Chairman of Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee at the Israeli Knesset Avi Dichter was described on Monday as a “warmonger” and “war criminal” at the EU Parliament, international and Israeli news agencies reported

Dichter was there, Israeli media said, to speak about the two Israeli Jewish settlers who were killed in the occupied West Bank last week. However, he encountered a “severe wave of criticism”, Israeli media said.

Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes said that the president had been “honoured” to invite Dichter to address the EU Parliament, but she was “disgusted”.

“As head of the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency], he masterminded the policy of targeted killings, in which many died in extrajudicial killings. He also initiated the racist nation-state bill, which I think makes Palestinian citizens of Arab origin second class citizens,” Gomes said.

 

Gomes said, as a former diplomat, she was “trained to engage with the devil”, but Dichter is a “war-monger” who is “is not interested in peace”.

The Spanish Vice Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Javier Couso Permuy described the Israeli official as “a war criminal who should be on trial”.

He also said: “He ordered the torturing of Palestinian prisoners and killing of Hamas activists and blew up citizens. I don’t want to be in the same place with a war criminal, because I’m disgusted by him, so I will leave the room.”

Meanwhile, the British MEP Wajid Khan asked the Israeli MK about the Israeli plan to demolish the occupied West Bank village of Khan Al-Ahmar.

He said that Israel wanted to raze the Palestinian village to pave the way ahead of expanding Israeli settlements of Kfar Adumim and Ma’aleh Adumim.

The British official asked: “Why are you breaching so many international laws? What gives you the right to have superiority over international law while others have to follow it?”

 

Source: Middle East Monitor