Brussels: New court to try Israel for war crimes - More Details - Controversial?

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DemocraticUnderground.com writes (nick 'Scurrilous' in the discussion):
Arab MK to attend tribunal on 'IDF war crimes'

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"A conference of individuals and nongovernmental organizations is to convene in Brussels on Friday to discuss what organizers call "the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon." MK Said Nafa (Balad) plans to attend.

The conference has been promoted as "an international jury of conscience," and will take the form of a mock international court with prosecutors, witnesses and judges, organizers said in a statement.

No names of those planning to participate in the conference were made available by the organizers.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post by phone from Belgium, Nafa said he was "invited as an observer to listen," and that he planned to raise the issues of the October 2000 riots in the Galilee (in which 12 Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian were killed) and home demolitions during the conference.

"The tribunal has no legal authority," Nafa said, but its "ruling" will be "declarative and aimed at influencing public opinion in the world. There's no doubt that the use of cluster bombs in Lebanon was a war crime, or at least a violation of the international conscience. Victims of the Lebanon war and of the siege on Gaza will testify at the tribunal, some who are experts on international law."

Israel's position would also be represented, Nafa said, but, "I don't know by whom."
The Knesset member said he decided to attend because of a decision by the Israeli-Arab leadership's Monitoring Committee to "turn to international tribunals" to circumvent Israeli courts. "Arab Israelis have no defense under Israeli national law," he said."

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And on DemocraticUnderground.com there was also this reaction:

Its a phony court called International Citizens'Tribunal

Edited on Mon Feb-25-08 01:23 AM by Dick Dastardly Its only purpose will be to try, and convict, Israel, over and over again. They are against the existence of Israel An international citizen's tribunal on the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon Brussels, 22-23-24 February 2008 Endorse the Tribunal! An international citizen's tribunal on the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon will be held in Brussels, Belgium, on February 22-24, 2008. The International Action Center has endorsed this tribunal and the work of the Commitee of International Citizens that is organizing the tribunal. More information is below: To contact the organizers: Email: contact.tribunal@yahoo.fr Blog: http://www.tciccg.over-blog.com Proposal for setting up international citizen's tribunal on deeds committed by Israeli army & secret services in Lebanon & occupied Palestinian territories JUSTICE FOR LEBANON! Feb. 22-24, 2008, Brussels Int'l Jury Schedule The crimes committed by the Israeli army in Lebanon during the summer 2006 are a violent affront to the universal human conscience. These are criminal acts, as many people feel instinctively. They are different from the acts that take place in all armed conflict committed by the aggressor as well as by the aggressed. But feeling is not enough. The facts must be established. They must then be assessed in light of existing international law. This should be done with the detachment and rigor of a process that excludes any a priori conclusions, the results of which will convince all people of good will. The international community is not an autonomous political and juridical body. It is but a summation of positions adopted by a certain number of governments. In many situations it has proved incapable of applying existing law by distancing itself from geopolitical or ideological contingencies. This impunity has covered up the numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been committed since the end of World War II. The unilateral attitude of the United States of America, like the double-speak of many European governments, make it necessary for those defending the law to take the place of failed political powers. The American administration is against any questioning of Israel’s role in acts committed in Lebanon. EU countries like Germany, Great Britain, Finland and France refuse to support a request formulated at the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the use by the Israeli armed forces of arms that are prohibited by international law. The systematic disinformation practiced by an overwhelming majority of the media deprives Western public opinion of balanced information. All this justifies an initiative by the citizens themselves. A group of citizens gathering human rights or ecological activists, humanitarian workers, jurists, political scientists, all friends of Lebanon, enjoying the support of more than 300 opinion leaders all over the world, is planning to organize, in Brussels (Belgium), on 22-23-24 February 2008, the meeting of an “international jury of conscience”. During the opening session, a statement of charge will introduce the process. It is based on a report issued by the Human Rights Committee of the Lebanese Parliament about the crimes committed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF – official name of the Israeli armed forces) between 12 July and 14 August 2006 in Lebanon. The following sessions will give the opportunity to testify to Lebanese victims and survivors, to Lebanese and foreign witnesses, to Lebanese jurists, to representative of international human rights organizations. The Israeli side will have the possibility to present explanations. The jury, formed by prominent magistrates from the 5 continents, will present conclusions. On Saturday evening, a roundtable will give the floor to international experts on Lebanon. Such an initiative requests funds. The organizing team has to buy flights tickets and to book hotel rooms for all the people coming from Lebanon but also for the 5 members of the jury. The renting of the rooms in the conference center and the fees for the translators have also to be paid. The total budget reaches 125.000 US dollars. Feel free to support a citizen’s initiative that must take place due to the lack of concern by official sides. Raoul Marc JENNAR & Leila GHANEM, co-organizers Hosting Bank account : URFIG, Bruxelles, IBAN : BE60 0682 3497 7170; BIC : GKCCBEBB, with this message : “support to the International Jury of Conscience Lebanon” http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/leb-trib-letter0208 / http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/leb_jury-sched0208 / The signatories http://www.iacenter.org/palestine/Leb_tribunalcall-0208 / More info http://tciccg.over-blog.com/article-4596412-6.html http://rtsf.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/56 / http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=52734 http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_26011.sht... http://www.petitiononline.com/un040806/petition.html A fake "international court" designed purely to vilify Israel Misozionistic people, those who loathe the very idea of Israel existing in any form and spend uncounted hours coming up with ways to show their hate, have come up with a new idea: "Let's set up an international tribunal whose only purpose will be to try, and convict, Israel, over and over again!" Sounds silly? Think again After much searching, I found the webpage of this group, in French. http://tciccg.over-blog.com / This group does not even have its own Internet domain, which means it might not even have $5 in support. It is on a blog site. It calls itself the "Tribunal citoyen international contre les crimes de guerre au Moyen Orient", the "International Citizens' Tribunal on war crimes in the Middle East." Its founder, Raoul Marc Jennar, makes no pretense of objectivity: The doctrine that underpins the State of Israel was incompatible with international law.