December 25, 2009

MP Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, called for the indictment of Israeli officials before international courts, "because they have committed war crimes during the aggression on Gaza."

Barghouthi said in a written statement received by Quds Press, marking the first anniversary of the Israeli war on Gaza, "Israel has killed 1,410 people, mostly unarmed civilians, including more than 400 children and used internationally prohibited weapons such as white phosphorus, dumdum bombs and others that released fragments that led to the maiming of hundreds of citizens, mostly children. And on top of this they targeted schools, public institutions and civilian homes."

He pointed out that, "Israel has committed seven war crimes in the Gaza Strip namely: the abuse and killing of civilians, the excessive use of force, the denial of medical personnel access to injured civilians, the wounding and the attack on medical teams, centres and medical institutions and the destruction of the environment, infrastructure and continuous siege imposed on the population. Each one of these violations is a war crime that is punishable under international law."

Barghouti also called for taking the Goldstone report to the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli war criminals, as well as activating the decision of the International Court of Justice on the separation wall, that was built by the Israeli authorities across the Occupied West Bank, pointing out that "the decision must be transferred immediately to the United Nations to support international demands for the imposition of sanctions on Israel."