Des Travers testifies to war crimes tribunal

Des working on his presentation at the weekend.

Local military expert Col Des Travers is appearing before the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in Brussels today, to give evidence on claims of war crimes by Israel in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, writes Brian Byrne.

Col Travers (Retd) is a weapons expert who lectures regularly on his subject at NATO conferences. He is also a co-author of the Goldstone Report produced under the auspices of the UN on the Gaza conflict of 2008–2009. Previously, in 2006 he conducted a 10-day investigation on behalf of Amnesty International in South Lebanon following Israel's bombarding of the area in what he described afterwards as an 'obscene war'.

He spent most of last week in Egypt as part of a 12-member delegation trying to get to Gaza to see at first hand the effects of the most recent Israeli actions there. But they were unable to travel to Gaza across Sinai because of danger from self-styled Islamic State militants in the area. His presentation today will include video, email accounts, and photographic evidence sent to him during and since the conflict and he will report to the Tribunal on the kind and quantities of weaponry used, based on this evidence.

A Jury set up by the Russel Tribunal will give its findings tomorrow during an international press conference at the International Press Center (IPC, Brussels). In the afternoon, the Jury will be received at the European Parliament and address a message to the UN General Assembly for its reopening.

A more detailed version of this story is published in this week's Kildare Nationalist.