Srinagar
An article published in New Delhi based news website The Wire says that a petition was filed by 40 Israeli citizens in the Supreme Court of Israel demanding the country’s police be prevented from training Indian police officers involved in severe rights abuses in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The petition, filed in January, this year, had argued that Israel can’t legally and morally justify the provision of assistance by way of training to specific Indian police officers that are involved and responsible for grave crimes under international law in Kashmir.
The petition was filed after the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister, Israeli Police and Israeli Ministry of Internal Security refused to “pre-screen” specific Indian police officers who wish to train with the Israeli Police in Israel.
According to the article written by Eitay Mack, an Israeli human rights lawyer and activist, the Israeli Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted their response to the SC on 4 May, 2020. Mack is also among the group of Israeli citizens who filed the said petition. He also represents Palestinians in civil lawsuits and administrative courts against the Israeli security services.
He said that among other things, they sought to dismiss the petition on the grounds that an intervention as to the identity of the Indian police officers coming to Israel to participate in training would be construed as a blatant intervention by Israel in India’s internal affairs, and could damage foreign relations and trust between both states.
Mack added that although the Israeli govt wants to defend its economic and political interests at all costs vis-à-vis the anti-democratic govt of PM Narendra Modi, it is important that people in Kashmir know that there are also Israeli citizens who think otherwise—KMS
