Latest reports suggest that Palestinian victims of the war in Gaza will take legal action against BP for running a pipeline that supplies much of Israel’s crude oil.
The claimants, reports have shown, have sent the British oil company a letter before claim, alleging it is breaching its stated commitments to human rights under international law.
BP owns and operates the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, through which Azerbaijan supplies Israel with crude oil. The pipeline, which runs through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, from where the oil is then transported by ship, provides 28% of Israel’s crude oil supply.
Oil supplies are critical for Israel’s military operation, and it has been reported that oil from this pipeline is being sent to a refinery that produces jet fuel for military planes which are dropping munitions on Gaza.
The letter states: “Israel relies heavily on crude oil and refined petroleum imports to run its large fleet of fighter jets, tanks and other military vehicles and operations, as well as the bulldozers implicated in clearing Palestinian homes and olive groves to make way for unlawful Israeli settlements.
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Some fuel from refineries goes directly to the armed forces, while much of the rest appears to go to ordinary gas stations where military personnel can refuel their vehicles under a government contract.” It asks that any case is heard in a British court as BP and the claimants are based in England.
The legal letter claims BP has violated the UN guiding principles on business and human rights, as well as the prohibition of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity under customary international law and obligations under its own policies, which require BP to avoid contributing to human rights abuses.
A UN commission has found that Israel has committed war crimes during the conflict in Gaza. The UN general assembly has also approved resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire. At least 42,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Tayab Ali, the head of international law at Bindmans law firm and director at the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, both of which are working with the claimants, said: “This legal action marks a new phase in accountability for those that are complicit in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The evidence against BP demonstrates a clear failure to adhere to its own human rights policies and international law.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
