Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations in Beirut has issued a new book in Arabic titled: Crimes Perpetrated by Israel During Its Aggression Against the Gaza Strip: A Legal Study. The book is written by Dr. Abdelrahman Mohamad Ali, an expert of International Law. This new publication seeks to examine legal grounds for taking effective measures in the international arena to prosecute Israeli war criminals.
This medium-sized book of 128 pages is a legal study of the alleged crimes committed by Israel during its aggression on the Gaza Strip in the period extending from 27/12/2008 to 18/1/2009, in accordance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
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Title: Al-Jara’im al-Israeliyyah Khilal al-‘Udwan ‘ala Qita‘ Ghazzah: Dirasah Qanuniyyah (Crimes Perpetrated by Israel During Its Aggression Against the Gaza Strip: A Legal Study)
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In its first chapter, the book describes war crimes committed against Gaza during the Israeli aggression. The second chapter focuses on crimes against humanity, pointing out the material and moral elements of each crime separately, and presenting some facts that prove it was committed during the aggression. It also indicates the elements that should generally be present in order to classify those acts, as war crimes, or as crimes against humanity.
The third chapter discusses the various methods that could be used to prosecute Israeli war criminals, either through the ICC or through the exercise of universal jurisdiction in domestic courts.
In summary, the book points out that, while Israel claims that it had started its war against Gaza in order to stop Palestinian rockets from pounding southern Israel, and that it targeted only the strongholds of Palestinian resistance fighters, all human rights organizations’ reports assert that Israel has used excessive force. They also report that most of the targeted facilities were civilian public facilities or private properties located in the midst of crowded neighborhoods. This led to the mass murder of entire families, in breach of all international conventions.
This book also calls on those researchers and politicians, who are concerned with the Palestinian issue, to take into consideration its legal international dimension, in addition to its political and national dimensions. The book points out that the Palestinians have plenty of means to put legal pressure on Israel; one of them is to call on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibility and recognize the Palestinian state.
The importance of this book lies in the fact that it presents a distinguish academic study in Arabic of Israeli crimes, viewed from a specialized legal angle. The book is written by an expert of International Law and a holder of a certificate from the Centre for Studies and Research of the Hague Academy of International Law.
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