DAWN
 DAWN  (Pressure group)    | |
|---|---|
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| Founder | Jamal Khashoggi |
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) is an American non-profit organisation that promotes democracy, the rule of law, and human rights for all of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
DAWN was founded in 2020 by Jamal Khashoggi, its Executive Director is Sarah Leah Whitson and its corporate donors include the Arca Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations founded by George Soros, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Tawakkol Karman Foundation.
Own words
We’re fighting for a ceasefire and accountability for Israeli and US officials responsible for war crimes in Gaza.[1]
Prosecuting senior Israelis
In December 2023, Democracy for the Arab World Now submitted to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan a list of 40 Israeli military commanders who have taken part in, or who have direct command responsibility over operations that likely comprise indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians, the use of starvation as a weapon, blocking humanitarian aid, and the imposition of the siege on Gaza. DAWN submitted this information in response to the Prosecutor's November 17 call for parties to present to his office information relevant to its investigation team's ongoing probe into violations of the Rome Statute in Palestine, including the current war in Gaza.
The list includes officers from the rank of Lieutenant-General and up who command units no smaller than battalion level forces. It covers nearly all branches of the Israeli Defence Force, as well as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the unit that administers the siege on Gaza. "These 40 IDF commanders who have been responsible for planning, ordering, and executing Israel's indiscriminate bombardment, wanton destruction, and mass killing of civilians in Gaza should be prime suspects in any ICC investigation," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director at DAWN. "While Israel has done its best to conceal the identities of many of its officers, they should be put on notice that they face individual criminal liability for the crimes underway in Gaza."
Naming names
On 20 Decmber 2023, DAWN released the names of the first three Israeli military officials it has identified:
- Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
- Major-General Ghassam Alian
- Lieutenant-Colonel Dvir Edri, Commander of 460th Armoured Brigade
and will regularly release the identities of the remaining individual suspects over the course of the coming month.[2]
