Israeli Raid on Jenin Refugee Camp Potentially Constitutes War Crime: Legal Experts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Legal experts argue that the Israeli military's deadly raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank falls within the parameters of war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.
Susan Akram, a clinical professor at Boston University's School of Law, stated that the raid, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 Palestinians and injuring dozens more, clearly qualifies as a war crime due to intentional attacks on a civilian population and medical units, PressTV reported.
During a webinar hosted by the Arab Center Washington, DC earlier this week, Akram emphasized that the Geneva Conventions classify willful killings, causing great suffering to an occupied population, and extensive property destruction not justified by military necessity as war crimes during occupation. Consequently, there is no doubt that Israel's actions in Jenin constitute a war crime.
Daniel Levy of the US/Middle East Project and journalist Dalia Hatuqa, fellow panelists on the webinar, concurred that Israel's actions in the West Bank amount to a war crime.
Akram further highlighted that Israel's narrative of rooting out resistance groups does not absolve its actions from being illegal under international law. As the West Bank is an occupied territory, she emphasized that attacks by the occupier against civilian targets are criminal according to occupation law.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Israeli military's raid on the Jenin refugee camp resulted in approximately 900 Palestinian houses being damaged, rendering many uninhabitable. Adnan Abu Hasna, the spokesperson for UNRWA, stated that the agency is currently documenting the extent of the damage inside the camp.
Priority is being given to restoring a sense of normality by resuming services such as education, healthcare, and sanitation, Abu Hasna added. Additionally, providing cash assistance to displaced families and supporting their rent payments and housing rehabilitation are urgent priorities.
Last week, a group of UN experts released a statement suggesting that Israel's military raids targeting the Jenin refugee camp "may prima facie constitute a war crime." They condemned the killing and serious injury of the occupied population, the destruction of homes and infrastructure, and the arbitrary displacement of thousands as egregious violations of international law and standards on the use of force.
