The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Britain called on the war crimes unit of the British police on Tuesday to arrest the Israeli General Elazar Stern who is accused of committing war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories and Lebanon.
The organization affirmed in a statement that it submitted a detailed file to the British police on Stern’s service in different places supported by testimonies of relatives of victims who were killed at the hands of the Israeli army. Being a senior commander in the Israeli army Stern is held responsible for these crimes especially that he didn’t seek to investigate them.
The organization said that Stern was drafted into the Israeli army in 1974 where he served as commander of several units. He took part in the 1982 Lebanon war and other Israeli operations during the second Intifada and was present in Beirut during the Sabra and Shatila massacre the organization added. Stern was appointed president of the Military Academy (from 1999-2004) and later head of the Manpower Department in the army in 2004. He retired in July 2008 and he is now a member of the Israeli Knesset for the Yesh Atid party.
The human rights organization pointed out that Stern is now on a visit to London as he was invited by the Henry Jackson Society to speak at a seminar held on Tuesday in the British Parliament and hosted by MP Jack Lopresti. Stern is also invited by Friends of Israel in the University of London to give a lecture later in the day before a student rally.
It expressed disapproval of inviting a war crimes suspect to speak in the British Parliament and in a prestigious university such as the University of London. Such people the organization said who caused a lot of suffering shouldn’t be allowed a place in the educational and legislative institutions.
The statement said quoting Toby Cadman legal representative of victims that the British law allows prosecuting war criminals regardless of where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrator.
Cadman emphasized that many UN reports showed that Stern committed grave breaches of the international humanitarian law that make him a war crimes suspect.
