Wednesday, August 30th, 2006
Lebanon Considers Suing Israel for War Crimes
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/30/1418205The Lebanese government is considering possible legal procedures to sue Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity. We speak with Lebanese parliament member Ghassan Moukheiber who is leading the charge in the case. Moukheiber is an attorney and a member of Lebanon's parliamentary human rights committee. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has rejected calls for a swift end to Israel's air and naval blockade of Lebanon. Speaking after talks with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Olmert said the seven-week siege would only be lifted once the ceasefire terms were fully implemented.
Annan, who flew to Israel from a visit to Lebanon, has described the continuing embargo as "a humiliation and an infringement on
sovereignty."
Amnesty International cited the blockade in a recent report that accused Israel of committing war crimes in Lebanon. The report called for a UN investigation into whether Israel broke humanitarian law by targeting civilian infrastructure and using of cluster bombs in the month-long war.
Now, the Lebanese government is considering possible legal procedures to sue Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Lebanese parliament member Ghassan Moukheiber is leading the charge in the case. He is an attorney and a member of the parliamentary human rights committee. Democracy Now!'s Ana Noguiera caught up with him in Beirut.
* Ghassan Moukheiber, member of Lebanese parliament.