscience’ – First Public Session of Gaza Tribunal Begins in Sarajevo
The declaration leveled fierce criticism at the Israeli regime, accusing it of “decades-long policies and practices of settler colonialism, ethno-supremacism, apartheid, racial segregation, persecution,” as well as “forced starvation” and “extermination.”
The tribunal called for the “immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to the genocide, to all Israeli military action, to forced displacement and expulsions, (and) to settlement activities.”
It also demanded “the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners, including the thousands of Palestinian women, men and children held in abusive Israeli detention facilities.”
The declaration did not spare the international community, denouncing a “historic scandal of inaction” and urging governments and international organizations “to uphold international law, to hold perpetrators to account, and to provide immediate relief and protection to the people of Palestine.”
Western governments, media outlets, and academic institutions were all named as complicit in enabling Israeli crimes or suppressing dissent.
Doctors, Lawyers, Witnesses: Gaza Genocide Put on Trial by Civil Society in Sarajevo
The declaration condemned the “wave of persecution and crackdowns on human rights defenders, peace activists, students, academics, workers, professionals, and others,” while affirming the right to speak out and resist oppression without retaliation.
In a forceful assertion, the Tribunal declared: “We reject the unjust tactic of smearing as ‘antisemites’ or ‘supporters of terrorism’ all those who dare to speak up and act to defend the rights of the Palestinian people and to condemn the injustices and atrocities of the Israeli regime.”
Addressing the ideological underpinnings of the Israeli state, the Tribunal openly rejected Zionism, calling it “the official state ideology of the Israeli regime… of the forces that colonized Palestine,” and demanding its replacement with “a dispensation founded on equal human rights for Christians, Muslims, Jews, and others.”
The right of Palestinians to resist was upheld in terms aligned with international law.
“We recognize the right of the Palestinian people to resist foreign occupation, colonial domination, apartheid… including through the use of armed struggle, in accordance with and as recognized in international law and as affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly.”
The Tribunal praised the efforts of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court in pursuing accountability for Israeli leaders, welcoming the ICJ’s “landmark advisory opinion” and urging implementation of all provisional measures in the genocide case brought by South Africa.
It also called on all states to “end all arms trade with and implement sanctions on the Israeli regime,” and to support universal efforts for “boycott, divestment, sanctions, a military embargo, (and) suspension from international organizations.”
The declaration closed with a solemn call to action for global civil society:
“We are convinced that the challenge of justice now falls to people of conscience everywhere, to civil society and to social movements, to all of us. As such, our work in the coming months will be dedicated to meeting this challenge. Palestinian lives are at stake. The international moral and legal order is at stake. We must not fail. We will not relent.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and the managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She holds a Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audio-visual and journalism translation.
Will The Gaza Tribunal make a difference ?
Possibly if it forces governments to take economic action.
Only economic boycott will effect Israel,
And pressure on governments to achieve this,
must be the focus of all.
Well it’s about time. Now let’s wait until Nazinyahu complains and they suddenly go limp and apologize.