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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Israel military orders internal investigation of war crimes allegations

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

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[JURIST] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday that it would conduct an internal investigation into reports that Israeli soldiers have committed war crimes against Palestinian civilians. The announcement follows soldiers' reports of civilian killings and vandalism under liberal rules of engagement during a recent operation in the Gaza Strip. It also came on the same day that UN Special Rapportuer on human rights in the Palestinian territories Richard Falk issued a report to the UN Human Rights Council, in which Falk criticized Israel for failing to take adequate precautions to distinguish between civilians and combatants in their offensives in the region. Falk called for an independent investigation into the alleged crimes, which he said included the targeting of hospitals and mosques, the use of white phosphorus incendiary bombs in heavily populated areas, as well as Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has estimated that 1,417 have died in the conflict, of which 926 were civilians. Earlier this week, a group of 16 human rights investigators and judges sent an open letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the UN Security Council calling for an investigation into the alleged crimes. Earlier this month, Iran announced that it would seek INTERPOL arrest warrants for Israeli war crimes suspects. In January, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for an independent investigation of possible war crimes and human rights violations in Gaza. International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is also attempting to gain jurisdiction over Israel to investigate its actions in Gaza for alleged war crimes. Israel has already begun to consider defenses against possible war crimes charges, partly based on accusations that it used white phosphorus in a civilian area.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 20, 2009 (boomark / email).