04/05/2009 By News Agencies

Spanish National Court judge Fernando Andreu announced Monday that he will pursue his investigation into a 2002 Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip, despite contrary advice by prosecutors at the court.

Andreu said the 2002 bombing in densely populated Gaza City might constitute a crime against humanity. That attack, using a one-ton bomb dropped from an Israeli F-16, targeted and killed alleged Hamas member Salah Shehadeh along with 14 other people.

The suspects named by Andreu include former Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and five current or former army officers or security officials.

On Monday, the Spanish judge wrote that Israel’s military conducted an internal investigation but Israeli military and civilian prosecutors declined to open proceedings of their own. He said for this reason Spain has jurisdiction to keep investigating.

“In Israel there has not been, nor is there now under way, any legal proceedings aimed at investigating the Gaza bombing,” the judge wrote.

The National Court has become known for its inquiries into alleged human rights abuses in other countries, ranging from Chile and Argentina to Tibet and Western Sahara.

Andreu’s initial decision to investigate infuriated the Israeli government. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in response that Spain planned to modify its law to narrow the scope of universal jurisdiction cases to those with a clear link to Spain.

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