Former British-Israeli official accused of war crimes in Gaza
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An international rights group is accusing a British-born former Israeli official of being behind war crimes in Gaza amid the onslaught on the blockaded strip.
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Palestinian women and their children walk through destruction in the wake of an Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip after the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the area, May 31, 2024. (AP)
An international human rights organization has filed a complaint with Britain's Scotland Yard's War Crimes Unit, alleging severe breaches of international law by a former Israeli government official of British origin.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians' (ICJP) complaint accuses the ex-official of significant involvement in crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The ICJP argues that the former official aided, incited, and conspired with the Israeli government to commit atrocities, such as using starvation as a warfare tactic.
The rights group submitted extensive evidence of these international crimes, which are prosecutable under UK law. The evidence underscores the individual’s accessory liability for seriouss violations under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 and the International Criminal Court Act 2001.
Individual involved in impeding humanitarian aid
According to the ICJP, the ex-official, during their tenure, played a pivotal role in enforcing a blockade that severely restricted Gaza's access to essential resources, including food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical aid. This blockade is described as a deliberate strategy to weaken the civilian population by depriving them of basic necessities.
Further accusations extend to the individual's alleged involvement in targeting local food production, disrupting distribution networks, and impeding humanitarian aid efforts and medical services.
Specific actions include efforts to delegitimize the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), incitement of violence against Palestinians and Muslims, and unlawful attacks on medical facilities and personnel.
The complaint is substantiated by witness testimonies from 19 doctors who have served in Gaza since October 2023, alongside reports from international organizations such as the UN Human Rights Office, Oxfam, and Human Rights Watch.
Western involvement
The reports about a British-born official being involved in war crimes in Gaza are not a one-off about Europeans being involved in the slaughter, torture, or forced starvation of Palestinians.
Back in March, French MP Thomas Portes initiated legal proceedings concerning a Franco-Israeli individual suspected of potential involvement in acts of torture within the Gaza Strip, according to Mediapart, an independent French investigative online newspaper.
This case underscores growing concerns that individuals holding dual nationality and serving in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) might be implicated in actions constituting war crimes.
The report referred to a widely circulated forty-five-second video depicting five soldiers in Israeli uniforms, with some wearing hoods, humiliating Palestinians. In the video, a French man serving in the Israeli military has released footage showing blindfolded and tied up Palestinians who were abducted by the IOF, while gloating over their torture.
In the video, he is heard cursing at the Palestinian prisoners, using derogatory language, and mocking their torture. He specifically mocked a prisoner who had urinated himself while tied up, laughing at him.
The French judiciary may soon investigate this matter, as MP Portes, from the La France Insoumise (LFI) party, has referred it to the public prosecutor in Paris and the National Public Prosecutor's Office for Counterterrorism (which includes a special unit dedicated to crimes against humanity), Mediapart added.
Portes further noted in his referral that he draws the attention of the judicial system to the possibility of "complicity in war crimes and acts of torture" confirmed by the published video clip, and calls on the judicial system to investigate, as per the report.
