ArmInfo. The Israeli High Court rejected a petition to ban the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan, arguing its decision "lack of evidence to justify a hearing on whether it was used for war crimes against Armenia," writes JPost.
At the same time, the publication notes that in the case of Malaysia, the High Court rejected a similar petition, but held rather stormy hearings. However, in this case, Judge Yosef Elron said there was no basic evidence in the petition to hold a hearing.
At the same time, the source writes that the decision does not preclude the submission of a repeated application with more comprehensive evidence.
"It is unclear at this stage if sufficient evidence can be collected, as in the case of Malaysia," said human rights lawyer Itai Mak.
It is noted that in the case of Malaysia, the High Court found that Israel was selling weapons to Malaysia, which were probably used for war crimes, but the topic, nevertheless, rejected the request for a ban, either because Israel wanted to quietly stop selling weapons, or - for classified alleged national security interests. Mack said he was urging Israel to stop selling arms to Azerbaijan for moral reasons, but he did not have sufficient evidence to file a petition. It was filed by activist Eli Joseph, who went on a hunger strike over this.
Joseph provided news reports that 60% of the weapons in Azerbaijan come from Israel, and evidence of a potential air delivery of weapons to Azerbaijan in the days before the current conflict in Karabakh erupted. He also provided news reports and an Amnesty International report with evidence that Azerbaijan is using Israeli drones to kill Armenians. However, almost nothing that Joseph presented proves that Israeli weapons were used against Armenians to commit war crimes, the judge said. At best, he said, this proves that Israeli weapons were sold to Azerbaijan, which could mean that they are kept in a warehouse or in reserve for defensive purposes only.
Mack said he had made a direct appeal to the government to stop any sales to Azerbaijan based on more general testimonies from Azerbaijani officials.
"Azerbaijan has published footage of Israeli models of unmanned aerial vehicles, including offensive UAVs and Kamikaze UAVs. In 2015, Azerbaijani soldiers were at the parade with Israeli-made Tavor rifles. In addition, in September 2016, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited a plant that produces Israeli kamikaze drones At a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Aliyev said Israel had agreed to sell nearly $ 5 billion worth of defense equipment to Azerbaijan. In addition, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry published a video showing an Israeli UAV flying for a split second. past a Turkish combat UAV.
Moreover, the statement of Aliyev's political adviser and other video recordings of kamikaze drones can be evidence of their use against Armenia, "Mac said.
"The history of the sale of Israeli weapons to Azerbaijan is connected with the complex geopolitics associated with Iran, which it borders on, and Israel's needs for oil.
The judge also demanded reimbursement of legal costs in the amount of 1,500 shekels for filing the motion, indicating that it was filed prematurely and without sufficient research, "the newspaper writes. It is also worth noting that the Armenian side has repeatedly demonstrated factual data on the use of Israeli weapons against the Armenian civilian population. In addition, official Yerevan protested in connection with the ongoing supply of weapons to Azerbaijan against the background of hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Yerevan also recalled its newly appointed ambassador to Israel for consultations. Israel, only, expressed regret with the recall of the Armenian diplomat, continuing silently the intensive supply of weapons to Baku.