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Israel PM asks justice minister to build defense against Gaza war crimes claims

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday placed justice minister Daniel Friedman in charge of defending Israel against war crimes charges stemming from the conflict in Gaza. Olmert appointed Friedman to head an inter-ministerial team to investigate and form a legal defense against potential war crimes charges for the civilians and military personnel involved in Israel's 22-day assault on Gaza. The attacks have garnered international condemnation by the UN and the European Union, and on Monday Amnesty International (AI) accused Israel of war crimes, citing the use of white phosphorous in the midst of a dense civilian population. Following the advocacy group's accusation, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded on Tuesday that those responsible for bombing UN buildings in Palestinian territory be held responsible for using excessive force. Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak explained in a statement that the government must give defense to those involved in the attacks, as they were following government orders in Operation Cast Lead. Last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said that the ICC lacks jurisdiction to investigate possible war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. Moreno-Ocampo's statement came after calls by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) for the UN Security Council to refer Israel to the ICC for an investigation. Moreno-Ocampo said the court currently lacks jurisdiction over Israel because it is not a member state.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 23, 2009 (boomark / email).