Gaza – The Palestinian Centre for Human rights in Gaza reported that the prosecution of an Israeli war crimes suspect was stayed as part of a legal manoeuvre by the Attorney General of New Zealand to prevent the arrest or charge of the suspect while on a visit to New Zealand.
Moshe Ya’alon was spared arrest or any proper prosecution process in New Zealand on 28 November despite a decision on 27 November 2006 by His Honour Judge Avinash Deobhakta in the District Court at Auckland to issue warrants for his arrest on suspicion of committing a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 which is a criminal offence in New Zealand under the Geneva Conventions Act 1958 and International Crimes and International Criminal Court Act 2000.
Moshe Ya’alon is a 56 year old Israeli national who was Chief of Staff of the Israeli military from 9 July 2002 to 1 June 2005 answerable directly to the Prime Minister. Under his command the Israeli military were responsible for a countless variety of extensive human rights violations and war crimes inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory during its belligerent occupation.
Ya’alon ordered in 2002 the bombing of a block of flats where Salah Shehadah the Hamas military commander resided. The IOF airforce dropped a one ton bomb on the building killing at least 14 civilians including children.