Israeli officials 'face war crimes risk'
Israel's public officials have been told to watch what
they say in public about the Lebanese and Palestinian
conflicts for fear of being prosecuted for war crimes,
political sources say.
The sources say the foreign ministry has established a
legal team to deal with efforts by foreign groups to
arrange the prosecution abroad of Israelis involved in
the war against Hezbollah guerrillas and crackdowns on
Palestinians.
A ministry memorandum issued to Israel's military and
other government agencies urges officials to avoid
belligerent remarks that could potentially be used to
back up allegations they were complicit in excessive
use of force in Lebanon or Gaza.
"The type of language now considered off-limits
includes 'crushing' the enemy, and 'cleansing',
'levelling', or 'wiping out' suspected enemy
emplacements," a political source who saw the memo
told Reuters.
The source quoted the memo as censuring one official
who called for Israel to respond to Hezbollah rockets
strikes against the strategic port city of Haifa
during the 34-day war by "getting rid of a village in
Lebanon".
The foreign and justice ministries declined to
comment.
Political targets
According to the memo, numerous war crimes lawsuits
against Israeli officials were being prepared. It
cited venues such as France, Belgium, Morocco and
Britain, but no further details were immediately
available.
Three Moroccan lawyers said last month they were suing
the Israeli defence minister, Amir Peretz, over the
recent offensives.
Israel Radio reported that a Danish politician also
tried to have Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister
detained and prosecuted during a recent visit to
Copenhagen but the request for an arrest warrant was
turned down by prosecutors.
An Israeli cabinet minister said that while military
officials had been singled out in foreign lawsuits,
politicians were still largely immune.
"There is, without a doubt, an effort among various
organisations to lash out at our officers and
commanders," Isaac Herzog, the tourism minister, told
Israel's Army Radio by telephone during a visit to
Finland.
"Of course this does not affect the political
echelons."
Israel says its armed forces act within international
norms and accuses Hezbollah and Palestinian factions
of inviting civilian casualties by operating within
populated areas.
Exchange rumours
Meanwhile Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister,
denied rumours of a deal that would see Palestinian
prisoners released in exchange for Corporal Gilad
Shalit, the soldier captured by fighters in Gaza on
June 25.
He was quoted as telling the defence and foreign
affairs committee that "all the publications and
information about the possible release of the
kidnapped soldiers are false".
On Sunday, the Yediot Aharonot newspaper said that
under secret talks negotiated by Egypt, Israel could
release up to 800 Palestinian prisoners in return for
Shalit.
Israel has demanded Shalit's unconditional release,
but local media have reported that talks have been
under way for several weeks.
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