DAWN
 DAWN  (Pressure group)    | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founder |  Jamal Khashoggi |
| Has bravely called for the ICC to prosecute Israeli and US government officials over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza | |
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 by Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi shortly before he was murdered in October 2018, and remained dormant for two years. In September 2020, Khashoggi supporters launched DAWN to advocate for democratic rights in the Arab world and to expose abuses by governments in the Middle East, and in particular US-allied nations such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – three of the Trump administration’s closest Arab partners.[1]
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.
Contents
Own words
We’re fighting for a ceasefire and accountability for Israeli and US officials responsible for war crimes in Gaza.[2]
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.[3]
Prosecuting named Americans
On 24 February 2025, DAWN announced that it had asked the ICC to investigate and prosecute former US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin "for their accessorial roles in aiding and abetting, as well as intentionally contributing to, Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza."[4]
According to DAWN's 172-page dossier of evidence, submitted to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan on 19 January 2025, another six US officials should be similarly investigated and prosecuted:
- Jake Sullivan, former US National Security Advisor
- Gina Raimondo, former Secretary of Commerce
- Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary of Arms Control and International Security
- Stanley L. Brown, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
- Amanda Dory, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and
- Mike Miller, Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency[5]
Watch as DAWN's Executive Director Sarah Leah Whitson explains why.[6]
Naming Trump
DAWN also added that if Donald Trump were to implement his proposed plan to forcibly displace all Palestinians from Gaza, it would subject him to “individual liability for war crimes and the crime of aggression”.
Raed Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director, said the plan merited an ICC investigation, “not just for aiding and abetting Israeli crimes but for ordering forcible transfer, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute”.[7]
A Document by DAWN
| Title | Document type | Publication date | Subject(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Who Was Jamal Khashoggi? | Report | 2020 | Jamal Khashoggi 9-11 Saudi Arabia Wahhabism Al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden Mohammed bin Salman Donald Trump Arab world Salman of Saudi Arabia Turki bin Faisal al-Saud | By murdering Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi rulers extinguished a powerful voice for freedom and democracy in the Arab world. They did not, however, extinguish the reformist ideas that Khashoggi had championed. Nor did they anticipate the power and extent of the global backlash caused by his brutal murder. |
Employee on Wikispooks
| Employee | Job | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Raed Jarrar | Advocacy Director | 2020 |
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:ICC urged to investigate Biden for ‘aiding and abetting’ Gaza war crimes | Article | 24 February 2025 | Anna Betts | DAWN also added that if Trump were to implement his proposed plan to forcibly displace all Palestinians from Gaza, it would subject him to “individual liability for war crimes and the crime of aggression”. Raed Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director, said Trump's plan merited an ICC investigation, “not just for aiding and abetting Israeli crimes but for ordering forcible transfer, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute”. |
A document sourced from DAWN
| Title | Type | Subject(s) | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Who Was Jamal Khashoggi? | Report | Jamal Khashoggi 9-11 Saudi Arabia Wahhabism Al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden Mohammed bin Salman Donald Trump Arab world Salman of Saudi Arabia Turki bin Faisal al-Saud | 2020 | DAWN | By murdering Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi rulers extinguished a powerful voice for freedom and democracy in the Arab world. They did not, however, extinguish the reformist ideas that Khashoggi had championed. Nor did they anticipate the power and extent of the global backlash caused by his brutal murder. |
References
- ↑ "Khashoggi supporters launch group to advocate for democratic rights in the Arab world"
- ↑ "DAWN celebrates its second year of achievements, advancements, and growth"
- ↑ "DAWN submits to ICC Prosecutor List of 40 Israeli Commanding Officers Executing and Planning Gaza Assault"
- ↑ "International Criminal Court: Investigate Biden, Blinken and Austin for Aiding and Abetting Israeli Crimes in Gaza"
- ↑ "With this communication, DAWN requests the ICC Prosecutor to examine the alleged accessorial liability of United States officials from October 7, 2023, in relation to the principal crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC committed by Israel officials in the Gaza strip"
- ↑ "DAWN has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute former US President Joe Biden, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin for aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes in Gaza"
- ↑ Document:ICC urged to investigate Biden for ‘aiding and abetting’ Gaza war crimes
