A War Crimes Tribunal May be the Only Deterrent to a Global War
Prosecuting Israel
The United Nations General Assembly must immediately establish an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI) as a
"subsidiary organ" under U.N. Charter Article 22. The ICTI would be organized along the lines of the International
Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), which was established by the Security Council.
The purpose of the ICTI would be to investigate and prosecute Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
against the Peoples of Lebanon and Palestine--just as the ICTY did for the victims of international crimes committed by
Serbia and the Milosevic Regime throughout the Balkans.
The establishment of ICTI would provide some small degree of justice to the victims of Israeli war crimes, crimes
against humanity and genocide against the Peoples of Lebanon and Palestine--just as the ICTY has done in the Balkans.
Furthermore, the establishment of ICTI by the U.N. General Assembly would serve as a deterrent effect upon Israeli
leaders such as Prime Minister Olmert, Defense Minister Peretz, Chief of Staff Halutz and Israel's other top generals
that they will be prosecuted for their further infliction of international crimes upon the Lebanese and the
Palestinians.
Without such a deterrent, Israel might be emboldened to attack Syria with the full support of the Likhudnik Bush Jr.
Neoconservatives, who have always viewed Syria as "low-hanging fruit" ready to be taken out by means of their joint
aggression.
The Israeli press has just reported that the Bush Jr administration is encouraging Israel to attack Syria. If Israel
attacks Syria as it did when it invaded Lebanon in 1982, Iran has vowed to come to Syria's defense.
And of course Israel and the Bush Jr administration very much want a pretext to attack Iran. This scenario could readily
degenerate into World War III.
For the U.N. General Assembly to establish ICTI could stop the further development of this momentum towards a regional
if not global catastrophe.
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Francis A. Boyle, Professor of Law, University of Illinois, is author of Foundations of World Order, Duke University Press, The Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence, and Palestine, Palestinians and International Law, by Clarity Press. He can be reached at: FBOYLE @ LAW.UIUC.EDU