PCHR welcomes Spanish High Court ruling to apprehend six Israeli officials

Monday August 11, 2008 04:55

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, PCHR, welcomed on Sunday the decision of the Spanish High Court to issue arrest warrants against six current and former Israeli poetical and military leaders for their roles in committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian Center for Human Rights - PCHR

The six officials are Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Doron Almong, Moshe Ya’alon, Dan Halutz, Giora Eiland and Mike Hertzog.

The petition was filed to the High Court by the PCHR. It states that those officials are responsible for war crimes against humanity in Gaza and participated in dropping a one-ton bomb on a civilian neighborhood in Gaza city in 2002. Fifteen residents were killed and dozens were wounded.

Ben-Eliezer was serving as the Defense Minister, Ya’alon was the Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Eiland was the head of the national Security Council, Halutz was the commander of the Israeli Air Froce, Almog was military head of the Southern Command and Herzog served as a senior official of the Israeli Defense Ministry.

Raji Sourani, head of the PCHR, stated on Sunday that those officials are criminals who committed horrific crimes against humanity and participated in dropping the 15-ton bomb on the civilian neighborhood in Gaza.

The office of the Higher Prosecutor of the Spanish High Court said that Israel is battling in order to void this ruling as the court also issued arrest warrants against the six Israeli officials.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Sunday that the office of the Israeli General Attorney said that Israel is currently holding active talks with Spain to void these arrest warrants.

The Jerusalem Post added that Ofer Zalzberg, who co-chairs the Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation, an Israeli organization that promotes Israeli European ties, sad that this ruling, if not reversed, “could set a dangerous precedent”.

The PCHR, headed by Raji Sourani, welcomed this decision and stated that all of the officials in question are criminals and carried horrific war crimes against humanity.

Rourani added that “A one-ton bomb was thrown by the army at a civilian neighborhood and killed 15 residents”.