RAMALLAH, April 4 (JMCC) - Israel plans to fight possible court cases brought against its officials in Europe using an opinion piece published by international jurist Richard Goldstone,
reports the
Jerusalem Post.
In the Washington Post
op-ed published Friday, Goldstone expressed confidence in Israeli investigations of military conduct during its 22-day war on Gaza in 2008-2009.
The author of a UN report on possible war crimes during Operation Cast Lead also said that had evidence produced in Israeli investigations been available to his team, they would have written a different report.
An Israeli official says that these views will be used to fight possible war crimes charges in European courts.
According to the officer, Goldstone’s faith in the Israeli legal system could also be instrumental in preventing charges from being brought against Israeli politicians and IDF officers who travel to Europe in the future.
IDF officers have been under strict travel restrictions since Operation Cast Lead due to fear that they could be arrested in countries like Spain and England, which abide by universal jurisdiction in their legal systems.
Former foreign minister Tzipi Livni had to cancel a trip to London in 2009 over concerns that she would be arrested for the role she played in Operation Cast Lead.
“The concern has decreased since now it will be very difficult for prosecutors and judges to claim that the Israeli legal system cannot be trusted,” the senior officer said, adding that this would also apply to efforts by Palestinians to bring charges against Israel before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.