To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has so far been the result of the internal processes launched by the Israeli Defence Force to investigate specific cases of military engagement.
Answered on
8 July 2015
On 2 June, I met the Israeli Military Advocate General (MAG), Major General Dan Efrony, who is leading the Israel Defence Forces' investigations into Operation Protective Edge (OPE), and the Israeli Ambassador to London. Major General Efrony discussed the investigations into OPE. He informed me that his office had received several hundred complaints.
Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv also met the Israeli Military Advocate General on 17 June, and discussed OPE with him. Our Ambassador was informed that, to date, almost 200 complaints had been received, half of which were currently under examination or investigation. The MAG had already closed 19 cases and launched 7 criminal investigations. One case had resulted in the indictment of three soldiers for looting. The MAG currently had 13 cases on his desk, having dropped 2 as complainants refused to testify.
Tens of additional incidents are still in various different stages of examination by the Fact-Finding Assessment (FFA) Mechanism, and their findings will be submitted to the MAG in due course
In addition, the MAG has ordered the opening of 15 criminal investigations without the need for prior examination by the FFA Mechanism on the basis of allegations that indicated prima facie grounds for a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. The remainder of the investigations are either still ongoing, or have been completed, with their findings having been submitted to the MAG for review.