Online petition urges ‘Nuremberg for Israel’ over ‘genocide of Palestinians’
Hundreds of Italians have signed an online petition slamming Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip as a “slow genocide” of the Palestinians and demanding a “Nuremberg trial” for Israel over the “destruction” of Palestine.
READ MORE: Israel must be held criminally accountable for Gaza war crimes – HRW
The petition was signed by 525 Italians, mainly academics,
Haaretz reported. The signees say they are dismayed by the events
in Gaza and accuse Israel of pursuing colonial policies and
“ethnic cleansing” of the Palestinians.
The document calls for Israel to face an international tribunal,
a Nuremberg-like trial, for its war crimes and the “slow
genocide” of the Palestinian people. Italian activists
believe that not only the Israeli military and the government,
but also the entire state of Israel and “its
accomplices” should be brought to trial over current events,
as well as those in the past and “the foreseeable
future.”
The online document also blames the US for supporting Israel, and
the EU for “active or passive complicity” in Israel's
actions against the Palestinian people. The petition signees also
accuse the United Nations of its failure to stop Israel. The
Western media, according to activists, paints the events in the
wrong light, justifying the Israeli offensive in Gaza as a
self-defense operation.
Called 'Noi Accusiamo' (We Accuse), the petition was initially published on an academic
website, Historia Magistra, but has gone viral after being
re-posted on the website of left-wing newspaper Il Manifesto.
However, the paper’s co-editor-in-chief, Tommaso Di Francesco,
told Haaretz that Il Manifesto had “nothing to do” with
the document and that it appeared on their website thanks to a
blogger. He added that the petition did not appear in the printed
version of the newspaper since he believes the Nazi comparison to
be “repulsive and historically incorrect.” The series of
trials known as the Nuremberg Trials were held by the Allied
Forces after WWII to bring Nazi criminals to justice.
The document has already triggered strong reactions for drawing a
parallel between Israel and Nazi Germany and for suggesting that
an entire nation should face trial.
According to Haaretz, the petition was drafted by Angelo d’Orsi,
a professor of history at the University of Turin and a
contributor to a number of left-wing publications.
The author of the document said he was perfectly aware that the
“Nazi analogy is a strained comparison.” D’Orsi said he referred
to Nuremberg “to shock the Italian Jewish community,”
which in his words is “a mouthpiece for the Israeli
government.”
The publication comes amid growing international criticism over
Israel's operation in the Gaza Strip. The four-week offensive has
already claimed over 1,800 Palestinian lives – most of whom were
civilians, according to rights groups.
On Tuesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said that
Israel must be prosecuted at The Hague for war crimes it committed
during the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Bill van Esweld of Human Rights Watch also told RT
that the Israeli military must be held criminally accountable for the operation.
There has been a surge in anti-Israel – as well as anti-Semitic –
sentiments in Europe, with synagogues and Jewish venues attacked and Jewish nationals receiving
death threats.
In Italy, for instance, signs bearing anti-Semitic slogans have
surfaced across the country, with more than 70 posters and
inscriptions with hate speech and swastikas appearing in the
capital of Rome. Those included slogans such as: “Jews, your
end is near”; “Dirty Jews”;“Anna Frank was a liar”
and “Let’s burn synagogues,” according to Haaretz.
The situation has prompted Jewish communities across the EU to
step up security, while almost one-third of Jews are mulling
emigration, according to a study by the European Union’s
Fundamental Rights Agency.
