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For the first time in history the Israeli Supreme Court will hear evidence next week against officials who are accused of committing war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza.

The charges against senior Israeli political and military officials, including Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni among others, will call into question the attack on Lebanon in summer 2006, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in late 2008, and an attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla in May 2010, according to Al Jazeera.
Lawyer Marwan Dalal is bringing the charges. Dalal belongs to Israel's Palestinian minority and is "the only Israeli lawyer to have served as a senior prosecutor in one of the international criminal courts at The Hague in the Netherlands," Al Jazeera reports. Dalal claims to have based his case on "strong factual and legal findings" from public sources, including reports of Israeli official inquiries.
Al Jazeera continues:
His evidence includes statements from senior Israeli officials in which they appear to implicate themselves in actions - including killing, collective punishment and attacks on civilian infrastructure - not justified by military necessity. Such acts are breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as Israeli law.
Dalal will argue before the court that the Israeli police are required to investigate the evidence in preparation for possible indictments for war crimes.
"The evidence is in the public realm and obliges Israeli prosecutors to order investigations," he said. "The failure to do so is unreasonable conduct and the court must rectify the matter."
The hearings will begin April 2nd.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
For the first time in history the Israeli Supreme Court will hear evidence next week against officials who are accused of committing war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza.

The charges against senior Israeli political and military officials, including Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni among others, will call into question the attack on Lebanon in summer 2006, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in late 2008, and an attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla in May 2010, according to Al Jazeera.
Lawyer Marwan Dalal is bringing the charges. Dalal belongs to Israel's Palestinian minority and is "the only Israeli lawyer to have served as a senior prosecutor in one of the international criminal courts at The Hague in the Netherlands," Al Jazeera reports. Dalal claims to have based his case on "strong factual and legal findings" from public sources, including reports of Israeli official inquiries.
Al Jazeera continues:
His evidence includes statements from senior Israeli officials in which they appear to implicate themselves in actions - including killing, collective punishment and attacks on civilian infrastructure - not justified by military necessity. Such acts are breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as Israeli law.
Dalal will argue before the court that the Israeli police are required to investigate the evidence in preparation for possible indictments for war crimes.
"The evidence is in the public realm and obliges Israeli prosecutors to order investigations," he said. "The failure to do so is unreasonable conduct and the court must rectify the matter."
The hearings will begin April 2nd.
______________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
For the first time in history the Israeli Supreme Court will hear evidence next week against officials who are accused of committing war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza.

The charges against senior Israeli political and military officials, including Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni among others, will call into question the attack on Lebanon in summer 2006, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in late 2008, and an attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla in May 2010, according to Al Jazeera.
Lawyer Marwan Dalal is bringing the charges. Dalal belongs to Israel's Palestinian minority and is "the only Israeli lawyer to have served as a senior prosecutor in one of the international criminal courts at The Hague in the Netherlands," Al Jazeera reports. Dalal claims to have based his case on "strong factual and legal findings" from public sources, including reports of Israeli official inquiries.
Al Jazeera continues:
His evidence includes statements from senior Israeli officials in which they appear to implicate themselves in actions - including killing, collective punishment and attacks on civilian infrastructure - not justified by military necessity. Such acts are breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as Israeli law.
Dalal will argue before the court that the Israeli police are required to investigate the evidence in preparation for possible indictments for war crimes.
"The evidence is in the public realm and obliges Israeli prosecutors to order investigations," he said. "The failure to do so is unreasonable conduct and the court must rectify the matter."
The hearings will begin April 2nd.
______________________