US demands Israel war crimes probe
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[Excerpt:]
"However, Dan Kosky, the communications director of Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, told The News that the legal rhetoric to describe alleged Israeli war crimes was often ‘simplistic and misleading.’ ‘NGO’s routinely accuse Israel of a ‘disproportionate response’ or ‘collective punishment,’ describing them as ‘war crimes’ as if it were a closed case,’ said Kosky. ‘They ignore the very complex legal issues over proportionality, the dilemmas of defining collective punishment and even omit the very basic fact that the killing of civilians in warfare is not illegal under international law.’ Kosky also discussed various attempts to bring war crimes charges against Israeli military and political figures. ‘Almost every case over the past few years has been submitted by an NGO, including those against Doron Almog, Moshe Ya’alon and Ariel Sharon in Belgium. What is important to understand is that none of these cases has ever been accepted by a foreign court. It is merely a PR exercise for these groups. They know that the likelihood of their complaint proving successful is extremely minimal, but they achieve their goals simply through the publicity that each case generates. Many of these groups view the law courts as another weapon in their efforts to demonise Israel,’ added Kosky. In addition, Kosky noted that the US had experienced the complexities of asymmetric warfare and fighting terrorism in a way in which many Europeans have not. ‘As a result, US political and military leaders such as Donald Rumsfeld and Tommy Franks have also been the targets of lawsuits. Perhaps this experience has resulted in a greater understanding of Israel’s position on these issues,’ explained Kosky."