Ook België heeft de wet uiteindelijk aangepast, zodat Sharon niet vervolgd kon worden voor oorlogsmisdaden. Dit gebeurde echter pas nadat ook Belgische politici kans liepen met deze wet te worden vervolgd voor oorlogsmisdaden die in Congo zouden zijn gepleegd. Hoe dan ook, zijn dergelijke wetten niet bedoeld om politici van bevriende naties te vervolgen voor beslissingen waar wij het misschien niet mee eens zijn, maar voor het vervolgen van echte oorlogscriminelen en schurken zoals Idi Amin en Robert Mugabe.
RP
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Last update - 16:38 30/01/2009
Spain to amend law in bid to prevent war crimes probes against Israel
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaertz Service The Associated Press
Spain announced on Friday its plans to amend the law that granted a Spanish judge the authority to launch a war crimes investigation against senior Israeli officials.
The judge decided to launch an investigation against Israel's National Infrastructures Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and six other current or former Israeli officials over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed one Hamas militant and 14 other people, including nine children.
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos telephoned Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Friday, and told her his government was undertaking swift action to amend the law that made the launching of the probe against Israeli officials possible.
Livni welcomed Spain's decision to amend the law, and said it was an important announcement for the Israeli public.
"Legal systems around the world have been exploited by cynics whose sole purpose is to hurt Israel," she said on Friday. "It's good that Spain decided to put an end to this phenomenon."
Israel's Justice Ministry on Friday transferred documents to the Spanish court that had allowed the opening of the war crimes probe, urging the court to drop the charges.
On Thursday, Ben-Eliezer, who served as defense minister at the time of the bombing, blasted the decision as "ludicrous." He said that "even more than ludicrous, it is outrageous. Terror organizations use the courts of the free world and the mechanisms of democratic nations to file lawsuits against a country that operates against terror."
Judge Fernando Andreu said the attack by Israel, which targeted senior Hamas militant Salah Shehadeh in a densely populated civilian area, might constitute a crime against humanity.
"I do not regret my decision." added Ben-Eliezer. "Salah Shehadeh was a Hamas activist, an arch-murderer whose hands were stained with the blood of about 100 Israelis and who carried out the most heinous attacks against our citizens."
The Justice Ministry on Thursday sent the Israeli Embassy in Madrid a large amount of documents which included legal rulings and Supreme Court decisions dealing with the targeted killing of Shehadeh.
Israeli Ambassador to Spain Rafi Shotz will on Friday give the material to the Spanish judge in order to help bring a cancellation of the ruling.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak earlier Thursday lambasted Andreu's decision as "delusional."
"Whoever calls the assassination of a terrorist a 'crime against humanity' is living in an upside-down world," said Barak, in a statement released by his ministry.
Barak added that, "All senior officials in the security establishment, current and erstwhile, have acted appropriately on behalf of Israel and from a commitment to defend its citizens."
The judge is acting under a doctrine that allows prosecution in Spain of such an offense or crimes like terrorism or genocide even if they are alleged to have been committed in another country.
Andreu announced the probe in a writ issued Thursday.
The people named in the suit include Dan Halutz, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff and Israel Air Force commander at the time, as well as Ben-Eliezer.
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the decision to open the probe.
"It's absurd; Israel is fighting against war criminals and they are charging us with crimes?" said Netanyahu, speaking on Army Radio.
He added: "There is nothing more ridiculous and absurd than them accusing us, a democracy legitimately protecting itself against terrorists and war criminals, of these crimes; it is absurd and makes a mockery out of international law."
Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a wave of lawsuits by pro-Palestinian organizations overseas against Israelis involved in the latest Gaza fighting, claiming they were responsible for war crimes due to the harsh results stemming from the IDF's actions against Palestinian civilians and their property.
Senior Israeli ministers have expressed serious fears following the war about the possibility that Israel will be pressed to agree to an international investigation of the losses among non-combatants during Operation Cast Lead; or alternately, that Israelis will be faced with personal suits, such as happened to Israeli officers who were accused of war crimes in Britain for their actions during the second intifada.
Last update - 16:38 30/01/2009
Spain to amend law in bid to prevent war crimes probes against Israel
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaertz Service The Associated Press
Spain announced on Friday its plans to amend the law that granted a Spanish judge the authority to launch a war crimes investigation against senior Israeli officials.
The judge decided to launch an investigation against Israel's National Infrastructures Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and six other current or former Israeli officials over a 2002 bombing in Gaza that killed one Hamas militant and 14 other people, including nine children.
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos telephoned Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Friday, and told her his government was undertaking swift action to amend the law that made the launching of the probe against Israeli officials possible.
Livni welcomed Spain's decision to amend the law, and said it was an important announcement for the Israeli public.
"Legal systems around the world have been exploited by cynics whose sole purpose is to hurt Israel," she said on Friday. "It's good that Spain decided to put an end to this phenomenon."
Israel's Justice Ministry on Friday transferred documents to the Spanish court that had allowed the opening of the war crimes probe, urging the court to drop the charges.
On Thursday, Ben-Eliezer, who served as defense minister at the time of the bombing, blasted the decision as "ludicrous." He said that "even more than ludicrous, it is outrageous. Terror organizations use the courts of the free world and the mechanisms of democratic nations to file lawsuits against a country that operates against terror."
Judge Fernando Andreu said the attack by Israel, which targeted senior Hamas militant Salah Shehadeh in a densely populated civilian area, might constitute a crime against humanity.
"I do not regret my decision." added Ben-Eliezer. "Salah Shehadeh was a Hamas activist, an arch-murderer whose hands were stained with the blood of about 100 Israelis and who carried out the most heinous attacks against our citizens."
The Justice Ministry on Thursday sent the Israeli Embassy in Madrid a large amount of documents which included legal rulings and Supreme Court decisions dealing with the targeted killing of Shehadeh.
Israeli Ambassador to Spain Rafi Shotz will on Friday give the material to the Spanish judge in order to help bring a cancellation of the ruling.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak earlier Thursday lambasted Andreu's decision as "delusional."
"Whoever calls the assassination of a terrorist a 'crime against humanity' is living in an upside-down world," said Barak, in a statement released by his ministry.
Barak added that, "All senior officials in the security establishment, current and erstwhile, have acted appropriately on behalf of Israel and from a commitment to defend its citizens."
The judge is acting under a doctrine that allows prosecution in Spain of such an offense or crimes like terrorism or genocide even if they are alleged to have been committed in another country.
Andreu announced the probe in a writ issued Thursday.
The people named in the suit include Dan Halutz, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff and Israel Air Force commander at the time, as well as Ben-Eliezer.
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the decision to open the probe.
"It's absurd; Israel is fighting against war criminals and they are charging us with crimes?" said Netanyahu, speaking on Army Radio.
He added: "There is nothing more ridiculous and absurd than them accusing us, a democracy legitimately protecting itself against terrorists and war criminals, of these crimes; it is absurd and makes a mockery out of international law."
Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a wave of lawsuits by pro-Palestinian organizations overseas against Israelis involved in the latest Gaza fighting, claiming they were responsible for war crimes due to the harsh results stemming from the IDF's actions against Palestinian civilians and their property.
Senior Israeli ministers have expressed serious fears following the war about the possibility that Israel will be pressed to agree to an international investigation of the losses among non-combatants during Operation Cast Lead; or alternately, that Israelis will be faced with personal suits, such as happened to Israeli officers who were accused of war crimes in Britain for their actions during the second intifada.
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