GENEVA, July 24 (KUNA) -- Founder of the global imitative of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (RTP) Pierre Galand, announced Friday the establishment of the Swiss chapter of the Tribunal on war crimes committed by Israel in Palestine. He added that the Catalonia government in Spain has offered to host the first session of the RTP early next year, and that the second session will take place in London, the third and fourth in South Africa and India. Founder of the initiative RTP across the world is a former Belgian parliamentarian based in Brussels. He said that the value of this movement is that the Russell Tribunal in the 70s against the silence on the Vietnam war was an important tool to create awareness in the United States and elsewhere against the Vietnam war. Galand said that in that sense he hopes that the national committees of the RTP will help to create awareness worldwide and mobilize public opinion against Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians. The founder of the initiative was addressing a press conference in Geneva. (end) hn.ajs KUNA 241715 Jul 09NNNN