For immediate release
November 22, 2025
BARCELONA [November 22] – The International People’s Tribunal for Palestine (IPT) convened for its first day on Saturday November 22, 2025 at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) in Barcelona, Spain, hosted by the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, International People’s Front, and Peoples’ Coalition for Food Sovereignty to strengthen solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and to exact justice and accountability against the U.S., Israel, and all other complicit entities.
With over 240 endorsing organizations and close to 150 people in attendance, the IPT showcased the power of a people’s tribunal: a quasi-judicial forum that gives the people the power in their hands to gather evidence and charge the defendants in the context of a people’s movement that will aid the demands of true justice that will be found on the streets instead of drawn-out legal processes that does not hold the occupation to justice, as currently seen with the ICJ and ICC which have failed to uphold their duty to the people of Palestine and the world by prosecuting the executors of genocide and ecocide.
Jurors take the stage at the IPT, Barcelona, Spain on Nov 22, 2025 (Photo credit: Carlo Manalansan)
On the first day of the Tribunal, November 22, the prosecution presented two sets of evidence for the Tribunal: first on genocide, and then on ecocide.
It first opened with the opening and welcome remarks from key convening and endorsing organizations of the Tribunal with the following speakers: Victor Garces, Vice-Chair Internal of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), Razan Zuayter, Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) and Global co-Chairperson of People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty (PCFS), and Saif Abukashek, Global Movement to Gaza
They touched on the main points that would be raised throughout the whole day: the right of the Palestinian people along with all oppressed people to resist, the protection of land and the environment as an inviolable right of a people, and the need for global solidarity and direct action that the Tribunal promoted. As Saif Abukashek stated, “I invite anyone to take the results of this Tribunal and place it into your direct actions, the voice of those oppressed have to be taken into action for liberation.”
Shortly after, the esteemed panel of IPT jurors entered. They showcased a wide display of perspectives that have centered on human and peoples’ rights in their past work and their current role at the Tribunal to deliver a verdict in line with the will of the people instead of the brute force of imperialism that uses the facade of law.
Eleven expert and witness testimonies were presented from individuals who have experienced the genocide first hand as well as those outside Palestine who have been part of solidarity movements such as the Global Sumud Flotilla. Of note, many of the witnesses are still actively living in the midst of the zone of death that Israel has created and sustained through its genocidal rampage over the last two years. Ranging from topics such as the direct targeting of civilians through mass bombings perpetrated by the Zionist occupation, to proving the intent of ecocide against the Palestinian people, the witness testimonies painted the tone of the day: an ever surmounting amount of evidence on the crimes against the Zionist state.
Suzanne Adely (USA) – National Lawyers Guild, of the IPT prosecutors, raises arguments that Israel has committed Genocide and Ecocide in Palestine. (Photo credit: Carlo Manalansan)
On the genocide, one of the witnesses testified to experiencing extreme loss of her family. Through the incessant bombing by the Zionist entity, with each bomb fully paid for by the United States and other governments, she lost over 280 family members over the last 2 years. Entire families and generations have been wiped out through indiscriminate bombings, stated another witness. The Palestinian people in Gaza have faced a complete blockade over the course of this genocide, even worse than the one instituted in 2005, to the point of targeting citizens from across the world. Testifying as a witness from the Global Sumud Flotilla, they stated “There was a lot of help and aid waiting to enter Gaza. The problem is not the lack of aid, but the blockade.” On that point, another witness testified to the plight of the fisherpeople in Gaza who are intentionally being targeted in order to exacerbate the forced starvation: “Approximately 700 fishing boats have been destroyed by Zionist aircrafts…This is a deliberate strategy to create famine, the occupation closes crossings, blocks the entry of food supplies and prevents fishermen from feeding our people.”
Lead Prosecutor, Lawyer, Jan Fermon (Belgium) presents evidence to the International Peoples Tribunal, Barcelona Spain, November 22 (Photo credit: Carlo Manalansan)
As stated by lead prosecutor Jan Fermon, “There are many aspects to genocide that is not just one aspect, but several aspects like forced starvation and ecocide, it is a systematic policy,” leading into the next portion of the Tribunal: on ecocide. In particular, one witness displayed the scope and scale of the ecocide in Gaza since 2023:
“100,000 tons of explosives were dropped on Gaza equivalent to nine bombs the size of nuclear weapons. 80 % of the water infrastructure was compromised. Of the 162 municipal wells, only 17 % remain functional. About 70 % of the agricultural sector was totally wiped out. Around 140 temporary landfills—holding more than one million tonnes of waste are situated near residential areas or on the edges of refugee camps. The massive amount of explosives generated hazardous chemical reactions whose health impact consequences will likely emerge in the near future. . . In short, the description portrays Gaza as having been transformed into an environment that is no longer suitable for human life due to widespread, systematic, and intentional ecological destruction.”
The two expert testimonies covered the two sets of evidence, on genocide and ecocide. Some notable quotes from the testimonies were:
“Since when does a criminal occupation have a right to defense? We are the ones who have the right to defense and self-determination. . . We will never give up. We have no right to give up. We will be true to the blood of all those who gave their lives, and we will never lose hope and will keep strategic optimism in our hearts and minds.”
“We can mass mobilize for ecocide to be included in the Rome Statute, but what is the use of [ecocide] being in the Rome Statute? We are here for a People’s Tribunal because there is a failure of the Tribunal of the Hague, that they could not stop the genocide and ecocide, and that it is for the people that recognize humanity and law to demand.”
In the end, the defense did not submit any documents to the jurors nor show up to the Tribunal, showing their blatant disregard for the Palestinian people and those in solidarity against the US-Zionist occupation. In an exchange between the head juror Ceren Uysal and the expert testimony:
“I wish the defense would ask me a question.”
“I think an empty table speaks a lot.”
As Day 1 of the Tribunal has closed, the jurors are set to hear another set of evidence from experts and witnesses and deliberate to come to a verdict on Day 2 of the Tribunal. If you and/or your outlet is interested in watching the media viewing Zoom link for Day 2 or watching our livestream recording from Day 1, please contact us for release upon request.
We will also have a press conference at 6pm CET November 23 at Room 0 in the MACBA and livestreamed on this link: https://bit.ly/IPT-PressCon23
About the International People’s Tribunal for Palestine:
The IPT for Palestine is a civil society initiative organized by the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), International Peoples’ Front, and the Peoples’ Coalition on Food Sovereignty, with the cooperation of endorsers including the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and Palestine Land Studies Centre, among others. It aims to establish a historical record of crimes against the Palestinian people, mobilize international solidarity, and exert moral and political pressure on complicit governments and international institutions.
Learn more about the tribunal: https://internationalsolidarity.org/tribunal/
For interviews with International Peoples Tribunal spokespeople or questions about the IPT email [email protected]
