SwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Expert: Report on war crimes puts pressure on USA

More and more investigations come to the same conclusion: Israel's warfare in Gaza is all too brutal. Israel is becoming increasingly isolated, notes international law expert Jan Hallenberg. Even for allied USA, the UN's latest report means the pressure is increasing.

» Updated: 16 July 2024, 15:00

» Published: 12 June 2024

Expert: Report on war crimes puts pressure on USA
Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

More and more investigations are coming to the same conclusion: Israel's warfare in Gaza is excessively brutal.

Israel is becoming increasingly isolated, notes international law expert Jan Hallenberg. Even for allied USA, the latest UN report means the pressure is increasing.

Both Israel and the Palestinian factions the country is fighting in Gaza have broken the laws of war, a UN investigation has found. Israel has also committed crimes against humanity in both Gaza and the West Bank, according to the report.

It is serious for Israel that so many different investigations are coming to largely the same result, says Professor Jan Hallenberg at the Institute for Foreign Policy.

Terror-listed Hamas and six other Palestinian armed groups committed brutal war crimes during the 7 October attack on Israel, the investigators have found – including murder, torture, and sexual violence.

"Remarkable"

Since then, Israel has responded with a warfare consisting of a "broad and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in Gaza", according to the report. Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare, the commission alleges – a procedure that will affect Gaza's children "for decades to come".

Israel has not cooperated, according to the UN. Instead, the country is said to have actively hindered the investigation, including by not granting the commission access to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Israel's UN delegation in Geneva has already condemned the report's conclusions as part of a "political agenda" against the country. Very unfortunate, Jan Hallenberg believes.

As a researcher and analyst, it strikes me as remarkable that Israel is not cooperating with a UN investigation, he says.

The consequences are that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated, which is unfortunate for both Israel and the prospects for peace in the future.

Pressure on the USA

On the battlefield, the report – despite its gravity – is not expected to have any impact. But for the USA as an ally, the UN's conclusions mean that supporting Israel is becoming increasingly difficult to justify, Hallenberg predicts.

This puts pressure on the USA, he says.

Logically, it will become increasingly difficult for the USA to claim that Israel has not broken the laws of war, to give unconditional support to Israel's warfare.

The report – produced by an independent commission led by the UN's former chief of human rights, Navi Pillay – is the first in-depth UN investigation since the war started in October. The conclusions are expected to be used as a basis by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the ongoing process against Israel in The Hague.

The independent UN report is based on interviews with victims and witnesses, as well as thousands of verified open sources, satellite images, and forensic reports.

The report finds that terror-listed Hamas committed extensive war crimes during its large-scale attack on Israel on 7 October, which sparked the war. Women's bodies were used as trophies by male perpetrators, among other things. Taking hostages is also a war crime, the report finds.

In the months that have followed, Israel has committed war crimes and human rights violations, according to the report. Among other things, starvation has been used as a weapon, and civilians have been deliberately attacked. Israeli forces are also accused of forced displacement, sexual violence, torture, arbitrary detention, and "gender persecution" targeting Palestinian men and boys.

The investigation commission is led by the South African judge Navi Pillay, former high commissioner for human rights in the UN General Assembly. It also includes experienced UN experts Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti.

"It is absolutely necessary that all those who have committed crimes are held accountable", Pillay emphasizes in the report.

Source: OHCHR

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Trump chooses new Attorney General
1 MIN READ

Trump chooses new Attorney General

Norway: Suspected spy worked at the US Embassy
1 MIN READ

Norway: Suspected spy worked at the US Embassy

Pistorius does not want to take over power from Scholz
1 MIN READ

Pistorius does not want to take over power from Scholz

40 People Killed in Attack in Pakistan
1 MIN READ

40 People Killed in Attack in Pakistan

Police Investigation: Prosecute Bolsonaro for Coup Attempt
1 MIN READ

Police Investigation: Prosecute Bolsonaro for Coup Attempt

Reports: North Korean General Injured in Ukraine
1 MIN READ

Reports: North Korean General Injured in Ukraine

Gaetz drops out after suspicions of buying sex
2 MIN READ

Gaetz drops out after suspicions of buying sex

USA imposes new sanctions on Russia
1 MIN READ

USA imposes new sanctions on Russia

Russia significantly increases defense budget
1 MIN READ

Russia significantly increases defense budget

Foreign Minister: Sweden Supports the ICC's Work
2 MIN READ

Foreign Minister: Sweden Supports the ICC's Work

Expert: ICC decision puts Germany in a difficult situation
2 MIN READ

Expert: ICC decision puts Germany in a difficult situation

ICC: Netanyahu and Gallant guilty of war crimes
3 MIN READ

ICC: Netanyahu and Gallant guilty of war crimes

Trump's choice of minister investigated for assault
2 MIN READ

Trump's choice of minister investigated for assault

Kristersson on the attack: Trying to intimidate the West
2 MIN READ

Kristersson on the attack: Trying to intimidate the West

Mette-Marit's Son Will Not Appeal Detention Order
1 MIN READ

Mette-Marit's Son Will Not Appeal Detention Order

Expert: We are not closer to a nuclear war
2 MIN READ

Expert: We are not closer to a nuclear war

Half a Billion to Ukraine's Defense Industry
1 MIN READ

Half a Billion to Ukraine's Defense Industry

Putin: Tested new medium-range missile
3 MIN READ

Putin: Tested new medium-range missile

Death toll soars after bombing of Palmyra
1 MIN READ

Death toll soars after bombing of Palmyra

Three arrested – would have murdered Israeli minister
2 MIN READ

Three arrested – would have murdered Israeli minister