February 11, 2013

Israel Reflects

By Michael Curtis
The Turkel Commission Report is a unique and important legal report, 470 pages along with 500 pages of appendices, submitted in February 2013 to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is not bedside reading but is a comprehensive and rigorous examination of the procedures by which the state of Israel examines and investigates complaints and claims of violations by Israel of international humanitarian law. The commission examined the behavior of Israeli military and political authorities in the light of standards set by international law and the laws of armed conflict. The nature of that behavior which has legal, moral, and educational aspects is important for two reasons: Israel's self-perception; and the perception of Israel by the international community. At the outset it is manifest that the establishment of the commission, referred to by the name of the chair, the former Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, is an extraordinary tribute to the state of Israel for its...(Read Full Article)