{"id":2114,"date":"2011-04-12T10:46:00","date_gmt":"2011-04-12T08:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/law.acri.org.il\/en\/?p=2114"},"modified":"2011-05-01T10:56:34","modified_gmt":"2011-05-01T08:56:34","slug":"acri-testifies-before-turkel-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.acri.org.il\/en\/2011\/04\/12\/acri-testifies-before-turkel-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"ACRI Testifies before Turkel Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 11 April 2011, the Turkel Commission was presented with expert testimonies by ACRI and other Israeli human rights organizations, as well as by the Military Judge Advocate General.
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\nThe Commission, set up by the Israeli government following the events of the Gaza Flotilla, has also been authorized to examine whether the current inquiry mechanism of alleged violations of international law meets Israel’s obligations. Following Operation Cast Lead, ACRI, together with seven other human rights organizations, demanded that Israel set up an independent investigation body. Such a body was never established.
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\nAttorney Limor Yehuda<\/a><\/strong> of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), who testified before the commission, said in her testimony: “The obligation to investigate is not only a legal obligation, but also a moral responsibility toward those citizens who were harmed and toward soldiers sent to battle on behalf of the country, and it is essential for preventing future harm to innocent civilians. The existing investigation mechanism into alleged wrongdoings of the military is insufficient and must be changed in order to uphold international law. We urge the committee to recommend that the government set up a permanent independent inquiry body that will ensure investigations are conducted effectively, professionally, and with transparency”.
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\nOn April 6 – just days before the planned session of the Turkel Commission – the Military Judge Advocate General announced that in light of the relative calm in the West Bank, the army will reinstate the pre-Second Intifada policy of launching a Military Police Investigation whenever reasonable doubt arises.
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\nThe announcement was made as an updated statement to the High Court of Justice in the framework of a petition submitted on this matter by B’Tselem and ACRI in 2003. The organizations deem the change of policy as insufficient, since renewed security tension could lead to the policy’s reversal and once again killings of civilians will not be investigated.
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Summary of ACRI’s Recommendations to Turkel Commission<\/span><\/strong>
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