Court action against Ehud Barak

The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) has been reliably informed that formal proceedings will be launched in a London court this morning for the arrest of Israel’s Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, for war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip during the period December 2008 – January 2009.

Prominent human rights solicitors Tayab Ali, Imran Khan and Michel Abdul Messih, QC have been instructed by survivors and relatives of victims in Gaza to launch the action.

Barak is believed to be responsible for the murder of hundreds of Palestinian children during the first few months of the Aqsa Intifada in 2000 and 2001.

In June 2007, he imposed a siege on Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. Human rights organizations have described the siege as a form of collective punishment, a grave violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

On 27th December 2008, Israel’s military and political leadership, including Ehud Barak, ordered the aerial bombardment of Gaza’s population centers. The attacks involved hundreds of raids, which dropped hundreds of tons of bombs including the internationally prohibited white phosphorous.