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Last update - 05:34 19/01/2009
Israel fears wave of war crimes lawsuits over Gaza offensive
By Aluf Benn
Tags: Gaza, israel news, Hamas 
 

Israel is preparing for a wave of lawsuits by pro-Palestinian organizations overseas against Israelis involved in the Gaza fighting, claiming they were responsible for war crimes due to the harsh results stemming from the IDF's actions against Palestinian civilians and their property.

Senior Israeli ministers have expressed serious fears during the past few days about the possibility that Israel will be pressed to agree to an international investigation of the losses among non-combatants during Operation Cast Lead; or alternately, that Israelis will be faced with personal suits, such as happened to Israeli officers who were accused of war crimes in Britain for their actions during the second intifada.


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When the scale of the damage in Gaza becomes clear, I will no longer take a vacation in Amsterdam, only at the international court in The Hague," said one minister. It was not clear whether he was trying to make a joke or not.

Another minister said that in contrast to the situation that existed following Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank seven years ago, this time attacked by Israel is under total Palestinian control. Hence, foreign journalists who enter the Gaza Strip to report on the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead will not be accompanied by Israeli officials or spokesmen, as they were in the West Bank in 2002.

The defense establishment has started to collect material in advance of the expected legal claims, and has prepared its defense regarding the private houses the Israel Defense Forces attacked in Gaza. The evidence includes material about where weapons were stockpiled, and sites from which Hamas was firing rockets. Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog (Labor), who is coordinating the humanitarian aid to Gaza, will also coordinate Israel's public relations efforts against the accusations of war crimes.

The main danger is expected to come from lawsuits brought by individuals and organizations, rather than governmental attempts to undertake official investigations. Senior officials expect that the visits of European leaders in Jerusalem this week, and statements by them that presented Israel's offensive as part of a justified war on terror, will aid Israel in future legal battles.

Israel will emphasize that it acted in self-defense in Gaza and expended great efforts in warning residents that their homes were about to be targeted and ordering them to vacate them. Israel used text messages, dropped flyers from the air and made a quarter of a million telephone calls to warn Gaza residents, as well as taking over and broadcasting warnings on Palestinian radio stations. Its defense will also provide evidence of how Hamas turned houses, schools, mosques and welfare institutions into weapons warehouses and booby-trapped them, explaining that they were attacked because they were legitimate military targets.

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      1.   War Crimes 05:47  |  T.A.T. 19/01/09
      2.   What`s Sauce for the Goose ... 05:49  |  Brad 19/01/09
      3.   ministers worried about war crimes charges 06:02  |  Wiktor 19/01/09
      4.   best defense is a strong attack.............. 06:16  |  bernard ross 19/01/09
      5.   20,000 houses destroyed were weapons cashe 06:19  |  Wise Syrian 19/01/09
      6.   Priorities should be maintained 06:25  |  Arie 19/01/09
      7.   WISE SYRIAN plenty of Hamas were firing from civillian houses 09:16  |  PETER SM 19/01/09
      8.   War crimes and impunity 09:41  |  Truth 19/01/09
      9.   Now Israel braces itself for the consequences of its atrocities 09:43  |  Clickfool 19/01/09
      10.   war crimes ? YES 09:53  |  peace 19/01/09
      11.   CFOOLYour heroes were hiding from the "powder puffs" 10:17  |  PETER SM 19/01/09
      12.   Hamas always threatened to "exterminate all Jews" 10:29  |  Semsem 19/01/09
      13.   there will be no warm crimes trials 10:32  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/01/09
      14.   #5 Syria is a Criminal nation responsible 10:33  |  Liliane 19/01/09
      15.   Crimes against humanity 10:42  |  Hanne Kj Yndestad 19/01/09
      16.   Yes, please. The world wants lawsuits for war crimes. 10:54  |  RG 19/01/09
      17.   Why fear? Just counter-sue... 10:55  |  Joe Sittizen 19/01/09
      18.   Accountability 11:17  |  mike 19/01/09
      19.   If you have done nothing wrong, why be afraid? 11:36  |  Sara 19/01/09
      20.   to #16 11:44  |  incred 19/01/09
      21.   sanctions 11:44  |  isaac 19/01/09
      22.   Like other military 12:10  |  Friend 19/01/09
      23.   lawsuits 12:20  |  harriet 19/01/09
      24.   Hamas is guilty of war crimes 12:28  |  Marco 19/01/09
      25.   War crimes 12:32  |  kiwicris 19/01/09
      26.   We have indicted 24 people so far 12:33  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/01/09
      27.   IAF Bullies 13:16  |  Canadian 19/01/09
      28.   Different status 13:19  |  lio 19/01/09
      29.   What crimes. Israel is above the Law supported by the US. 13:19  |  American 19/01/09
      30.   The biggest Israeli war criminals 13:22  |  Clickfool 19/01/09
      31.   #13: The US encouraged Israel not to stop. 13:23  |  US Citizen 19/01/09
      32.   War Criminals 15:00  |  JB 19/01/09
      33.   American no longer in support of Israel 15:00  |  Joanna 19/01/09
      34.   war crimes 15:01  |  Jim USA 19/01/09
      35.   Immorality of Gazan offensive 15:05  |  Faye 19/01/09
      36.   boycott Israel? 15:24  |  Jim USA 19/01/09
      37.   War crimes lawsuits 15:24  |  Cyasher 19/01/09
      38.   #18 Sara 15:28  |  Daybreak 19/01/09
      39.   #2 Brad 15:33  |  Boycott 19/01/09
      40.   War Crimes are only considered as such 15:39  |  Roo 19/01/09
      41.   Do the crime, do the time 16:07  |  W 19/01/09
      42.   Do the crime, do the time 16:12  |  Jens 19/01/09
      43.   90% of the world was supporting israel in this war 16:27  |  HAL TRIPP 19/01/09
      44.   #28 Cyasher 16:29  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/01/09
      45.   War Crimes? #10 16:30  |  Stephen Connor 19/01/09
      46.   Israel Has Won Court Cases 17:03  |  Ron 19/01/09
      47.   #23 - harriet. Democratic r u? Not oppressor and racist? 17:10  |  Roya 19/01/09
      48.   Boostering effect 17:11  |  Sami hassan 19/01/09
      49.   HAL TRIPP and 90% of Bolivians 17:15  |  DUDE 19/01/09
      50.   #43 world support? 17:16  |  arnufc 19/01/09
      51.   War Crimes, what war crimes? 18:17  |  Big Sur 19/01/09
      52.   27 Canadian 18:21  |  Big Sur 19/01/09
      53.   to marco 18:22  |  saladin 19/01/09
      54.   Indeed Israel SHOULD BE TAKEN TO COURT ON GAZA 18:32  |  Ivar 19/01/09
      55.   Beware 6 degrees of separation and the Net 18:35  |  seawife 19/01/09
      56.   well said 18:35  |  Ryan 19/01/09
      57.   follow the role model 18:39  |  saladin 19/01/09
      58.   Clickfool again 18:48  |  utagawa 19/01/09
      59.   Faye 18:49  |  Ron 19/01/09
      60.   War crimes, judges, talckback, etc (3rd attempt) 18:57  |  Israeli citizen 19/01/09
      61.   What crimes? 19:02  |  Nero 19/01/09
      62.   Israel should be afraid 19:03  |  Sylvie 19/01/09
      63.   This should have happened long ago 19:14  |  ID 19/01/09
      64.   War crimes, talkback, etc (2nd part) 19:14  |  Israeli citizen 19/01/09
      65.   Hamas promised "lots of suprises" if Israel attacked 19:18  |  Henk 19/01/09
      66.   This is true nature of humanity 19:21  |  Adam 19/01/09
      67.   "accused of war crimes in Britain" 19:21  |  Silvienne 19/01/09
      68.   #5 Wise Syrian 19:24  |  Cool B 19/01/09
      69.   Was Hamas per se a legitimate target? 19:29  |  fritz t. 19/01/09
      70.   Yet another Big Oil funded weapon 21:05  |  Yamin Salahi 19/01/09
      71.   Lawsuits by pro-Palestinian organizations ... should be 21:26  |  Ines 19/01/09
      72.   Was NATO or USA sued for war crimes in 21:33  |  Ines 19/01/09
      73.   jim usa no. 36 21:33  |  steve 19/01/09
      74.   Re# 2 Right 21:39  |  Ines 19/01/09
      75.   44 Linthwaite and Tesco 21:41  |  Henry Blofeld 19/01/09
      76.   Re : Not at all ... 21:42  |  Ines 19/01/09
      77.   Vacate to where? 21:47  |  What Next 19/01/09
      78.   Re : What criminals are You talking about .. ? 21:47  |  Ines 19/01/09
      79.   Re: The WW II Nazi crimes were not only a jewish problem, 21:55  |  Ines 19/01/09
      80.   Obama will do nothing 21:57  |  Firebird 19/01/09
      81.   Re# 8 We don`t worry about that... 21:58  |  Ines 19/01/09
      82.   Bombing hospitals is a war crime 21:58  |  Janice 19/01/09
      83.   RE:Hamas always threatened to "exterminate all Jews" 21:58  |  Firebird 19/01/09
      84.   To: Jim USA (#36 above) 21:59  |  Joanne 19/01/09
      85.   #18 I could not have said it better. 22:01  |  arik 19/01/09
      86.   Marco 22:01  |  Firebird 19/01/09
      87.   Re # 9 I don`t agree 22:05  |  Ines 19/01/09
      88.   I see little difference 22:10  |  Janice 19/01/09
      89.   Silvienne third try 22:13  |  Big Sur 19/01/09
      90.   #73 Joanne 22:29  |  Daybreak 19/01/09
      91.   1 further lawsuit 22:35  |  Michael Greenberg 19/01/09
      92.   Re Peter SM .... Hamas supermen... 22:38  |  Ines 19/01/09
      93.   Mike 22:38  |  Connie 19/01/09
      94.   Clickfool (from the UK) #127 And Cowardly Slaughter 22:43  |  Gil 19/01/09
      95.   Re The concer is that 22:44  |  Ines 19/01/09
      96.   Re:# 67 Hamas is a big big fat lie !!! 23:11  |  Ines 19/01/09
      97.   Re# 63 Right when Hamas lauched rockets 23:14  |  Ines 19/01/09
      98.   Big Trasvestie of Justice 23:17  |  Ines 19/01/09
      99.   #80, Gil.... 23:32  |  Silvienne 19/01/09
      100.   Senior Israeli politicians and generals admitting war crimes 23:35  |  Ben Alofs 19/01/09
      101.   Re # 72 Very simple .. 23:50  |  Ines 19/01/09
      102.   Peter SM is right! 23:51  |  Truth 19/01/09
      103.   Janice....shooting rockets from hospital is a war crime! 23:54  |  Maria 19/01/09
      104.   Re # 69 Are rockets arms attack ??? 23:56  |  Ines 19/01/09
      105.   JESUSALEN 00:01  |  cristian 20/01/09
      106.   Two questions 00:05  |  hollingsworth 20/01/09
      107.   to a member of Israel`s "army of bloggers" 00:19  |  hollingsworth 20/01/09
      108.   Correction to #76 00:25  |  Daybreak 20/01/09
      109.   Israeli War Crimes 00:26  |  Fleetfoot 20/01/09
      110.   Wrath of God 00:30  |  Fleetfoot 20/01/09
      111.   Just obeying orders... 00:41  |  Will Rogers 20/01/09
      112.   Peter SM 01:05  |  David .Zukerman 20/01/09
      113.   #88 Hollingsworth 01:13  |  Chayim 20/01/09
      114.   Israel should sue Hamas...they are the guilty ones 01:14  |  Nechama 20/01/09
      115.   Answer to Mr Hollingsworth 01:17  |  Ariel 20/01/09
      116.   Israel fears wave of war crimes lawsuits 01:29  |  Nasim 20/01/09
      117.   Destroying a rocket launching pad is not a war crime 01:36  |  ME 20/01/09
      118.   and with GOOD reason! 01:39  |  eric 20/01/09
      119.   Jim USA 01:43  |  Rambo 20/01/09
      120.   Israel guilty of staying alive 01:49  |  rich 20/01/09
      121.   War crimes 01:51  |  M. Deeb 20/01/09
      122.   Got news for the self-righteous hollingsworth # 88 01:55  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 20/01/09
      123.   Hanne Kj Yndestad 01:56  |  rich 20/01/09
      124.   hollingsworth,evacuated civilian homes ??? 02:00  |  ME 20/01/09
      125.   Joanna in Florida 02:01  |  rich 20/01/09
      126.   If israel controled the world ? 02:01  |  Meir Ze evi 20/01/09
      127.   Michael Dell, Bill Gates & Steve Jobs are Israeli? 02:06  |  Mark of Lewiston 20/01/09
      128.   Hamas and Israel 02:22  |  Bill 20/01/09
      129.   wavw of law suits 02:23  |  peace activist 20/01/09
      130.   Israel War in the biggest battle field ! 02:28  |  M.Deeb 20/01/09
      131.   Israel good, hamas bad? 02:29  |  Aaron Zuckermann 20/01/09
      132.   War Crimes 02:30  |  Spectre 20/01/09
      133.   Out of all porportions 02:30  |  julie 20/01/09
      134.   International Law and the Fighting in Gaza 02:39  |  Joseph.E 20/01/09
      135.   War Crimes 02:55  |  Dawn Sanel 20/01/09
      136.   Hollingsworth to Cipora 03:11  |  Daybreak 20/01/09
      137.   So, Here They Are....... 03:24  |  Gray 20/01/09
      138.   It`s IDF, the Very Competent Force 03:50  |  Sumanto 20/01/09
      139.   Say what? 03:55  |  Ramzi, a Palestinian 20/01/09
      140.   War crimes! 03:56  |  Angel 20/01/09
      141.   War crimes 04:04  |  Gary 20/01/09
      142.   Hollingsworth (# 88)...A legend in his own mind! 04:11  |  flyingdoc57 20/01/09
      143.   Hollingsworth to Cipora 04:18  |  Gary 20/01/09
      144.   Re # 69 Are rockets arms attack ??? 04:29  |  Gary 20/01/09
      145.   #94 NASIM - MUST NOT FORGET THE DANCING! 04:37  |  PADDY 20/01/09
      146.   Dawn Sanel "War Crimes" What kind of country 04:45  |  Gray 20/01/09
      147.   #91 Chayim 04:54  |  Seawife 20/01/09
      148.   What the International Tribunal will say 05:20  |  Seawife 20/01/09
      149.   Monster "nation"! 05:59  |  Niva dos Santos 20/01/09
      150.   To Sara from London 06:05  |  ricardo levy 20/01/09
      151.   I think it must be the reverse,Hamas,Syria,&Iran should be tried 06:05  |  Susanna/Shoshan 20/01/09
      152.   Paddy 06:07  |  Persian Kitty 20/01/09
      153.   3rd Try Brad`s Great Idea @#2 06:23  |  Mark of Lewiston 20/01/09
      154.   Israel fears wave of war crimes lawsuits over Gaza offensive 06:35  |  Trudi Berglin 20/01/09
      155.   #131 Persian Kitty - READ #97 (ref to 94=error) 07:00  |  PADDY 20/01/09
      156.   I think it must be the reverse 07:05  |  John Watson 20/01/09
      157.   Chris Lintwaithe and Starbucks 07:11  |  judith 20/01/09
      158.   # 131 amen to your post, persian kitty! 08:04  |  eric 20/01/09
      159.   Re Fritz... Are the rockets an armed attack ? 17:09  |  Ines 20/01/09
      160.   Re # 120 You are right Rich 19:04  |  Ines 20/01/09
      161.   #122, More news for Darth Zaider... 19:13  |  Silvienne 20/01/09
      162.   accurate claims of war crimes 19:46  |  ragged soul 20/01/09
      163.   Thank You Eric! 20:06  |  Persian Kitty 20/01/09
      164.   war crimes 22:32  |  justice 20/01/09
      165.   Interesting, darth 02:45  |  hollingsworth 21/01/09
      166.   Daybreak 02:48  |  hollingsworth 21/01/09
      167.   # 163 to the persian kitty 10:16  |  eric 21/01/09
      168.   Forget the War Crimes 09:01  |  gs 22/02/09
      169.   Israel Fears War Crimes 19:20  |  Andre 05/01/10
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