William Schabas, head of Gaza war crimes commission quits over accusations of bias
A Canadian law professor heading the UN's inquiry into possible war crimes committed during the war in Gaza last summer has stepped down in response to accusations by Israel of "clear and documented bias" against it. ...
A Canadian law professor heading the UN's inquiry into possible war crimes committed during the war in Gaza last summer has stepped down in response to accusations by Israel of "clear and documented bias" against it.
"There were two sides to the argument about whether there's a conflict of interest," former commission head William Schabas tells As it Happens host Carol Off. "But we don't have time to discuss all of that."
The inquiry is due to submit its findings on possible war crimes committed by all sides to the UN sometime in March.
"The fact is that I have expressed views in the past about the conflict in the Middle East -- as I've done about many conflicts in the world, and about many world leaders -- and I put those aside when I took up the job as the commissioner," says Schabas.
He once said Netanyahu should be "in the dock of an international court." And, in a law journal, one wrote the Israeli PM could be regarded as "the single individual most likely to threaten the survival of Israel."
Schabas has done work in the past for the Palestinian Liberation Organization as a legal advisor, but does not believe this reflects any bias. "I'm not their lawyer, I'm not defending them, I'm not acting for them and I'm not campaigning for them. I'm simply answering their questions about how to interpret a law."
"The fact is that you could appoint Snow White to a commission of inquiry and Prime Minister Netanyahu would still say that it's bias."