ICC poses no threat to Israel as it tries only the 'weak': Israeli academic

As the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict enters its 13th day having claimed the lives of over 5,000 people, an Israeli academic has said it was unlikely Tel Aviv will be held accountable for allegedly using disproportionate force in Gaza.

Neve Gordon, who is a professor of international law and human rights at Queen Mary University of London, asserts that the International Criminal Court (ICC) tends to target weaker entities rather than powerful nations, like Israel, raising critical questions about the efficacy of international legal avenues in this conflict.

"If we look at the ICC and who has been brought forth to the ICC, we also see that it is mostly a court that tries the weak rather than the strong," Gordon said in an interview with Anadolu.

International law was created by state parties and is often used to defend strong state parties against weaker non-state parties, he said.

By international law, Gordon means the laws of war; the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols of 1977.

He believes that international law will not be the saviour of the Palestinian people as it has a lot of exceptions and leaves a lot of room for interpretation and manipulation.

According to him, Israel has in the past used international law to defend itself in the face of accusations of illegitimate violence.

War crimes

On war crimes committed during the latest escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the academic said Tel Aviv’s response to a surprise attack by Hamas has been "riddled with war crimes."

These includes it cutting off of electricity and water supply to the Gaza, as well as the demand that 1.1 million people leave their homes in a very short time frame.

"Definitely, the bombing of civilian sites indiscriminately can be considered (a war crime)," he added.

Gordon predicts that it is highly likely Israel will commit more war crimes if it follows through with a ground assault it is planning on Gaza.

Strong countries cannot be held accountable

According to the Israeli professor, it is “very difficult” to hold strong countries accountable for their actions.

"We see Israel occupying the Palestinians for years on end, and it's not accountable for its actions. So, I don't think the law is going to be the tool."

"I think it has to be that civil society in different countries pressure their governments and say to their governments, 'this is not ok.' You have to stop the escalation of violence and bring justice to Israel-Palestine."

Manipulating laws

On Israel’s manipulation of international laws to get away with war crimes, Gordon gives the example of Israel ordering over 1 million people to evacuate northern parts of the Gaza and head to its south.

If Israel launches a ground attack, it will say they told civilians to leave, according to Gordon.

"This will lead to it assuming that anyone that has not left is likely involved in the fighting and therefore a legitimate target."