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Israeli army investigating if north Gaza killings violated international law: Report
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the army has identified “at least 16” attacks on northern Gaza that it will investigate as it comes under intense international scrutiny for its offensive in the territory.
Since October 6, Israel has relentlessly bombed northern Gaza, killing at least 1,000 people, cutting the area off aid and demolishing many homes and other structures in what many say is an attempt at ethnic cleansing.
Haaretz reported that the army is having trouble justifying the scale of the killings and destruction.
The investigations of the attacks between October 21 and November 2 will be conducted by the “General Staff Mechanism for Fact-Finding Assessments, aka FFA Mechanism”, according to the daily.
“These inspections are conducted if there’s a suspicion that the attack was disproportionate, or exceeded international law,” it reported. “The General Staff investigation system sends its recommendations to the Military Advocate General, which decides whether to open a criminal investigation.”
Citing human rights organisations, the report adds that, based on its track record, this so-called accountability mechanism will be used to cover up illegal acts without leading to any criminal investigations.
“FFA Mechanism investigations last for years (compared to several days or weeks in other armies), and most of them are closed without initiating a criminal investigation against those involved,” Haaretz says.
How Israel has decimated local food production in Gaza
It’s not just Israel’s restrictions on the entry of food aid that are contributing to the hunger crisis in Gaza. It’s also the Israeli military’s decimation of local food production across the whole of the coastal enclave.
Before Israel launched its war on Gaza, about 42 percent of the Strip’s land was used for crops.
But according to the UN, the ongoing hostilities have resulted in “significant damage” to the agricultural sector, including cropland, greenhouses, agricultural infrastructure, wells and solar panels.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization says:
- Nearly 70 percent of cropland – which contributed up to one-third of daily consumption – has been destroyed
- More than 70 percent of olive trees and orchards have been burned to the ground
- About 95 percent of cattle and more than half of sheep and goat herds have died.
Israel is unstoppable as long as US scoffs at idea of international law
“About 95 percent of Israel’s weapons come from the United States and Germany, so as long as those countries scoff at the idea of international law, we won’t get anywhere with the calls for an arms embargo against Israel,” Mohamad Elmasry, professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, tells Al Jazeera.
“There has been a suggestion that there might be a draft resolution put forward at the United Nations Security Council,” he added. “There is no question in my mind that nearly all of the countries on the Security Council would support that resolution”.
All countries except for the US, Elmasry continued.
“There is also no question in my mind that the United States would veto it, so one of the reasons why we are where we are is because of the United States.”
