The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) unreservedly condemns the Israeli Military Attorney General’s decision to close the case of the Samouni family without initiating any prosecutions.
The Samouni case involved numerous well-documented allegations of war crimes, including the willful killing of 27 civilians, the direct targeting of civilians and civilian objects resulting in the injury of 35 civilians, and the denial of medical care for the wounded. This incident, which took place over a number of days, was one of the most horrific single events in Israel’s 27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009 offensive on the Gaza Strip.
PCHR has filed criminal and civil complaints on behalf of 62 victims in relation to the Samouni incident, and has provided significant evidence to the Israeli authorities regarding the incident, often without response.
The Israeli military’s claim that allegations of war crimes committed in relation to the Samouni case are ‘groundless’ simply defies belief.
PCHR believes that this incident emphatically underlines the flaws inherent in Israel’s investigative system, which have been documented in detail elsewhere, and endorsed by the UN Committee of Experts. Simply put, this system comprehensively fails to meet international standards.
Given the flaws inherent in this system – which three and a half years later has failed to result in a single effective war crimes indictment – PCHR believes that Israel’s legal system is used as a smokescreen to provide an illusion of investigative rigour, while in fact providing systemic cover for widespread violations of international law. more
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