International Criminal Court Considering War Crimes Prosecution of Israeli Officer

The senior prosecutor of the International Criminal Court at The Hague told Newsweek magazine that he is considering prosecuting an Israeli reserve officer for war crimes following the issuance of the Goldstone report. The officer in question, Lt. Col. David Benjamin, served in the Military Advocate General’s office and was charged with providing approval of the selection of targets during last January’s three-week military operation in the Gaza Strip. While the ICC has not investigated Israeli officers until now because it lacks jurisdiction over citizens of states that did not sign the Rome Treaty that enabled the ICC, the prosecutor believes he has jurisdiction over Benjamin because he is a dual citizen of Israel and South Africa, and the latter is a signatory to the Treaty.