Palestinian Government Forms Documentation Committee to Collect Testimonies for War Crimes Trials of Israeli Leaders and Soldiers

De facto government Documentation Committee collects testimonies for war crimes trials

Date: 27 / 01 / 2009 Time: 11:49
Gaza – Ma’an –

The de facto government in Gaza launched a Documentation Committee Tuesday, responsible for tracking and cataloguing Israeli war crimes against the people of Gaza.

The information will be collected against those who “committed massacres in the latest war against the Gaza Strip.” Heading the committee are de facto Minister of Justice Faraj Al-Ghoul and Judge Deya Ad-Din Al-Madhoun.

Al-Ghoul noted that the information collected would be sent to the international courts, where the information will be used to press war crimes charges against Israeli army personnel and officials. The committee has over 160 members who were dispersed throughout the Gaza Strip to collect evidence, video documentation and narrative accounts from Gazan civilians.

The Judge Al-Madhoun noted that the crews have been authorized by head prosecutors and attorneys to collect evidence. They began their work on 24 January and will liaise with representatives of international and local rights organizations to ensure the information gets to a trial.

Abbas: PA wants international investigation into Israel's crimes

Date: 28 / 01 / 2009 Time: 09:04
Ramallah – Ma’an –

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority has called for an international investigation for Israeli war crimes.

In a news conference, Abbas said, “We demand an international investigation and we call upon the International Criminal Court to do it.”

“We will do our best to prove that Israel committed crimes,” the president said.

But Abbas also reserved criticism for Palestinians he also holds responsible for inciting Israel’s brutal assault, saying, “There are voices, such as [Hamas leader Khaled] Masha’al, Ahmed Jibril, Shallah and others, who speak of the will of the people and their homeland.”

“They do not live on the soil of this land; therefore, it is not their right to direct us and if they want to talk, let them be reasonable or let them be silent,” the president added.

According to Abbas, only the PA “represents the people.”

“We do not want to kill them. The people should live in dignity and stand on their feet to build a Palestinian state—with Jerusalem as its capital, and in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” he said.

“We want a national dialogue, without conditions and based on the formation of a government that does not bring back the siege back and that allows for democratic elections,” he added.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.