Posted on 06/30/2008 2:41:18 PM PDT by forkinsocket
Several Israeli officials instructed not to visit European country due to international arrest warrant issued against them over their involvement in assassination of senior Hamas member Salah Shehade
The Foreign Ministry has instructed a number of Israeli officials not to visit Spain after an international arrest warrant was issued against them on suspicion of committing war crimes.
A Spanish human rights organization, believed to be representing a Palestinian group, filed a lawsuit last week against Israeli officials involved in the assassination of senior Hamas member Salah Shehade six years ago. Sixteen Palestinians were killed in the airstrike in the heart of Gaza.
Nearly all heads of the defense establishment at the time of the assassination are included in the list of defendants: Former Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, former IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General (Res.) Moshe Yaalon, former Shin Bet Director Avi Dichter, former Israel Air Force Commander Dan Halutz, former head of the IDF Operation Branch Major-General (Res.) Giora Eiland, and former Southern Command Chief Doron Almog.
Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is also on the list, despite the fact that he has been in a coma since suffering a stroke two and a half years ago. During his tenure as prime minister, Sharon gave the army the green light to assassinate the leader of Hamas' military wing.
Spain is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and has adopted a law allowing war crime lawsuits to be filed within its borders. According to the ICC's constitution, any of its members have the universal judicial authority to try suspected war criminals, even if the defendants or the acts they are suspected of have nothing to do with that particular country.
Since the war in Iraq, the United States has been pressuring European countries not to use this universal authority.
In the past, a petition was filed with the High Court of Justice against the appointment of Halutz as deputy IDF chief of staff on the backdrop of Shehade's assassination. Halutz was abroad during the operation, but asked in an interview how he felt when he found out of the operation's results, he said, "If you want to know how I feel when I release a bomb – I feel a small shake in the plane's wing. It passes a second later."
In response to the petition, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz informed the High Court that the defense establishment has formed a committee which would retroactively approve targeted assassinations.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will be able to ask the Spanish authorities to cancel such a lawsuit, arguing that the affair has already been discussed by the State of Israel's official legal institutions.
So, Israel, issue some warrants for Spanish officials. Execute said warrants.
Europe = Jew haters
(So, Israel, issue some warrants for Spanish officials. Execute said warrants.)
There you go............
I'm sure President Obama will be just fine with it, and so will Anthony Kennedy, since it will be the “evolving condition” of international justice.
I would love to see them arrest an Israeli official. The Mossad/IDF would have them out within an hour.
As I said after Spain’s craven surrender to Al Qaeda two years ago:
“Paz en nuestro tiempo, la paz de los muertos.”*
*Peace in our time, the peace of the dead.
The President is authorized to use all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any person described in subsection (b) who is being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court.
Of course they might want to broaden it a bit.
“A Spanish human rights organization, believed to be representing a Palestinian group, filed a lawsuit last week against Israeli officials..”
The next step will be for this Spanish human rights organization to issue warrants on American officials because of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan or where ever the war against terrorism is being fought. And with Obama as possible POTUS it will mean that these lawsuits will stick.
The ICC has explicit provisions for a crime to be tried in the home country first and only if there is no trial or a case can be made that the hearing was a sham can a defendant be arrested by a signatory to the ICC. It would cost a lot of money and the Israeli defendant could be held in jail until the issue is resolved but in the end I don't think the ICC could get a conviction.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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