Petra Proksanova, a member of the Communist Party in Prague and a candidate for Stacilo! in the upcoming parliamentary elections, has filed a criminal complaint against Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky, who is running in the elections on the Spolu electoral list, over his stance on the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
“The minister has long ignored protests against his support for Israel, and his comments on the conclusions of the UN Commission of Inquiry may be qualified as an unacceptable denial of the genocide that is currently taking place in the Gaza Strip,” said Roman Roun, a spokesperson for the Communist Party (KSCM).
Lipavsky responded flippantly on social media, accusing KSCM of once again seeking to jail their opponents. “Come to my debate on Friday before I get arrested,” he added.
“The last straw for me was when, in response to the UN Commission of Inquiry’s finding that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, [Lipavsky] said he acknowledged the report, but did not identify with its conclusions. If this is not denying genocide, I don’t know what would be,” explained Proksanova, adding that she believes Lipavsky will have to answer in court.
Roun said the step is intended to draw attention to the responsibility of political leaders for their attitudes and decisions.
The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories concluded in mid-September that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in an effort to destroy the Palestinian people, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Yitzhak Herzog and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant are responsible for inciting it.
“I take note of the report of the Commission of Inquiry, although I do not share its conclusions,” Lipavsky responded at the time. “Some parts of the report, taking statements out of context, and especially the accusations against President Herzog, I consider to be unfounded and truly beyond the pale.”
Lipavsky alleged that the background of some of the commission members undermined confidence in the independence of its conclusions. Any legal assessment, he said, would then belong to international courts, in particular the International Court of Justice. He further noted that the report also provided serious findings on the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza, arguing that the Czech Republic has long appealed to all parties to the conflict to improve. “In all negotiations, I stress the need to end the war, protect civilians, release hostages and disarm Hamas,” he said.
Nonetheless, the Czech Republic has consistently sided with Israel and the United States in votes in the UN General Assembly, and has also repeatedly blocked attempts by the EU to put pressure on Israel in response to the artificial famine currently taking place in Gaza, which many international legal and human rights organisations now consider to meet the definition of genocide.
