Palestinians Launch Legal Action Against BP Over Oil Supplies to Israel

Date: 23 December 2024 - 21:37

News ID: ۱۳۴۹۹۷

WEST BANK (Dispatches) – A group of Palestinians who have had family members killed in Gaza have launched legal action against the British oil giant, BP, alleging that the company is fuelling the war on Gaza by facilitating the supply of crude oil to the Zionist regime.
The International Center for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), which is made up of lawyers, politicians, and academics, said in a statement on Monday that BP needed to uphold its human rights responsibilities and fully disclose all policies and contracts relating to operations in connection with oil supplies to Israel.
The Zionist regime relies heavily on oil imports to power the fighter jets, tanks, and military vehicles it is using in its onslaught on Gaza, as well as to fuel the bulldozers it uses to raze Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank.
The BP-operated Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline has emerged as a major provider of oil supplies for the Zionist regime’s military, with crude exports spiking since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.
The pipeline stretches 1,770km and carries oil through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. From the Ceyhan Terminal in southern Turkey the oil is distributed to international markets, including Israel.
Tayab Ali, the director of the ICJP and head of international law at Bindmans LLP, said the legal action marked a “new phase” in accountability for those “that are complicit in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
Ali said BP had 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, as well as obligations under its own policies, which require BP to avoid contributing to human rights abuses.
“The evidence against BP demonstrates a clear failure to adhere to its own human rights policies and international law,” Ali said.
“By facilitating the transport of oil that fuels military operations in Gaza, BP has contributed to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the region. Our clients seek justice for the profound suffering and loss they have endured and call on BP to act responsibly by immediately halting its involvement,” he added.
Middle East Eye reached out to BP for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.
International legal experts, including UN experts, have warned suppliers to Israel that they risk complicity in genocide and war crimes by sending weapons and military supplies to Israel - not just because of its extermination campaign in Gaza, but also its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and policies of apartheid.