KUALA LUMPUR (March 19): A worldwide legal coalition called “Global 195” has been established to look into holding Israelis and those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza accountable for their actions.

In a statement by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) following an international press conference on Tuesday, ICJP announced the “Global 195” initiative for a global network of accountability, which will ensure that domestic and international legal mechanisms are utilised to pursue individuals suspected of the war crimes, wherever they may be.

“The coalition will simultaneously work within multiple jurisdictions to apply for private arrest warrants and initiate legal proceedings against those implicated. Some of the countries represented include Malaysia, Türkiye, Norway, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the United Kingdom.”

“The scope of Global 195 includes individuals who have fought in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as figures spanning the entire Israeli military and political chain of command, from senior policymakers to operational personnel, who are directly or indirectly responsible for violations of international law,” the statement said.

Malaysian lawyer and former deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud is a member of this coalition.

Besides Awang Armadajaya, the coalition of lawyers include ICJP director Tayab Ali (from United Kingdom), ICJP Canada director Shane Martinze, Huseyin Disli (Türkiye), Kjell Brygfield and Terje Einarsen (Norway), and Almina Selimbašić (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The statement added that the coalition will continue to establish legal teams in all countries across the globe.

ICJP will utilise a comprehensive evidence library compiled to a criminal legal standard, where members of Global 195 would not only submit criminal complaints to national law enforcement agencies, but also initiate private prosecutions in national courts against war crimes suspects.

“They can either be nationals of those countries, or present within their jurisdiction. In the UK, advanced preparations have already been made to pursue legal action against British citizens suspected of joining the IDF or committing war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the statement said.

It said that for the past 18 months, ICJP, as part of the Justice for Gaza investigation, had collected evidence that includes:

It added that investigative findings found a pattern of systematic violations, including:

Given the gravity of these findings, ICJP underscored the urgent need for legal accountability. Global 195 was established to bridge the gap left by international institutions and state actors that fail to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza.