MOSCOW, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - Israeli State Comptroller and Ombudsman Joseph Shapira announced on Wednesday that he will open a probe into the decision-making process during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Shapira explained that his actions are a response to claims of legal violations by the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. The comptroller plans to investigate at military and political levels.
Additionally, Shapira said he would expand an existing probe into Israel’s handling of the tunnel infiltration threat from Gaza to include other forms of protection, including bomb shelter availability and the effectiveness of the rocket-alert siren system, the article states.
Shapira spoke up in the midst of Israeli uncertainty toward cooperating with a UN Human Rights Council investigation concerning the IDF’s recent operations during the conflict Gaza.
Avigdor Liberman, Israel’s foreign minister, said Wednesday that “Israel should not cooperate with the committee.”
“We must deal with them, but not cooperate or give legitimization to haters of Israel,” Liberman said as quoted by The Jerusalem Post.
On July 8, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip known as Operation Protective Edge aiming to combat Hamas and other rival Palestinian forces. Over 1,800 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 67 Israeli citizens have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.
