Former defense minister accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza
Former defense minister accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza
New Delhi: A former Israeli defense minister has alleged that Israel has committed war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. His comments, which come amid growing criticism of the Israeli military’s action in Gaza, have triggered a massive backlash from government officials.
Moshe Yaalon, a former general, told the Israeli media that hardliners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet were seeking to expel Palestinians from northern Gaza and wanted to re-establish Jewish settlements there, a Reuters report said.
On Sunday, Yaalon told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, “I am compelled to warn about what is happening there and is being concealed from us. At the end of the day, war crimes are being committed.”
Yaalon, a former army chief of staff who served as defense minister under Netanyahu from 2013 to 2016, has been a vociferous critic of the prime minister ever since. Yaalon’s remarks were rubbished and condemned by allies of PM Netanyahu, pointing out that they would harm the country and assist its enemies. Netanyahu’s Likud party claimed that he was spreading “slanderous lies”, while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, head of a small rightist party, contended that his accusations were unfounded.
“Everything Israel does is in accordance with international law and it is a pity that former minister Yaalon does not realise the damage that he has done and retract his remarks,” he was quoted as saying by Israel Today newspaper.defense minister
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant for allegedly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Both Netanyahu and Gallant dismissed the charges. However, in a separate interview with Democrat TV on Saturday, Yaalon sounded a warning that the nation was at a crossroads, with the government wanting “to conquer, annex, and carry out ethnic cleansing”.
‘They are cleaning the area of Arabs’
“What is going on there? There is no Beit Lahiya, no Beit Hanoun, they are operating now in Jabaliya and basically cleaning the area of Arabs,” Yaalon said during an interview with Democrat TV, referring to Palestinian neighbourhoods north of Gaza City. He added that hardliners wanted to build Jewish settlements there, 19 years after Israel returned from the territory – a disengagement that Yaalon had opposed at the time.
Last Thursday, Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf had toured the Gaza border and supported an initiative to re-establish settlements in the enclave.Easy Aloo Fry Recipe: A Delicious Side Dish For Any Meal
