Israel’s Attorney General, Elyakim Rubinstein warned Tuesday that the new International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague which begins work in July, may indict Israelis moving into settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for war crimes.
Israel’s Justice Ministry officials said Tuesday that a special team has been tasked to prepare for the new court.
Rubinstein, speaking at a Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting on the authorities of the international court regarding Israelis, said that this tribunal may also discuss the indictments of Israeli soldiers and officers over their involvement during the April raid on Jenin and other Palestinian-controlled areas.
"We believe in the purity of arms of Israeli troops," Rubinstein was quoted as saying by Haaretz.
The International Criminal Tribunal is the first permanent international body authorized to judge individuals for serious violations of international humanitarian and civil rights laws. The Rome Convention for the establishment of such a court was adopted on July 17, 1998, and was ratified by 60 countries, going into effect in May of this year.
Israel has not yet ratified the convention, fearing that the tribunal guidelines would be political and not purely judicial. (Albawaba.com)
