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Israeli army sniper in Chile accused of Gaza war crimes could face justice
A Chilean court is considering a criminal complaint against a former Israeli army sniper who served in Gaza during Israel’s more than two-year-long genocide on the coastal enclave and the Palestinian people.
Rom Kovtun’s own social media posts revealed he was holidaying in the country, opening the door to what legal experts call “universal jurisdiction”. Kovtun, an Israeli-Ukrainian, served as a sniper in Israel’s 424th Shaked Battalion in Gaza.
Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from Santiago, said images posted online show Kovtun swimming in a lake in south-central Chile with other former Israeli soldiers.
“His knack for posting leisure and wartime escapades on Instagram is what allowed the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) to file a criminal complaint in Chile, accusing him of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity,” she added.
Al Jazeera’s Newman reported that Kovtun laid siege to the enclave’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, between March and April 2024, allegedly playing a key role in the mass death of civilians and destruction that ensued. The siege denied water, food, medicine and electricity to all those inside, leading to the death of an estimated 500 doctors, nurses and patients, including newborn babies.
“Chile is a favourite holiday destination for Israeli soldiers who’ve completed their military service,” Newman said. “But they’re no longer as welcome.”
The South American nation is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora outside of the Middle East, and Chileans in general are seen as sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
Nevertheless, Newman noted that none of it would have “any bearing on the case”. “It’s a purely legal, complex judicial issue that could take time, enough time to allow the former Israeli sniper to be long gone,” Newman added.
Pro-Palestine activists acquitted of burglary at Israeli arms site in UK
All defendants in the Filton24 case in the United Kingdom have been formally acquitted of aggravated burglary at an Israeli arms company, after prosecutors said they could offer no evidence to support the charge.
At a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it was unable to proceed against those who had yet to go on trial, the Filton24 Defence Committee said in a news release.
The defendants, who are linked to the proscribed campaign group Palestine Action, are accused of taking part in a break-in at a UK branch of Elbit Systems in Bristol. Five of those granted bail, all on remand between 14-18 months, will all be released on Wednesday, apart from one person who will have to be granted bail for another case she is charged with first.
It’s the second high-profile win for Palestine Action, and the pro-Palestine community in general in the UK, after the High Court ruled last week that the government’s ban on Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful and disproportionate.
The decision on Wednesday comes after “the first six on trial from the Filton24 were all acquitted of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge by far levelled against the defendants, which carried a maximum sentence of life in prison,” the statement said.
“Three of the defendants, including Zoe Rogers, Fatema Zainab Rajwani and Jordan Devlin, were also acquitted of violent disorder. On the remaining counts, the jury reached no verdicts, meaning the six were not convicted of any offence.”
