News - Middle East: The Syndicate of Lebanese Press Editors says it plans to join lawsuits that will be filed against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The syndicate met in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Monday. It said it will join efforts “to condemn Israel for its atrocities against Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza and southern Lebanon.”

“Israel must be held accountable for its crimes and must not escape punishment,” it said in a statement.

The union did not provide details about the parties that will file the lawsuits at the international tribunal seated in The Hague.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said as of February 29, at least 94 journalists and media workers were killed in Israel’s airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The journalists were among more than 30,500 people who have been killed by the regime's forces since early October.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently heard a case brought by South Africa against the Tel Aviv regime for committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. 

Citing warnings about “catastrophic conditions” in Gaza, the ICJ ordered in January that Israel must take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.

But the regime has flagrantly ignored the court order.

Human Rights Watch says Israel “has simply ignored the court’s ruling, and in some ways even intensified its repression, including further blocking lifesaving aid.”

The rights group said all countries should use all forms of leverage, including sanctions and embargoes, to press the regime to comply with the ICJ’s binding orders in the genocide case.

Source: Press TV