Israeli war crimes in Lebanon may have occurred, UN rights chief says
Volker Turk said UN rights officials recorded violations in Lebanon despite an April ceasefire, including continued strikes and demolitions.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said possible Israeli war crimes in Lebanon are being examined after his office recorded violations of international law during Israel’s military operations there. The statement matters because it adds the UN’s top human rights official to calls for accountability over violence that has continued despite an April ceasefire.
Turk spoke on Monday during a visit to Lebanon, where he said Israel’s military should halt ongoing shelling and demolitions in the country’s south. According to Turk, UN human rights officials have documented conduct that may violate international law.
“I am struck by the widespread damage and compounded suffering that I have seen,” Turk said in a statement. “The trauma, frustration and despair are palpable – but so too is the demand for justice.”
Is Israel accused of war crimes in Lebanon?
Turk said some Israeli military actions in Lebanon could “possibly” amount to war crimes. He did not announce a legal finding or criminal charges; he said his office had recorded violations that require accountability under international law.
The UN official said Israeli forces have continued to kill and wound people in Lebanon through air attacks and ground operations, even after the ceasefire agreement reached in April. He also pointed to continued destruction in southern Lebanon, where communities have faced shelling and demolitions.
During the visit, Turk went to a school that has been turned into a shelter for displaced people. The site was hosting about 1,000 people, according to his account.
Turk said many of the people he met had already been uprooted more than once. “This is the second or third cycle of displacement for many. Some told me they attempted to return home last week, only to discover that their villages have been destroyed,” he said.
What did Volker Turk say about UN staff?
In an interview with Al Jazeera the same day, Turk described the mood among affected civilians as one of fatigue and despair. He said people he met conveyed “a deep sense of exhaustion and despair.”
Asked about United Nations personnel affected by Israeli violence, Turk said his experience in the organisation had not prepared him for the scale of harm to UN workers in recent conflicts. He referred to Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen, saying UN colleagues had been killed in circumstances he called “totally unfathomable.”
Turk also said documentation of Israeli violence is necessary so that responsibility can be established. He told Al Jazeera that many people around the world care about the UN’s work and about “the truth coming out.”
“We need to point out that nobody is above international law and there are no exceptions to it,” Turk said.
Israel’s response to Turk’s remarks was not included in the available account. The UN rights chief’s comments focused on what his office had recorded in Lebanon and on his call for the Israeli military to stop attacks and destruction in the south.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.