Gaza Tribunal Presents at UN General Assembly Side Event

September 19, 2025 – New York

 

The Gaza People’s Tribunal participated in a significant side event during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, co-hosted by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF). The event, titled “The UN, the People, and the Imperative of Justice in Palestine: A Conversation with the Gaza Tribunal,” brought together leading international law scholars, human rights advocates, and civil society representatives to discuss the Tribunal’s work and the urgent need for accountability in Palestine.

 

The event featured prominent members of the Gaza Tribunal’s steering committee, including:

• Professor Aslı Bali (Moderator), President of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and specialist in international human rights and humanitarian law

• Professor Richard Falk, President of the Gaza Tribunal and former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine

• Professor Penny Green, researcher and writer on international law topics

• Craig Mokhiber, former senior UN official and international human rights lawyer

• Professor Michael Lynk, former UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories

• Wissam Hashem, Palestinian human rights advocate and researcher

• Professor Wadie Said, Palestinian-American legal scholar

 

The panel addressed critical gaps in international legal institutions’ responses to the ongoing crisis in Palestine, examining how people’s tribunals can serve as alternative mechanisms for accountability when traditional international law institutions face structural limitations.

Professor Bâli opened the discussion by highlighting how the Gaza Tribunal operates on “an achievable timetable, documenting ongoing atrocities in real time, rather than waiting to adjudicate historical crimes after genocide has been completed.” She emphasized the Tribunal’s comprehensive approach to examining systemic harms in one forum, rather than fragmenting issues across multiple venues.

 

The event underscored the vital role of civil society in demanding accountability where governments and international institutions have failed. As expressed in the Sarajevo Declaration issued by the Tribunal in May 2025: “The challenge of justice now falls to people of conscience everywhere, to civil society, and to social movements.”

 

The panelists highlighted the upcoming final session of the Gaza Tribunal, scheduled for October 23-26, 2025, in Istanbul. This historic gathering will deliver the Tribunal’s final findings and recommendations, establishing what organizers describe as “a permanent archive of truth” while energizing global solidarity for Palestine.

 

Taha Ayhan, President of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum, emphasized ICYF’s commitment to supporting the Gaza Tribunal as part of broader efforts to mobilize youth networks globally. “We are proud to support the Gaza Tribunal as one of its sponsors, and we see this initiative as an example of how civil society can rise to the challenge when governments and institutions fall short,” Ayhan stated.

The Gaza Tribunal continues to serve as a mechanism for evidence gathering, consciousness raising, and coalition building, demonstrating what international law might achieve when wielded by global civil society in solidarity with the Palestinian people.