Israeli ministers face war crimes charges
A war crimes indictment has been brought against the Israeli defence minister and his predecessor.
Filed by a Swedish lawyer, the complaint puts the Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz and his predecessor, Binyamin Ben Eliezer, in the dock
The lawyer, Marcel Bosonnet, told the press his complaints concerned the destruction of Palestinian houses in the southern Gaza Strip in early 2002 as well as the torture of Palestinians.
He argued his complaint was in keeping with the Geneva and Hague conventions on the laws governing war. He added that violations of war conventions and international humanitarian law were punishable under Swiss military law.
Bosonnet’s complaint also concerns two other senior Israeli officers, Doron Almong, Israeli commander in the Gaza Strip and Avi Dichter, head of Shin Bet, Israel’s notorious internal secret service.
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The complaint is over the destruction of Palestinian houses in the southern Gaza Strip in early 2002 as well as the torture of Palestinians. |
Cataloguing Israeli crimes, Bosonnet said the Zionist army had destroyed 60 houses belonging to Palestinians at Rafah in early 2002, causing an estimated damage of $1.5 million.
However, the Swiss military auditor said he was not officially aware of the complaint.
Media reports suggest that formal proceedings would only start if the alleged culprits spent a few days in Switzerland.