Will Palestine also file charges vs Hamas? Israeli envoy asks
Israel’s top diplomat in Manila would like to ask the Palestinian government if it would also file charges against Hamas for the crimes it has committed against the people in Israel.
Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss’ question came after his Palestinian counterpart in the Philippines, Saleh Mohammad, said the Palestinian Authority would take Israel’s supposed war crime to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and “prosecute” the latter for its actions.
“What about Hamas? Are they going to file charges against Islamic Jihad for firing rockets and using human shields and killing civilian citizens in Gaza,” Fluss said in a roundtable discussion with Manila Bulletin.
For Fluss, Palestine’s action is a “hypocrisy.”
Fluss said it is easy to find fault from Israel because it is a “responsible government.”
“It’s easy to ask us because we're a responsible government and we answer questions because we have to be answerable to those questions,” he said.
“So it’s easy to ask us, but condemning the other side, everybody’s afraid,” he added.
Amid criticisms on Israel’s response to Hamas' attack, which also left civilians killed, Fluss said proportionality is not about meeting the exact number of people killed by the militants.
He said it is about “attacking reasonably enough.”
Fluss said Israel will not stop until Hamas becomes non-existent. A ceasefire will also only become possible if its hostages are freed and its terror facilities are destroyed.