A-G: New Hague court may indict settlers for war crimes

Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein warned Tuesday that the new International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague which begins work in July, may indict Israelis moving into settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for war crimes.

Justice Ministry officials said Tuesday that a special team has been established to prepare for the new court, headed by the deputy state prosecutor Rachel Sukar, which includes Foreign Ministry and Military Court officials.

Rubinstein, speaking at a Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting on the authorities of the international court regarding Israelis, said that the tribunal may also discuss the indictments of IDF soldiers and officers over their involvement during Operation Defensive Shield in Jenin and other Palestinian-controlled areas.

"We believe in the purity of arms of IDF troops," Rubinstein said. He added that soldiers have been indicted by Israel in extreme cases: since the outbreak of the Al Aqsa Intifada, 140 soldiers have been accused of looting and some of them have been indicted.