ACCOUNTABILITY FOR WAR VIOLATIONS

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded that the European Union should press for a comprehensive and impartial international inquiry into allegations of serious violations of international law committed by Israeli and Palestinian forces in Gaza and southern Israel. In a letter sent to EU foreign ministers attending the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Brussels, Human Rights Watch said that “failure to push for accountability in Gaza would undermine the credibility of both the EU as a global voice for international justice and international justice institutions themselves.”

“The European Union should publicly call for an international investigation into violations of international law during the Gaza conflict,” said Lotte Leicht, EU director of Human Rights Watch. The letter presents Human Rights Watch’s basic findings on laws-of-war violations committed by Israel that are: the ongoing closure of Gaza, amounting to collective punishment; the use of high-explosive heavy artillery as well as of air-burst white phosphorus munitions in densely populated areas; the shooting of unarmed civilians holding white flags; the targeting of civilian structures; inadequate warnings to civilians of impending attack; and the wanton destruction of civilian property.