Israel Committing ‘Unforgivable’ Crimes Against Humanity in Gaza
The Islamist Ra’am Knesset party on Thursday accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza, after its leader Mansour Abbas came under fire from some Arab Israelis, including calls for his resignation from within his own party, for refusing to answer a question on the matter during a Hebrew-language interview.
Chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court Karim Khan announced earlier this week that he was seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”
In the same announcement, Khan said he was seeking warrants for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s ruler in Gaza; the terror group’s military chief, Mohammed Deif; and the leader of the organization, Ismail Haniyeh.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page on Wednesday evening, Ra’am stated that from day one, it has warned that “wars cannot bring about any solution” and has advocated for an end to the fighting and a two-state solution as a way to bring about lasting peace.
“The killing of innocent people of any religion anywhere in the world is considered an unforgivable crime,” the statement continued. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip — starving children and women, cutting off humanitarian aid, in addition to the bombing of hospitals and mosques — are war crimes punishable by international law, and they are also unforgivable crimes against humanity.”
This is Ra’am’s official position, the statement stressed, adding that “anything less does not represent our official bodies and institutions.”
