ICC opens inquiry into possible war crimes in Gaza – RT

Posted by Jim W. Dean on January 19, 2015

More than 2,000 Palestinian and 60 Israeli persons died during the Israel's 2014 attack on Gaza.

Dr. Mads Gilbert in a Gaza operating room

 

Will the ICC follow through with a real investigation?

[ Editor’s Note: Israel is showing signs of panic with its huffing and puffing counteroffensive against the ICC war crimes investigation announcement.

So far we have the one-two punch of uber-racist Israeli foreign minister Lieberman threatening the ICC itself.

Could this mean Israel deploying some of its returning from Syria ISIL terrorists to Belgium to give Brussels a taste of the Paris treatment? The Intel networks are all abuzz with talk about the Zionist hardliners crowing about their counteroffensive on the Palestinian statehood votes, the ICC, and what may be just the beginning of a reverse Sampson option.

That is where Israel dishes out mayhem anywhere in Europe when it sees a profit in doing so. Unfortunately, the EU has set a bad example in Ukraine — if you desire some gain from it, then you have “the right” to do it.

After an earlier bombing in the Golan Heights, we see a very high-profile targeted killing by an Israeli helicopter strike of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander and aides who had been doing defense training in Syria.

The Zionists are clearly wanting to stir up the Lebanese front to get another shooting war started. And why not? The US has given them the keys to our ammunition stockpiles to help themselves when needed.

The Likuds like to have a little provocation, missiles launched in retaliation, and then a bombing campaign around election time. The response from Europe and the US has usually been the typical, “We support Israel’s right to self defense”, when that is not the question… but that of supporting aggression… Jim W. Dean ]

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-  First published …  January 16, 2014  –  Russia Today  -

The International Criminal Court in the Hague has opened a “preliminary examination” of possible war crimes conducted on Palestinian territory during the last year’s military conflict with Israel in Gaza.

A preliminary examination is the first step in the court’s legal process, and evaluates whether a full investigation is necessary.

In a statement released on the ICC website, its Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda promised that her office “will conduct its analysis in full independence and impartiality,” mentioning that no deadline has been set for announcing the results of the investigation.

Although the court may address fundamental issues, such as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories following the 1967 war, the examination is likely to hone on in on specific violations during the IDF incursion into Gaza last summer, in which more than 2,000 Palestinians, and 60 Israelis died.

Nabil Abuznaid, the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the Netherlands

“The case is now in the hands of the court“, head of the Palestinian delegation in The Hague, told Reuters. “It is a legal matter now and we have faith in the court system.”

Israel has lashed out at the proposed examination, calling the fast-track decision“scandalous.”

“This same court which after more than 200,000 deaths didn’t see fit to intervene in what was taking place in Syria or in Libya or in other places now finds it worthwhile to ‘examine’ the most moral army in the world,” said foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman in a statement.

“This decision entirely stems from anti-Israel political considerations.”

The Palestinian Authority will officially join the ICC on April 1, while Israel is not a member.

Israel’s Avigdor Lieberman

READ MORE: Netanyahu: Israel ‘won’t let its soldiers be dragged’ to ICC

Israel and the US have vehemently protested Palestine’s accession, claiming it will embroil the sides in a potential decades-long legal battle, and stall a negotiated diplomatic solution. Jerusalem has suspended $125 million in monthly financial transfers to the PA to signal its displeasure.

For Palestine, the ICC offers not only the chance to officially address its qualms with Israel’s action, but another milestone on the path to full statehood.

The move does, however, leave Palestine open to potential attacks on its own war crimes record, including the sponsorship of construction of rockets aimed at Israeli towns, and the use of civilians as human shields for terrorists.

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Background on this article — Legacy of 1948 Ethnic Cleansing…

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Jim W. Dean

Jim W. Dean is managing editor of Veterans Today wearing many hats from day to day operations, development, writing and editing articles. He also has an active schedule of TV and radio interviews as do the other VT editors, and some guest radio hosting on the Rense network.

Jim comes from an old military family dating back to the American Revolution. Dozens of Confederate ancestors fought for the South in the War Between the States. Uncles fought in WWII and Korea. His father was a WWII P-40 and later P-51 Mustang fighter pilot. Vietnam found several uncles serving, a cousin, and brother Wendell as a young Ranger officer. His mother was a WWII widow at 16, her first husband killed with all 580 aboard when the SS Paul Hamilton, an ammunition ship with 7000 tons of explosives aboard, was torpedoed off the coast of Algiers. 

He has been writing, speaking and doing public relations, television, consulting and now multimedia work for a variety of American heritage, historical, military, veterans and Intel platforms. Jim's only film appearance was in the PBSLooking for Lincoln documentary with Prof. Henry Lewis Gates, and he has guest lectured at the Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Gordon. 

Currently he is working to take his extensive historical video archives on line to assist his affiliated organizations with their website multimedia efforts, such as the Military Order of World Wars, Atlanta, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans , Assoc. for Intelligence Officers, the Navy League, Georgia Heritage Council, National Memorial Assoc.of Georgia.