Spain to amend law to avoid trying Israeli war criminals

Spain to amend law to avoid trying Israeli war criminals

The Spanish government has decided to amend the country”s law dealing with prosecuting military commanders involved in war crimes.


Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni announced the news following a meeting with her Spanish counterpart Miguel Moratinos after a Spanish court accepted a lawsuit against former Israeli war ministry Benjamin Ben Eliezer and the then head of the air force Dan Halutz on charges against humanity.


The Israeli 2nd TV channel quoted Livni as expressing satisfaction over Moratinos”s decision and informed both Israeli premier Ehud Olmert and justice minister Daniel Friedman on the latest developments in this regard.


She stressed that Israel would continue in its efforts to settle such cases not only in Spain but in the whole world, the TV report said.


Spanish judge Fernando Andreu agreed to look into the case against Ben Eliezer and Halutz along with five other former Israeli officials for ordering the assassination of Hamas commander Salah Shehade that also led to the killing of 14 innocent civilians mostly women and children.


The judge said that the assault on the densely populated Gaza Strip was a “crime against humanity” and the lawsuit was in conformity with the international law that incriminates mass murder in any country.


Shehade was killed in July 2002 in the Israeli air raid that bombed his home using a one ton bomb.