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[bacasper]

It's a crime double-header! Is everyone in this government a criminal?

Austria: Genocide Charges against Ehud Barak

By Kawther Salam � Dec 15th, 2009 at 19:13 �

Yesterday, at almost the same time when Ehud Barak was being given military honors at the defense ministry, genocide charges against him were being presented at the office of the Austrian prosecutor, only about 15 minutes walking away.

The charges relate entirely to the Gaza massacre committed between December 2008 and January 2009 by Israeli troops under the command of Ehud Barak, and the whole allegation of crimes in the letter to the prosecutor consists of the so-called �Goldstone Report� itself, and it names as witnesses the members of the commission, judge Goldstone and his colleagues, as well as their interview partners.

At the time when these charges were being presented, the news that an arrest warrant had been issued against Tzipi Livni in the UK had not yet transcended; this only became known 000_9425ain the evening hours, and as of today 15 December, it appears that the Austrian authorities have not taken action against Barak. This could have different grounds. First, the situation of Livni and Barak are different: whereas Livni currently has no function in government, Barak is currently defense minister and vice-premier; secondly, Austria is still apprehended in the notion that they have a political and moral duty to ensure the security of Israel, whatever Israel does and probably at any cost to Austria, because of understandable yet irrelevant historical facts, third, England has implemented the Rome Statute of the ICC as a national law, whereas this is not the case in Austria yet. Ultimately the main reason why Austria has not taken action in this case might be the almost absence of public discourse around the crimes of Israel, a situation which will most probably evolve to the better.

continues at link

Israel condemns 'absurd' UK arrest warrant for Livni

December 15, 2009 1:49 p.m. EST

Jerusalem (CNN) -- A British court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is "absurd," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

Details of the arrest warrant were not immediately available -- news reports said it has been revoked -- but the prime minister denounced attempts to label Israeli officials as "war criminals."

"We will not accept that (Israeli) soldiers and commanders that bravely and morally defended our citizens from a cruel enemy will be called war criminals," he said. "We reject this as absurd."

Livni was Israel's foreign minister during the Israeli military offensive in Gaza a year ago. The United Nations and some human-rights groups have blamed Israel and Hamas for human rights abuses during the conflict.

more at link

[Big_Bird]

I doubt anything very substantial will eventuate from it, but it's still a very welcome move. It sends the message that Western war criminals are not being entirely ignored. The slaughter in Gaza was abhorrent, and utterly unnecessary, and was almost certainly primarily carried out as a way to advertise how 'tough' and 'fit' Livni and Barack were for leadership. Disgusting.

[Big_Bird]

Anyway, it looks like it's been withdrawn.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/15/israel-tzipi-livni-arrest-warrant

[Summer Wine]

I actually think Britain should be very careful with this issue.

It could be easily proven that Britain has in the past colluded with more war crimes than Israel or allowed them to occur.

Whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

[Big_Bird]