Dutch national from Gaza sues Israeli officials at ICC

Dutch national from Gaza sues Israeli officials at ICC

Benny Gantz, Amir Eshel accused of ordering strikes during 2014 Gaza war that led to civilian deaths

JERUSALEM (AA) – Benny Gantz, a former Israeli army chief and founder of the Israel Resilience Party, is facing a civil suit at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to the death of six Gazan civilians in 2014, Israeli daily Haaretz reported Friday.

According to the newspaper, the plaintiff is Ismail Ziada, a Dutch national born in Gaza’s Al-Bureij refugee camp.

Ziada reportedly filed his suit against Gantz, who served as army chief-of-staff during Israel’s 2014 onslaught on Gaza, in March of last year.

Amir Eshel, who commanded Israel’s air force at the time, is also reportedly named as a defendant in the ICC case.

Both men are accused of ordering attacks that led to the destruction of Ziada’s family home in Bureij, resulting in the death of the plaintiff’s mother, three siblings, a sister-in-law, a nephew and a house guest.

According to Ziada’s Dutch lawyer, Liesbeth Zegveld, Israeli law denies Palestinians the right to file civil compensation claims for alleged Israeli crimes.

“The Oslo Accords prohibit Palestinians from suing Israelis in Palestinian courts,” Haaretz quoted Zegveld as saying.

“Dutch law, however, allows Ziada to file a lawsuit in the Dutch court system,” she added.

According to Haaretz, Cathelijne van der Plas, a lawyer for Gantz and Eshel, has asked the ICC to reject Ziada’s claims on grounds that the Dutch court system lacks jurisdiction over the matter.

Van der Plas has also claimed that her clients enjoy immunity because both men had been carrying out their official responsibilities when the deaths occurred.

Zegveld now has until the first week of March to answer their arguments, according to Haaretz, which went on to report that the Israeli government was paying for the two officials’ legal defense.

Ziada and his family, for their part, are reportedly paying their legal fees with contributions made by supporters.

Notably, Gantz is seen as one of the most viable challengers to incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli elections slated for April.

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