EU President Should Be Tried for Complicity in Israel’s War Crimes, Says Top UN Expert on Palestine

As the International Court of Justice takes its next strategies on inspecting and prosecuting war crimes in Israel s war on Gaza the top expert on Palestine at the United Nations is pushing for even more international accountability In a wide-ranging special interview with The Intercept U N special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese called for top European Union agents including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to face charges of complicity in war crimes over their promotion for Israel during its -month assault on Gaza They will have to understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity The fact that the two highest figures of the EU continue business as usual engagements with Israel is beyond deplorable Albanese disclosed I m not someone who says History will judge them they will have to be judged before then And they will have to understand that immunity cannot equate with impunity Israel has killed more than people and destroyed almost all of Gaza s civilian infrastructure since an attack by Hamas in October Largest part of the dead were civilians including tens of thousands of women and children Israel s initial aim of returning hostages taken by Hamas morphed into a U S -backed vision for ethnically cleaning Palestinians from Gaza To that end Israel s army has intensified lethal attacks along with a watertight embargo on food water electricity and aid It is impossible not to see this as an intent to exterminate the EU s former foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell wrote late last month A complaint against the Leyen the European Commission president was filed at the International Criminal Court last May for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza Since taking office in December the bloc s new foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has blamed Hamas for an Israeli decision to end its ceasefire in March continued normal diplomatic relations and vowed to stand in solidarity with Israel The Genocide Convention calls upon signatories to not only punish but also prevent genocide disclosed Mouin Rabbani a Middle East analyst and non-resident fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies Here we have the two senior EU authorities not only refusing to take even symbolic action to prevent genocide but actively normalizing and supporting it in the full knowledge that their backing enables the crimes they nominally oppose So of lesson Special Rapporteur Albanese s points and observations are spot on and entirely correct A spokesperson for the European Commission the EU s executive body insisted that the bloc was still commited to international law arguing that the Europeans business and diplomatic relations with Israel allowed authorities to express their positions and concerns The spokesperson Gioia Franchellucci commented The association agreement with Israel is the legal basis of our ongoing dialogue with the Israeli agents and it provides mechanisms to discuss issues and advance our point of views Related EU Agents Will Claim Ignorance of Israel s War Crimes This Leaked Document Shows What They Knew Late last year The Intercept revealed that an internal account by a top EU human rights official called for European countries to suspend all political relations and arms trading with Israel due to evidence of war crimes Beyond demanding accountability from EU leaders Albanese explained she is working on a review which will expose banks pensions funds tech companies and universities for complicity in Gaza s destruction All those implicated and involved in the unlawful occupation in providing it with backing are aiding and abetting violations of international law and human rights violations and a number of these amount to crimes she disclosed There can be individual responsibility and individual liability for those who have been aiding and abetting or enabling such crimes Read our complete coverage Israel s War on Gaza Though the International Criminal Court has issued warrants for Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Middlesex University professor of international law William Schabas an expert on genocide commented that prosecuting a senior EU figure would break with precedent It s clear that there is a development he mentioned Not all of Israel s supporters around the world would be accomplices but she s the head of a very central intergovernmental organisation and is encouraging Israel But I think it s unreasonable to expect the prosecutor of the ICC to take it up because he s only issued a couple of arrest warrants identifying people in the Israeli ruling body and hasn t shown any interest in going further afield than that Schabas added Von der Leyen is clearly reflecting a position taken by countless EU governments which is one of very unconditional promotion of Israel and they re doing this flying in the face of community information suggesting that Israel is commiting terrible crimes in Gaza and the West Bank The latest calls for legal accountability come as the International Court of Justice populace hearing continues into Israel s obligations to allow humanitarian aid and aid agencies access to the occupied Palestinian territories The court has previously ruled that Israel s actions in Gaza may plausibly amount to genocide and ordered Israel to allow in more aid The issue has triggered global political upheaval and while playing it down Albanese explained that she and her family have been subjected to death threats since her overview Anatomy of a Genocide was published in March I come from a place that taught me that the mafia kills through silence It kills when people don t react to it My safety has become of a less of a certainty since since I presented my Anatomy of a Genocide description Albanese announced I ve received calls in the middle of the night making threats to me my family members my children Of curriculum I can t tell you that I m percent safe Of curriculum I m taking precautions Of curriculum where I live I have protection you never know but at the same time I won t let myself be paralyzed because of these mafia-style techniques I come from a place that taught me that the mafia kills through silence she disclosed It kills when people don t react to it This is why I m so motivated in what I m doing I will continue to speak until I have no more air in my lungs The post EU President Should Be Tried for Complicity in Israel s War Crimes Says Top UN Expert on Palestine appeared first on The Intercept