AhlulBayt News Agency: The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) have jointly filed a complaint with Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Justice Department, calling for the arrest of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni ahead of their scheduled visit to Toronto.
The complaint invokes Canada’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act and Article 146 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which obligate states to prosecute individuals suspected of grave breaches. Olmert and Livni are widely criticized for their roles in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 2008–2009 Gaza War.
According to the filing, the charges include indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the use of white phosphorus in populated areas, destruction of homes, mosques, medical facilities, and UN schools, extrajudicial killings, torture of detainees, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. Livni, serving as foreign minister at the time, publicly endorsed Israel’s military offensives, while both leaders, as members of Israel’s security cabinet, had access to operational details and authorized wartime policies.
The complaint comes as Canada’s RCMP continues investigations into crimes committed during the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. Olmert and Livni have previously faced similar legal challenges in Europe, including a UK arrest warrant issued for Livni in 2009.
Human rights advocates stressed the importance of Canada’s role in upholding international law. “Universal jurisdiction exists for precisely these moments. Canada must show that no one is above the law,” said Henry Off of CLAIHR. Natacha Bracq of HRF added, “War crimes and crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations.”
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21:38 - 2025/12/04
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