London, England – Ten British citizens, including a double citizen who served in the Israeli military, are accused of war crimes in Gaza.
They filed a 240-page report last week with the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Division, allegedly including “murder, extermination, civilian attacks, deportation or forced relocation,” according to the Palestine-based Palestine Human Rights Centre and the UK-based Public Interest Law Centre.
83-year-old Michael Mansfield has worked on several well-known cases throughout his career, a leading British barrister called the “king” of human rights work, and was one of those who handed over the people who took him to edit a team of lawyers and researchers in the UK and The Hague for six months.
Dozens of other lawyers, lawyers, researchers and human rights practitioners have signed letters of support, urging the Met war crimes team to investigate complaints.
For legal reasons, neither the name of the suspect nor the name of the suspect who worked at the officer level has been fully released. The alleged war crimes from October 7th to May 31st, 2023 are recorded in open source materials and files based on witness testimony.
Al Jazeera believes that the mass murder continues to decline as he is ignored by the abused people, and why he believes that the groundbreaking incident at Mansfield, his view on Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, and why he believes that legal efforts against those involved in the onslaught are important.
Al Jazeera: What can you tell us about the incident?
Michael Mansfield: It’s probably clear why I can’t talk about that details: …People [accused] You will soon find out who they are.
If a British citizen commits a serious crime abroad, you are responsible for being investigated, arrested, charged and brought to trial here in the UK. In that sense, this is not normal.
Of course, the bits lined up are related to international crimes and war crimes against humanity.
The UK can clearly investigate itself. Alternatively, the International Criminal Court can investigate and request it.
Especially in Gaza, it’s not the only place in the world where it happens, but no one knows the extent of devastation. And in relation to those issues, the public is asking, “What are we doing about it? What can we do about it?”
International organizations of human rights judiciary and practices were established shortly after World War II and to prevent this from happening by intervening wherever possible.
[But] The UN’s ability to intervene has been excluded by major countries. Russia and the United States are almost always opposed to each other. On top of that, the UK is sitting on the fence and abstaining from most of these issues.Slowly and certainly, all principles related to the rule of law and rules-based democracy have been essentially excluded from practicality.
The court is the state [allegedly behind war crimes] At first glance, it looks immunity. They don’t care what the International Court thinks – either the International Criminal Court [or the] International Court of Justice.
Al Jazeera: How did the researchers and lawyers behind the report identify the accused, as most monitors and observers are currently unable to enter Gaza due to the siege of Israel?
Mansfield: Link individuals [to the alleged crimes] It’s a problem. You must be able to provide investigators with at least enough evidence to say this is worth investigating.
They might say, “We can’t do this, it’s too difficult.” They may then hand it over to the International Criminal Court, which has more resources.
There’s something called the Berkeley Protocol. This focuses on how evidence can be collected from publicly available sources.
The public source may be Al Jazeera [footage]. It could be someone who takes selfies on their cell phone.
Research has already been carried out to ensure that these 10 materials are sufficient to determine whether police can do more.
Al Jazeera: This month, Hungary withdrew from the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the Israeli Prime Minister’s visit. If global institutions intended to support human rights law are under threat, decisions are averted and massacres continue in places like Gaza, what will affect your legal efforts?
Mansfield: I think they make a difference for our people who care.
In other words, they don’t make a difference to the perpetrator. They never have. And that’s why they were tried by the Nuremberg at the end of World War II.
aSA lawyer, I can’t just sit down and say I wasted 55 years of my career. I have to say I have worked so hard to get a situation where people are responsible.
The law could not be realized. The law is there, the system is there, but there are many different ways that governments can hold people accountable until they pay to respect the rule of law and not ignore it. As lawyers and as members of the public, we need to be prepared to get the authorities to do their job.
The basic freedoms you and I enjoy when you can – freedom of association, movement, speech, etc. – do not split. What that means is that you may live on the other side of the world, but if your rights are being attacked like this, it is me too. No doubt, when it’s happening there, it might be that you next.
Such an approach to human rights is not the kind of awakening topic that only a few liberal lawyers consider. It’s being fought hard against others. Past lawyers have fought very hard to set it all up.
Al Jazeera: Do you classify what’s going on in Gaza as genocide?
I do, yes, no questions asked.
In this particular example, if you are personally attacked in domestic meanings or in other people, you have the right to protect yourself, but only until then.
If you are attacked with someone holding a wooden spoon, you cannot use a machine gun to kill them. …This goes far beyond self-defense.
Of course, they [aggressors, in this case Israel] Always justify it and say it’s self-defense, but you just look at what they did.
Many of the victims are women, babies, children, doctors and journalists. … They are individuals protected under the law. If they weren’t combatants, they would not be wiped out like this.
In my opinion, it is clearly a genocide [Israeli officials] We made it very clear in various statements. They are talking about the bigger Israel. There is the political ambition behind the whole, not for everyone you know. [Israeli military] But I think it’s a pretty significant proportion.
[They] Obviously they follow that principle of wanting to see Gaza wipe off the map, and yes, they want it to be revived as the Trump Empire Riviera Resort.That’s plausible.
[Note: The International Court of Justice said in January 2024 that it was plausible that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.]Al Jazeera: How does the world look back at this moment in history?
Mansfield: I hope it will bring about some kind of change in people’s minds and minds.
I think world leaders have the right to do something about it and are our own prime ministers. [UK Premier Keir Starmer] You should do more than he does.
Originally, we [the UK] He opposed the issue of arrest warrants. But that was before [Conservative] Government and when [Labour’s] Priorities were chosen and he changed it. He retracted the objection on behalf of the UK, so it was a step in the right direction.
We look back and say that in reality, thousands of people will encounter marching. Thousands of people are feeling angry, upset and hopeless worldwide. So that’s why the law continues to live out the way the prosecutors have tried to do, not just for Israel, but for other perpetrators, including other perpetrators. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, Russia and Ukraine.
We must continue to live our compassion. You can’t escape from it. You can’t hide in your bedroom and think, “Oh, I didn’t start this.” No, you didn’t, but I’m worried that if you’re a member of humanity, you’re responsible.
If you don’t spend every time you work hard to maintain what others have set up in the first place [the rule of law]I feel like I’ve failed.
You go away from it and hope it’s blown away. I think so [about] Create a well of public opinion so that politicians realize there is no place to go because they are not actually supported.
You need to do as much as you can. That’s everything you can expect. If you do that, you see that hundreds of other people are doing the same thing, and eventually the politician says, “Yeah, well, here’s the vote. We’d better do the right thing.”
It is constantly moving opinions and keeps the flame alive.
Al Jazeera: How do you summarise the ongoing atrocities?
Mansfield: I describe it as the massive assault and destruction of humanity. It won’t get any worse.
Al Jazeera: He has worked on prominent cases, including representing Stephen Lawrence’s family. This sparked death in the family of Stephen Lawrence, racist attacks.
Mansfield: It’s the impact and impact on the community. Now, Lawrence’s case has turned out to be a major impact on the community, as it was back then. It represents a much bigger problem than the terrifying Steven Lawrence stab wound.
It wasn’t on TV screens like Gaza, but we didn’t see the kind of destruction we saw in Gaza, but it had similar effects on people.
And there were other cases like that. That doesn’t mean it’s just one individual or thousands. It is about its implications on the principle of fairness.
Note: This interview was compiled for clarity and brevity.
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