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UN Gaza Report Won't Provide Ammunition Against IDF at International Criminal Court
(Times of Israel) Raphael Ahren - The UN report on last summer's Gaza war will have limited impact on the International Criminal Court, legal experts say. On June 29, the Human Rights Council will debate the report in Geneva and likely send it to the UN General Assembly, which can also be expected to adopt the report and send it to the Security Council. And that's pretty much where the matter will end. "There will be no action on it. It's not an operational report," said Robbie Sabel, a professor of international law and former legal adviser to the Foreign Ministry. The Security Council may decide to hold a meeting on the report, but that is unlikely. Sabel added that the report was written in general terms and doesn't name individuals suspected of war crimes; hence, it does not provide the ICC with much ammunition against Israeli soldiers. Alan Baker, a former legal adviser to Israel's Foreign Ministry, said, "The Arab countries will probably add a provision [to the General Assembly resolution] calling for the report to be forwarded to the ICC's prosecutor, but it means nothing. This report is not a legal document. It's a political document."