Press Release

UN Commission Report on Gaza – Response

"The report and its conclusions, regardless of whether or not they will be acceptable to the State of Israel, once again highlight the importance of the rule of law, and bring to the fore the need for in-depth investigations of events which might be construed as in violation of international law"

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In response to the UN Commission Report on Events in Gaza, Israel Democracy Institute researchers: Prof. Yuval Shany, ID Vice President for research who is an expert in human rights law , Prof. Amichai Cohen, an expert on national security law in Israel, and Adv. Liron Liebman, former head of the International Law Department of the IDF Military Advocate General's Office issued the following  statement:

The report and its conclusions, regardless of whether or not they will be acceptable to the State of Israel, once again highlight the importance of the rule of law, and bring to the fore the need for in-depth investigations of  events which might be construed as in violation of international law. International criticism has further emphasized the importance of the investigations that the army continues to conduct, regarding the events on the Gaza border. Israel did not take part in the UN investigation, and the UN committee did not even enter the area, but relied solely on eye-witness testimonies and video footage present to it, mostly by the Palestinian side.  Under these circumstances, it is difficult to expect good results for Israel.  In the future, cooperation with an investigation that meets Israel's conditions and standards can affect the results, as was the case in the past with the UN Secretary General investigation of the Gaza flotilla.