Amnesty calls on ICC to take jurisdiction over Goldstone findings
Amnesty International has called for the United Nations to refer the outrageously biased Goldstone Report findings to the International Criminal Court. Israel has not signed the treaty acceding to the International Criminal Court, nor has Hamas. The 'Palestinian Authority' has not signed the treaty but has agreed to the 'court's jurisdiction.
"Both Israeli and Hamas authorities have been given adequate time and opportunity to ensure justice for the victims, yet they are both failing to do so," said Widney Brown, a senior director of international law and policy at Amnesty.
"An international justice solution must now be found."
"Victims have waited long enough," Brown said. "It's now time the ICC prosecutor sought a decision on whether the Palestinian declaration submitted in 2009 allows him to act. If the Pre-Trial Chamber determines that the ICC has jurisdiction, the prosecutor should open an investigation into crimes committed by both sides during the Gaza conflict, without delay."
Amnesty also called on national authorities of all states to investigate and prosecute crimes committed in the Gaza conflict in their national courts on behalf of the international community, saying that all states can prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, regardless of where they are committed. This is commonly known as universal jurisdiction.
The controversial principle has been exploited by activists over the years to try and arrest Israeli officials visiting the UK.
Amnesty also urged the UN Human Rights Council to "recognize the failure" of the investigations conducted by Israel, and called on the Hamas de facto administration in the Gaza Strip to comply with international law and standards.
Amnesty also wants to refer the committee of independent experts' report to the UN General Assembly and asks that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon place the report before the Security Council.
I assume the 'victims' to whom they are referring are the Hamas terrorists, because Israelis were being rocketed for more than three years (actually longer but for these purposes it's sufficient to measure the rocket fire after the Gaza expulsion) and no one at Amnesty or any other 'international organization' gave a damn. As to the Hamas terrorists - the overwhelming majority of the Operation Cast Lead casualties - they got their justice during Operation Cast Lead.
The PA has ignored the calls of leftist groups like AI - to prosecute Israel for now. But that is scant comfort when that legal Sword Of Damocles is still hanging over Israel's head in the context of the direct peace talks.
Make no mistake: what the so-called human rights NGOs really want is Jewish blood and nothing Israel could do would ever satisfy them.
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