World Saw Hamas Atrocities, Now Must Judge Them
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
The World WIZO president is urging the international community to prosecute Hamas terrorists for the atrocities committed on October 7th, despite widespread video evidence. She highlighted the challenge of turning documented crimes into legal cases and called for platforms to preserve evidence, while also emphasizing the need for victims' consent in using technology.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Hamas documented October 7th atrocities, yet prosecution is lacking.
- Evidence preservation by platforms is a legal obligation.
- Technology use for evidence must respect victims' consent.
- Sexual violence in conflict is increasingly recognized as a crime.
- Global women's movements must show universal solidarity.
- WIZO advocates for persistent, alternative diplomacy.
Hamas terrorists relied on cameras to document their atrocities on October 7th, broadcasting the footage widely and with pride, according to the World WIZO president. Despite this widespread documentation, she noted that three years later, questions persist about whether these events truly occurred, highlighting a gap between what the world witnessed and what it is willing to prosecute.
Speaking at a UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, the WIZO president addressed the challenge of transforming witnessed evidence into actionable legal cases. She shared the forum with a retired Israeli judge and a lawyer from Ukraine, both documenting similar crimes in different conflicts, underscoring the universal nature of the struggle.
The article argues that the very act of perpetrators documenting their crimes makes them paradoxically easier to deny. Videos can be faked, edited, or taken out of context, while social media platforms often delete such evidence, erasing irreplaceable proof. The author asserts that platforms used to disseminate war crimes have a legal obligation to preserve such footage securely for investigation and prosecution, stating that deletion, for any reason, constitutes a forfeiture of justice.
Furthermore, the piece emphasizes that any use of technology, including AI, to preserve evidence from victims must be with their full consent and control, ensuring their dignity is not compromised. The author draws a parallel to the historical underrepresentation of rape as a war crime, noting that it took decades for the international community to recognize sexual violence as a crime rather than a byproduct of conflict. Victims of October 7th do not have decades to wait for justice.
The call extends to global women's movements, asserting that solidarity must be universal. If the suffering of Israeli women is not recognized as a crime scene, then the protection offered to other women becomes conditional. The author advocates for continued diplomatic efforts, citing WIZO's history of alternative diplomacy, including the work of Gizi Fleischmann, who risked her life to relay information about the Holocaust, and Raia Yaglom, who led a delegation to the Soviet Union. These efforts, built over decades, open doors where official pronouncements fail.