Scotland Yard investigates Israeli war crimes in Gaza
London's Metropolitan Police has defended its investigation into alleged war crimes in the war between Israel and Hamas, saying it was bound by an international agreement, the Independent reports.
Signs written in Arabic and English have been posted at major British airports asking for information.
“ If you have been to Israel/Palestinian Territories and witnessed or been a victim of terrorism, war crimes or crimes against humanity, you can report it to the UK police ,” the posters read.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other political leaders have criticized Scotland Yard's decision to ask for information from anyone returning from Israel or Gaza.
Johnson told The Telegraph he feared Scotland Yard's actions signaled a "worrying politicization of the Met Police".
“When I was mayor of London I made it clear that we would not import war or foreign disputes into the streets of London,” Johnson said. “The Met would be better off tackling knife crime in the capital.”
A former Cabinet minister agreed with Johnson.
“It does question why the Met Police got involved,” the official told The Telegraph . “They have a lot of work to do at the national level, while what is happening in Israel and Gaza is a gray area right now.”
Police say the posters were put up to support an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the war between Israel and Hamas.
Scotland Yard has said its war crimes team is "obliged to support any investigation initiated by the ICC which may involve British subjects", under the terms of the 1998 Rome Statute, as reported by the Independent.
“To fulfill our obligations to support the ongoing ICC investigation linked to Israel and Palestine, and because we were aware that a relatively large number of people – including many British citizens – were returning to the UK on from that region, posters have been put up at some airports indicating how to contact the War Crimes Squad to let potential witnesses or victims know how to get in touch,” a Met Police spokesperson said.
The Associated Press reported last month that a British Palestinian surgeon who spent weeks in the Gaza Strip during the war as part of a Doctors Without Borders medical team said he had testified to a British investigative unit about the crimes of war.
Ghassan Abu Sitta, a plastic surgeon, told the AP that when he returned to the UK, the Metropolitan Police's war crimes unit asked him to give evidence in a possible war crimes investigation and he did so. .
Who knows if the fact that the current mayor of London, Khan, is a Muslim of Pakistani origin, has influenced the investigative choices of the London police.
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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/scotland-yard-indaga-sui-crimini-di-guerra-di-israele-a-gaza/ on Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:48:18 +0000.