Operating modalities

The organisation of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine is under the responsibility of its International Organising Committee (IOC), composed of the following members: Ken Coates, Pierre Galand, Stéphane Hessel, Marcel-Francis Kahn, Robert Kissous, François Maspero, Paulette Pierson-Mathy, Bernard Ravenel, Brahim Senouci.

The IOC works mainly with the following committees:

| The Support Committee, made up of individuals from the academic, scientific, cultural and political field with an international reputation and no current political mandate. The ISC provides political support and is the moral and ethical caution of the Tribunal (see the list of signatories).
| National Support Committees that are created in any country where such an initiative is proposed and agreed upon by the IOC. National Support Committees contribute to fundraising; ensure popular mobilisation and media coverage. They can also be in charge of preparing one of the expert’s reports on specific legal issues raised by the Tribunal, which will then be handed in to the Expert and witnesses committee. In some cases, NSC can also be involved in the organisation of sessions of the Tribunal, when they take place in their country ( for more information).
| The Expert and Witnesses Committee, in charge of building up the legal arguments that will be presented to the Tribunal. It bases its work on the list of legal issues presented to the tribunal. Experts are lawyers and people who have a specific expertise on an issue dealt with by the Tribunal. They are chosen for their expertise, know-how and impartiality Witnesses are invited to give testimonies on collective situations. For example, it will hear heath experts on the evolutions that can be seen in the Gaza strip since the embargo.

The Tribunal as such is the core element of the project. After the pleading that will be based on the files produced by the experts and witness committee, the Jury of the Tribunal -made up of eminent personalities from the academic, scientific, cultural and political field- ensures judgement and delivers conclusions. The Russell Tribunal on Palestine will not deliver a legal sentence, but through seriously established cases, a reputable jury and a large dissemination of the conclusions, it should help making progress in the implementation of international law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and shed light on the co-responsibility of UN member states and International Organisations in the Persisting occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel.
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