Amr Moussa of the the Arab League has announced in Cairo and convening in Doha that the Emir of Qatar.
One of the world’s richest men. His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani With the full backing of the Arab League countries.
Will personally pay ( in full ) the entire legal fee’s incurred to take Israeli Government to the ICJ over the Flotilla Massacre.
In addition the Emir has also stated that he will pay in full the legal fee’s of any individual or group, or establishment in any country, who wished to press charges against Israeli Government over the flotilla massacre.
The Emir will also pay for a world wide media campaign in support of the Palestinians, highlighting the blockade, the Operation Cast Lead of 08/09, and the Freedom Flotilla, and any subsequent aid convoys and flotilla’s.
Ehud Barak has cancelled his trip to Paris.
Pro-Palestinian activists had threatened to try to have charges brought in Europe against Barak and other Israeli officials under the principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’.
Indeed. I may not agree with the man’s politics, but he certainly has every right to express his views, to use his own funds to do so, and to support litigation that he believes to be in the public interest.
It would also be nice, however, if the Emir of Qatar would allow his people the same right to criticize his own government as he does to criticize that of Israel. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78861.htm
Could you expand on this? What is ‘universal jurisdiction’ and what can the ICJ do? The reason I ask is because the ICJ ruled against the USA and Supreme Court gave them the middle finger. It seems to me, though I’m not a lawyer, that if the U.S is able to ignore ICJ rulings without repercussions then Israel will probably do it too.
Anyone can ignore an ICJ ruling; states must submit to ICJ jurisdiction prior to trial for a ruling to be binding. The US and Iran, for example, have both declined to submit on occasion. The Supreme Court did not give the ICJ the middle finger; it declined to remand the case for new proceedings because the US had refused to submit in the case of Mexico v. USA.
Universal jurisdiction is the concept that states or judicial organs may exercise jurisdiction over any criminal or civil case if the state which has jurisdiction refuses to do so, or the action is considered a crime based on international law (genocide, ethnic cleansing, piracy, etc.)
Now maybe the US and Australia could give it some bite this time around, but thart seems unlikely.
Then again, Israel’s burned up a lot of good will over the last few years.
If "His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani " was really interested in alleviating human suffering, maybe he could look to the condition of foreign workers–including Palestinians—in his own country.
One of the world’s richest men, and he can’t afford a staff grammarian? Or do really wealthy guys like to show off their ability to afford more apostrophes than us common folk?
Since justice is obviously his aim, I’m sure that he’d be more than willing to pony up for those legal fees as well…
(I’m not holding my breath, however).
So, is the debate something along the lines of ‘Look how evil Israel is! Even the Emir of Qatar, an obviously righteous and unbiased individual is willing to use his own money (which he earned by doing good deeds, helping the people, feeding the squirrels and otherwise leading a good and carbon free life) to get justice! We should all now beat out chests and take up the pitch forks in our anger over Israel and it’s treatment of those poor activists who were simply attempting to break the blockade of our suffering Palestinian brethren and sistren who are struggling to get chocolate and coriander and all the other necessities of life in what is obviously a humanitarian crisis to rivals the worst atrocities of the past…<several additional paragraphs of heart rending rantage and pro-Palestinian sentiment and ‘debate’ deleted in an effort to save the hamsters>…’?
Perhaps he could take in a few 10s of thousand Palestinians with that kind of money. None of the other Arab states seem willing. Also note that Egypt also is a participant in the blockade of Gaza; not ramifications from that action?