A.Rahman
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Israeli officials 'face war crimes risk'
uploaded 04 Sep 2006
Monday 04 September 2006 11:26 AM GMT
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."
...
Reuters
uploaded 04 Sep 2006
Monday 04 September 2006 11:26 AM GMT
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."
...
Reuters
