Years on, Israel yet to respond to appeal on case of 4 Gaza boys killed on beach in 2014
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — More than two years after an appeal was sent to an Israeli court demanding the reopening of a closed investigation into the 2014 Israeli missile attack that killed four children playing soccer on a beach in Gaza, Israeli authorities have remained silent and refused to respond to the appeal.
Israeli human rights group Adalah released a statement on Sunday condemning the Israeli government’s failure to respond to appeals from a number of rights groups, including Adalah, the al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
Adalah attorneys Muna Haddad and Tamim Younis wrote in the appeal letter that the case of the Bakr children “exemplifies Israel’s flawed investigation system and unwillingness to genuinely carry out an investigation,” Adalah said in the statement.
“This is an unreasonable delay highlighting a lack of willingness on the part of [Israeli] authorities to conduct an effective investigation. They (Israeli authorities) are essentially thwarting any possibility of conducting such an investigation,” Haddad and Younis’ letter wrote, adding that Israel has an obligation to investigate any suspicion of war crimes under international law.
“An investigation must comply with the universal principles of independence, effectiveness, promptness, impartiality and transparency… The nature of this investigation and the unreasonable foot-dragging when it came to responding to parents’ appeals are a gross violation of these international standards,” Haddad and Younis said
July 17, 2014 11:22 A.M.
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