Colombia Looks to Prosecute Israeli PM over Assumed War Crimes in Gaza
Date
11/12/2023 2:58:21 AM
(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro has declared his country's intention to pursue legal action against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged atrocities committed against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The announcement comes as Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva is scheduled to meet with International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors to formally press charges against Netanyahu, accusing him of causing the "massacre of the Palestinian people's children and civilians."
President Petro revealed on social media that Colombia will contribute to a complaint filed by the Republic of Algeria with the ICC against Netanyahu for war crimes. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had earlier called on the ICC to intervene and stop Israel's campaign against Gaza, urging human rights organizations and Arab nations to take legal action against the Israeli Prime Minister.
Adding to the legal efforts, three non-governmental organizations—Al-Haq, Al Mezan, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights—filed a complaint urging the ICC to investigate Israel for "apartheid" and "genocide." They specifically pointed to the continuous barrage of Israeli airstrikes on densely populated civilian areas within the Gaza Strip.
The move by Colombia, traditionally considered a major non-NATO ally of the United States alongside Israel, introduces a diplomatic strain between the South American nation and Israel.
Tensions escalated when Israeli Ambassador Gali Dagan urged the Colombian government to endorse Netanyahu's military actions in Gaza. President Petro responded, condemning the "barbarity of the state of Israel against the Palestinian people" and advocating for an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with Israel.
The legal proceedings and diplomatic tensions underscore the complexities surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict and the differing perspectives on the actions taken by the Israeli government in Gaza.
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