Jewish Group in Germany Files War Crimes Charges against Israeli Leaders
A Jewish group in Germany has filed criminal charges against Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz for alleged war crimes committed during last year’s 11-day onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Middle East Monitor reported.
“We, Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East, are filing criminal charges against Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed under their leadership in the Gaza Strip in August this year,” JVJP said.
The group rejected the Israeli claim that the so-called ‘Operation Breaking Dawn’ attack was carried out in self-defense.
“This was a supposed pre-emptive strike that was carried out without a concrete threat,” said JVJP. “In public, this excessive attack was largely portrayed as self-defense against Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which in fact only fired rockets in response to the Israeli bombardment.”
Citing Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, JVJP said that it is forbidden to launch an attack that is expected to accidentally kill or injure civilians or damage civilian objects in a way that is disproportionate to the concrete and direct military advantage expected.
The group said that it is demanding “consequences for the two men who are responsible for this suffering above all others”.
Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East insisted that all war criminals should be treated in the same way, including Israelis.
“As a Jewish organization, we stand for universal human rights. Like many Jewish organizations worldwide, we insist that Israel neither represents Jews nor speaks on our behalf. Israel must be held accountable for war crimes like any other state.”