Israel working on preventing war crime prosecutions

An Israeli committee headed by former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been formed to help prevent Israeli soldiers and leaders from being prosecuted for war crimes in international courts.

MENA

2 min read

Nidal Mohammad Watad

17 August, 2015

Livni will head a committee tasked to prevent prosecution of Israelis in international courts [AFP]

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has revealed on Monday that the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset has formed on Sunday a sub-committee headed by former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to work on preventing Israeli soldiers and leaders from being prosecuted in international courts for war crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

The Hebrew newspaper said that the decision to form the committee came following growing Israeli concerns about torrents of complaints and lawsuits against Israeli soldiers and their leaders in European countries and before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had adopted a resolution early on 3 July condemning Israel over a UN report into its war on Gaza in 2014. It also emphasised "the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are held to account."

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the committee will focus its work on the text of international law and everything related to war, the right to carry out military operations under the pretext of defending Israel, ways to protect soldiers from being brought before courts in foreign countries for war crimes charges, and protecting Israeli officials from these lawsuits.

Many former and current Israeli politicians have been refraining from traveling to some countries to escape the issuing of arrest warrants against them.

Livni told the newspaper: "The recent UNHRC report and the judicial action that had accompanied it constitute a dangerous development, which requires an immediate, professional and focused response, in order to secure freedom of movement for soldiers and army leaders without attempting to equate them with terrorists."

Livni added that in light of the current situation and the growing voices for boycotting and delegitimising Israel in the past year, there is a need for legal activity and immediate and decisive preparations.