UN says both Israel and Hamas committed ‘war crimes’ in the 2014 Gaza War
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – Both Israel and Palestinian militants may have committed war crimes during the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, dubbed Operation Protective Edge by the Israeli military.
In a long-awaited report, the United Nations commission of inquiry said there was evidence of "serious violations" of international law by both sides. This could lead to those responsible being brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The conflict, which lasted 51 days between July and August, ended in a truce. On the Palestinian side, 2,251 people, of whom 1,462 were civilians, were killed. On the Israeli side, 67 soldiers were killed along with six civilians.
Led by New York judge Mary McGowan Davis, the commission relied on more than 280 confidential interviews and some 500 written submissions for its findings.
Its report blamed Israel for its extensive use of weapons in densely populated areas, for issuing warnings to Palestinians to evacuate their neighbourhoods that were too short, and for treating everyone remaining in the area as an enemy.
Equally, the report decried the "indiscriminate" firing of thousands (6,600) of rockets and mortars at Israel, noting that some armed groups released statements indicating they intended to attack civilian targets in order to "spread terror" among Israeli civilians.
Still, the investigation, launched by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), was mired in controversy from early on. The first head of the inquiry, William Schabas, quit partway through amid Israeli allegations of bias, acknowledging he had previously done work for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
In response to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said, "Israel doesn't commit war crimes, but defends itself from a terrorist organization which calls for its destruction".
Similarly, Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon noted, "This report was commissioned by a notoriously biased institution, given an obviously biased mandate".
By contrast, Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, praised the “condemnation” of Israel, whilst ignoring charges against Palestinian militants.
The UN report calls for cooperation with the ICC in The Hague. In fact, the ICC is conducting its own preliminary investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. This will include a chapter on the Gaza war.
This week the Palestinian government in Ramallah is also set to make its first submission to the ICC.
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