Israeli education minister attacks Adalah for Supreme Court petition against sniper killings of unarmed civilians in Gaza

26/04/2018

Adalah: Bennett has nothing to say in response to our petition so he chooses to incite against us. Evidence indicates live fire was directed at civilians, raising serious suspicions of war crimes.

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett attacked Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel on Wednesday, 25 April 2018 for petitioning the Israeli Supreme Court against the Israeli military’s use of snipers on unarmed civilian Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli snipers have killed 35 Palestinians during civil protests in Gaza since 30 March. The Supreme Court will hold a hearing on the petition, filed jointly with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, on Monday, 30 April 2018, at 9:00 AM.

In a post on his official Facebook page, Education Minister Bennett wrote:

“Adallah [sic] is petitioning the Supreme Court to instruct the Israeli army how to deal with Hamas. Question: Will the Supreme Court act as it should and throw Adallah [sic] down the stairs…?”

Adalah issued a response to Bennett:

“Naftali Bennett has nothing to say in response to our Supreme Court petition, so he instead chooses to slander and incite against Adalah. The harsh videos and eyewitness testimonies from the Gaza Strip indicate that live ammunition was fired at unarmed demonstrators, raising serious suspicions of war crimes. It is important to note that Israeli snipers have already killed 35 protesters in Gaza, including two journalists and four children. Israeli troops have wounded 2,882 people – including 523 children and 97 women – and 1,607 of them were hit by live ammunition.

Co-petitioner Al Mezan also issued a response to Bennett’s Facebook post:

"Mr. Bennett’s statement highlights the mindset of the government he serves by disregarding international law issues and attempting to undermine peaceful civil society justice initiatives. The Court has a poor track record of responding to cases like this one by failing to secure justice and rights or deterring the practices that could amount to war crimes. A failure to bring compliance with international law obligations in this case – where evidence points to breaches of international human rights law and the Fourth Geneva Convention – will strengthen the pressing need for intervention by international justice mechanisms.”