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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/28/gaza-israel-un-inquiry-killings-protest-war-crimes-army
Inquiry accuses army of killing demonstrators ‘who were not posing an imminent threat’
Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem
Thu 28 Feb 2019 06.37 EST Last modified on Thu 28 Feb 2019 15.45 EST Shares 66,230 Israeli troops fire teargas at Palestinians protesting near the Gaza border fence Israeli troops fire teargas at Palestinians protesting near the Gaza border fence. Photograph: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters UN investigators have accused Israeli soldiers of intentionally firing on civilians and said they may have committed war crimes in their lethal response to Palestinian demonstrations in Gaza.
The independent Commission of Inquiry, set up last year by the UN’s human rights council, said Israeli forces killed 189 people and shot more than 6,100 others with live ammunition near the fence that divides the two territories.
The panel said in a statement that it had found “reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli snipers shot at journalists, health workers, children and persons with disabilities, knowing they were clearly recognisable as such”.
The Guardian view on the Gaza protests: a new challenge to Israel’s blockade Read more Thirty-five of those killed were children, three were clearly identifiable paramedics and two were clearly marked journalists, the report said.
Israel dismissed the report as “hostile, mendacious and slanted”.
The panel acknowledged “acts of significant violence” from the demonstrators, who threw stones, molotov cocktails and in several cases explosives at the fence and Israeli troops behind it.
It made clear, however, that such actions did not amount to combat or military campaigns, rejecting an Israeli claim of “terror activities” by Palestinian armed groups. “The demonstrations were civilian in nature, with clearly stated political aims,” it said.
Investigators also said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli troops had killed and injured Palestinians “who were neither directly participating in hostilities, nor posing an imminent threat.”
They said: “These serious human rights and humanitarian law violations may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.”
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HRC SECRETARIAT ✔ @UN_HRC #COIProtests: 81% of gunshots injuries where to the legs of demonstrators. 122 people had one or both legs amputated. 20 were children under 18 #Gaza #UN #HumanRights
129 1:35 AM - Feb 28, 2019 239 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Weekly protests have been held at the frontier between Israel and the Gaza Strip since March last year, calling for the easing of an Israeli blockade on people and goods. Rallies have also demanded recognition of the right of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere to return to their ancestral homes in Israel.
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Israel’s army has said its forces opened fire to protect against attacks and incursions. Four of its troops have been injured during the protests, and one soldier was killed by a bullet fired from Gaza.
The UN inquiry also found fault with the protest organisers, which include Gaza’s rulers, Hamas, for allowing the use of kites and balloons carrying cans of flaming petrol that have floated into Israel during rallies and torched fields.
Those acts caused fear among civilians and significant damage to property in southern Israel, the panel said.
The demonstrations continue, but the inquiry only investigated possible violations from the start of the protests on 30 March to the end of 2018. It conducted 325 interviews with victims and witnesses, it said, and analysed social media and audio-visual material, including drone footage.
Israeli authorities did not respond to repeated requests for information and access, the panel said.
Yisrael Katz, Israel’s acting foreign minister, said on Thursday that the investigation was “another hostile, mendacious and slanted report against the State of Israel”.
“No one can deny Israel the right of self-defence and the obligation to defend its citizens and borders from violent attacks,” he said.
A fuller report will be presented to the human rights council in Geneva on 18 March.
+1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be indicted on corruption charges
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-indicted-bribe-fraud-charges-n977571
The announcement marks the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister faces criminal charges of this nature.
Israel's attorney general announces plans to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu FEB. 28, 201901:01 Feb. 28, 2019, 8:16 AM PST / Updated Feb. 28, 2019, 1:55 PM PST By Yuliya Talmazan and Paul Goldman Israel's attorney general announced Thursday that his office plans to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges after a two-year investigation.
The prime minister faces one count of bribery and three counts of breach of trust.
"The Attorney General, Avihai Mandelblit, has informed the Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, through his attorney, that he is considering indicting him on several criminal charges," according to a statement by Ministry of Justice spokesman Adi Livni.
Prosecutors would have to go forward with a pre-indictment hearing before Netanyahu is formally charged.
"It should be noted that the decision regarding an indictment is not yet final, since the Attorney General will offer to conduct a pre-indictment hearing before reaching any final decision, according to Israeli law," according to Livni's statement.
With elections just six weeks away, Netanyahu called the prosecution's announcement "outrageous" and an "unprecedented witch hunt" carried out by his liberal opponents.
The prime minister vowed to refute all allegations which he said are "blood libel."
Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases.
Netanyahu claimed his predecessors have received small gifts similar to what he has been accused of taking, but were not charged.
"If it not Bibi — there’s no investigation," Netanyahu said, referring to himself by his nickname.
Netanyahu rejects allegations of corruption FEB. 28, 201901:08 The most serious allegations against Netanyahu involve his relationship with Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israel's telecom giant Bezeq.
Police recommended an indictment in the case based on evidence collected that confidants of Netanyahu promoted regulatory changes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Bezeq. In exchange, they believe Netanyahu used his connections with Elovitch to receive positive press coverage on Bezeq's popular subsidiary news site, Walla. Police have said their investigation concluded that Netanyahu and Elovitch engaged in a "bribe-based relationship."
Police also recommended charges be brought against Elovitch, members of his family and members of his Bezeq management team.
Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases. One involves accepting gifts from billionaire friends, and the second revolves around alleged offers of advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in return for favorable coverage.
Netanyahu, 69, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called the various allegations against him a witch hunt aimed at removing him from office.
The attorney general's decision to publish his conclusions 39 days prior to the general election on April 9 is raising questions about what impact it can have on the outcome of the vote.
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WORLD NEWS Analysis: Benjamin Netanyahu's embrace of far-right extremists may seal his fate Israeli media reported Thursday that with just hours to go before Mandelblit's anticipated decision to indict Netanyahu, his Likud Party filed a petition to the Supreme Court to stop the announcement from happening before the election on the grounds that it would unfairly impact on Netanyahu's prospects of re-election. However, the court's spokesperson confirmed later in the afternoon that the petition was rejected.
The announcement marks the first time in Israeli history that a sitting prime minister faces criminal charges of this nature.
Legal experts in Israel say it could take up to a year for a hearing process into the charges to end and an additional two years for a court case to be heard.
While Israeli prime ministers are not required by law to resign if charged, the prospect of a prime minister standing trial while simultaneously running the country would be uncharted territory.
In response to the indictment, Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute said Netanyahu should consider carefully whether it’s best for him to stay on as prime minister or resign and focus on proving his case in the courts.
“We cannot ignore the serious potential damage to the public's trust in the state’s institutions caused by a situation in which the government is headed by an individual charged with criminal misconduct involving abuse of power,” the organization’s statement said.
The institute says the timing of the announcement doesn’t constitute “an inappropriate influence on the elections” because it was made “within a reasonable amount of time before the elections, taking into account both the public’s right to know and the desire not to intervene in the electoral process.”
Israeli law professor Avi Bell, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based Kohelet Policy Forum, said the indictment inserts law enforcement officials into the political arena “in an unprecedented way, and on a very shaky legal foundation.”
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WORLD NEWS Netanyahu appears to say war with Iran is common goal President Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has forged a close connection, said " done a great job as prime minister" in response to a question in Hanoi, where he was holding a summit with the leader of North Korea.
"He's tough, he's smart, he's strong," Trump said of the Israeli leader, but didn’t comment on the indictment.
Netanyahu rushed back Wednesday from a diplomatic mission to Moscow, and a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, to prepare for his expected rebuttal to the charges on Thursday.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is Netanyahu's former cabinet secretary.
While no stranger to scandal, this was the first time Netanyahu faced the possibility of being formally charged with a crime.
Netanyahu and his family's luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has come under scrutiny before. Nearly six years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family's taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream.
CORRECTION (Feb. 28, 2019, 12:56 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this story misstated the Israeli attorney general's decision regarding an indictment for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The attorney general said he plans to issue the indictment, but has not done so yet.
= US on the wrong side of history...AGAIN. ---------------------------------------------------------------
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