Criminal charges filed against Netanyahu in Argentina

Argentine human rights groups have filed a criminal complaint against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The complaint was filed ahead of Netanyahu’s visit to Argentina. According to local media reports, the complaint was filed jointly on Tuesday (August 19) by the human rights organizations Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Founding Line, Peace and Justice Service (SERPAJ), Families of Disappeared and Detained for Political Reasons and the Argentine League for Human Rights. The organizations have called for judicial action against Netanyahu, accusing him of “genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.” According to the lawsuit, Netanyahu will visit Argentina from September 7-10. If Argentine President Javier Miel welcomes him, he will be considered an accomplice in his criminal policy. The lawsuit accuses the Israeli government of implementing an “institutional policy of ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinian people. It says that through this, Israel is violating fundamental rights, including the right to life, human dignity and the right to self-determination. The lawsuit documents state that “the Argentine people and their human rights organizations know from experience what mass crimes mean. Since the beginning of the occupation of Gaza, thousands of people have been killed in Israeli bombings. More than a million people have been displaced. The Israeli government has blocked the entry of medicine, food and relief aid.” The lawsuit, filed in Argentina’s criminal court, has been supported by several prominent figures, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, and representatives of numerous human rights organizations. This is not the first attempt to hold Netanyahu legally accountable in Argentina. Earlier on August 12, two groups, the Association of State Workers (ATE) and Children for Identity and Justice Against Oblivion and Silence, filed separate complaints in a federal court in Buenos Aires. The complaint demands Netanyahu’s arrest on charges of war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people. The government of Argentine Prime Minister Javier Milley has defended Netanyahu despite his mass killings in Gaza and the West Bank. Last year, Milley protested the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu.