Belgium: Police take two Israeli soldiers into custody

The Belgian police have asked two Israelis on allegations of war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The two alleged soldiers of the Israeli forces would be accused by two Belgian NGOs of “committed severe violations of international law in the Gaza Strip”, the Attorney General said in Brussels on Monday. The suspects had been released by the police after Irr Service, but the public prosecutor’s office tested the allegations.

The two men were displayed by the Pro-Palestinian Organization Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) based in Belgium and the International Lawyer Network Global Action Legal Network (Glan), which specializes in cases of human rights violations.

According to the organizations, the two Israelis were identified at the Tomorrowland Music Festival, where on Friday they waved a flag of the Givati brigade in front of a stage. This unity of the Israeli armed forces struggles in the front of the Gaza War. The Givati brigade is also suspected of “having committed indiscriminately attacks on civilian areas, houses and hospitals”, as well as to be responsible for “arbitrary arrests and the forced relocation of civilians”, said HRF.

The Belgian NGO also accused the two men of being involved “directly in some of the most hideous crimes during the Israeli military campaign”.

Even if the suspects are not Belgians and the alleged acts were committed abroad, the Belgian judiciary could assert a universal jurisdiction of its courts: An article in the Belgian Criminal Code “advocated the Belgian courts” an extraterritorial responsibility for criminal offenses that were committed outside of our sovereign area if contractual rules are violated “.

In this case, the Geneva conventions on war crimes from 1949 and the United Nations’ Convention against Torture from 1984 could come into play, the Attorney General said.