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Egyptian and Palestinian activists call for forming an Arabian committee to pursue Israelians war criminals
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11/3/2008
At the end of a workshop held by EOHR on Tuesday 11/3/2008 at its premises under the title of “Crimes against humanity in Gaza strip and West Bank” , professors of international law and human rights activists and members of people’s assembly called for providing the international protection for Palestinian people in the face of war that being launched by Israeli occupation forces and the necessary for documenting Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people along the lines of what happened in Serbia and Rwanda . Participants described these crimes as "war crimes against humanity " and their committers should be pursued . They called for forming an Arabian committee to handle the issue as this committee will document Israeli crimes against Palestinian and Arab people and will include a group of legal experts and human rights activists .
Mr. Hafez Abu Seada , Secretary General of the Egyptian Organization For Human Rights, assured that Israel practices a war crime in Gaza Strip and West Bank according to the law terms of Rome related to the international criminal law . This law defined war crimes as “ attacks committed deliberately against civilians who don’t participate in hostilities deeds “ .
These crimes contradict with the international covenants for human rights and Articles 33-146-147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention in 1949 . The first passage of Article 33 confirmed that punishment shouldn’t be imposed upon a person who doesn’t commit a violation , the article banned collective punishments and all forms of terrorism . Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, denied murder, torture and illegal deportation and deliberate deprivation of the rights of fair and regular trials, and the extensive destruction and confiscation for possessions inexcusably . This destruction violates the last passage of Article 85 of the first Geneva Protocol in 1977 subjoined to the agreements of 1949 which stipulates that the violation of this Protocol and agreements and the international covenants on fighting racial discrimination and racialism , and the convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide as well as Article 5 of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Crime of Apartheid are considered crimes of war , Abu Seada added
Abu Seada, called for the necessary moving on the international level and taking serious steps to prosecute the Israeli leaders through the principle of comprehensive jurisdiction competence which was applied in some states such as Belgium for bringing suit against Israel leaders before Belgium courts as war criminals just as the Belgium government previously asked the Senegal government to deliver Hissene Habri , refugee and former president of Tashad , to be trialed before Belgium courts as a war criminal . Also four military commanders in Rawanda were prosecuted according to the same principle mentioned and the earlier suit against the former Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon , prosecuted by survivors of Sabra and Shatila massacre but the case was turned down on 26- 6 -2002 by the Court of Appeal arguing that the law of the court does not allow to prosecute the person who commit crimes against humanity except for the existence of this person on the Belgium territories at the time of prosecution but such a case does not abolish the accuse of Sharon of being a war criminal .
Mr.Raji Sourani , director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the vice chairman of the International Federation for Human Rights , described that the last year was the worst on the Palestinians since the beginning of the Israeli occupation ,as Israel practices systematically killing operations against Palestinian civilians through violence or starvation . Israel in the last period prevented food to reach to Palestinians deliberately as it doesn’t allow to enter more than 17 kinds of food to Gaza Strip besides, preventing electricity and medicine . The unemployment rate became 68% after the closure of three thousands factory , even now nearly 90% of Palestinian people are living under the poverty line the matter which epidemics and disease prevailed accordingly .
Sourani indicated that Israel succeeded in the scheme of judaization for the east Jerusalem where number of settlers increased to reach 200 000 persons and the apartheid wall will be finished at the end of this year amid international and Arab silence .
Sourani called Arabian , Palestinian and international human rights organizations for pursuing almost 37 Israeli war criminals as there are suites prosecuted against them before American and European courts .
Dr. Abdullah ElAsh’al, former assistant for foreign affair minister ,agreed with Mr.Sourani’s point of view . He called the Arabian organizations for not losing hope in pursuing Israeli war criminals and registering their crimes in American and international courts . He indicated that negligence to follow up Israeli war criminals will encourage Israelians to continue their crimes .
El Asha’al added that Israel becomes savage due to the result of the vulnerability and weakness of the Arab word . Peace word became useless at the time which Arabian diplomatic language became the language of impotent and Supplicant , he pointed out that there is a trend in the Arabian world to delude Arab peoples . He quoted the statement of the Iranian president ,Mr. Ahmadi Nagad , who said that Jews solved their problems at the expense of the Arab world .
Dr. Ahmed Sabet , professor of political science at Cairo University , confirmed the importance of taking care of legal dimension for Palestinian situations under occupation . Israel is a settlement entity practiced the policy of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian owners of the land amid Arab silence and international collusion .He confirmed that what is happening in Gaza now fall within the policy of collective punishment and the crime of genocide established internationally.
Mr. Ahmed Seif El Islam ,director of the Centre of Hisham Mubarak for legal professions , clarified that the worst scenario for Palestinian people represents in the violations committed amid the silence of international forces including the United Nations . He called for defending the case of Palestine on the international level through establishing public courts in European countries to be an alternative to the international legal courts in order not to lose the sympathy of world peoples upon the Palestinian case.
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