We, representatives of Palestinian civil society, welcome the Joint Statement of the Hague Group Emergency Conference on Palestine, endorsed by 12 states committed to advancing concrete measures to uphold obligations under international law as a crucial step to end Israel’s ongoing genocide, apartheid, and occupation.
Israel’s genocide and apartheid supported by the US, UK, Germany and other Western states is threatening the existence of the Palestinian people in our homeland while simultaneously destroying the multilateral system based on the rule of international law. The joint statement of the Hague Group Emergency Conference, initiated and signed by Global South countries, if translated into action provides a defence of both: the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the system of international law put in place since the Second World War. The statement marks a shift away from rhetorical support and politically stagnant processes, toward a principled, action-oriented approach grounded in the rights of the Palestinian people: the right to self-determination, to return, to reparations, to freedom and equality.
The joint statement outlines six specific measures that aim to translate third-state responsibilities under international law into meaningful practice. It is not a forum for political negotiations and solutions —it is a space for concrete action.
Among the critical steps is the implementation of a comprehensive one-way military embargo on Israel. This includes halting the export and transfer of weapons, dual-use goods, and military fuel, and enforcing a maritime embargo that prohibits the use of national ports, flags, and territories for the transfer of military material to Israel. In light of the ICJ’s provisional measures and the ICC’s investigations into crimes committed in Palestine, this commitment is both urgent and legally obligatory and must extend to include import of military materials.
We also welcome the commitment to review public contracts to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation. We strongly affirm that this obligation, read in light of customary international law, extends to the application of concrete measures to prevent nationals and companies domiciled or operating in the territory of signatory states from contributing—directly or indirectly—to the maintenance of Israel’s unlawful presence in Palestine.
It is important to reiterate, as reaffirmed by numerous legal and economic analyses, there is no economic or legal distinction between the Israeli economy and its unlawful colonial enterprise in the Occupied Palestinian territories. Trade, investment, and cooperation with Israel sustain the very infrastructure of genocide, apartheid and occupation. Upholding international law requires imposing meaningful sanctions on Israel — this must mean the end of all trade, investment and financial relations that contribute to genocide, apartheid, and occupation.
In a world where states and civil society actors are facing sanctions or intimidation for merely upholding international law, the commitment to support national universal jurisdiction and international accountability mechanisms for international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of apartheid is not only principled—it is essential.
As we look to the end of the one-year timeline set by the UNGA Resolution A/RES/ES-10/24 calling for the end of the Israeli presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, we expect that the commitments made will have progressed from pledges to implementation. We anticipate that it will pave the way towards establishing a comprehensive lawful sanctions regime on Israel towards dismanteling its settler-colonial regime of genocide, apartheid, and illegal occupation.
We recognize this initiative is a result of public pressure and echoes the international solidarity that dismantled apartheid in South Africa, and supported liberation struggles across the world. Palestinian civil society stands ready to support and deepen this process.
In this spirit, we, representatives of Palestinian civil society, call on movements and civil society to:
- Call on all signatory states to take immediate action to fulfil the six measures and report transparently on steps taken to fulfil these obligations;
- Call on non-signatory states to endorse the Joint Statement;
- Escalate campaigns to end complicity in Israel’s genocide, apartheid and occupation
The era of Israel’s impunity must end. Justice, action, and meaningful solidarity must define the path forward.
20 July 2025
Endorsing organisations
- The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy
- Palestinian Youth Movement
- Al-Haq
- Law for Palestine
- The Community Action Center (CAC) at Al-Quds University