New Zealand Attorney General stays prosecution of Israeli war crimes suspect

The Palestinian Centre for Human rights in Gaza reported that the prosecution of an Israeli war crimes suspect was stayed as part of a legal manoeuvre by the Attorney General of New Zealand to prevent the arrest or charge of the suspect while on a visit to New Zealand.


Moshe Ya’alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand on 28 November, despite a decision on 27 November 2006 by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, which is a criminal offence in New Zealand under the Geneva Conventions Act 1958 and International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000.


Moshe Ya’alon is a 56 year old Israeli national who was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005, answerable directly to the Prime Minister. Under his command the Israeli military were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory during its belligerent occupation.


Ya’alon ordered, in 2002, the bombing of a block of flats where Salah Shehadah, the Hamas military commander, resided. The IOF airforce dropped a one ton bomb on the building killing at least 14 civilians including children.


Furthermore, Reuters reported on Friday that Ya’lon was still in New Zealand as the arrest warrant against him was rescinded by New Zealand’s attorney general.


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Palestine [Issues]
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