War crimes trials loom over Israel
Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:39:11 GMT
The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice, the Hague,
Netherlands
Israeli officials move closer to being prosecuted for human rights violations
by international courts as they continue their war on Gaza.
In its upcoming meeting, the UN General Assembly is expected to discuss
whether to seek advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice about
filing a complaint against Israel, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
According to the British daily, a Foreign Office source has confirmed reports
that the UK government, under pressure from prominent law experts, may consider
supporting calls for a reference to the ICJ.
"It's definitely on the table… We have already called for an investigation and
are looking at all evidence and allegations,” the source told The Guardian.
The world's leading international lawyers have sent an open letter to British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling for an end to Israel's human right
violations in the Gaza Strip.
"The United Kingdom government ... has a duty under international law to exert
its influence to stop violations of international humanitarian law in the
current conflict," reads the letter.
According to the lawyers, Israel has violated international humanitarian law
by directly targeting civilians and failing to discriminate between civilians
and combatants.
The special UN rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Richard Falk, has
also criticized Israel for committing "crimes against humanity".
Falk, who himself is Jewish, has called on the International Criminal Court to
determine whether Israeli leaders and military commanders "should be indicted
and prosecuted for violations of international criminal law".
"There is a well-grounded view that both the initial attacks on Gaza and the
tactics being used by Israel are serious violations of the UN charter, the
Geneva Conventions, international law and international humanitarian law," Falk
says.
Falk has been expelled from Israel due to his criticism of Israeli policies
toward the Palestinians -- the natives of the land.
"There is a consensus among independent legal experts that Israel is an
occupying power and is therefore bound by the duties set out in the fourth
Geneva Convention. The arguments that Israel's blockade is a form of prohibited
collective punishment, and that it is in breach of its duty to ensure the
population has sufficient food and healthcare as the occupying power, are very
strong," he added.
Comments by the UN official come at a time that the UN Human Rights Council
passed a resolution on Monday condemning the "grave" Israeli human rights
violations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
MJ/JG/AA
PRESS NEWS
PoEtEsS
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