A pro-Palestinian advocacy group that has targeted Israeli officials in the past filed a criminal complaint in Canada on Wednesday against former prime minister Ehud Olmert and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni ahead of their planned visit to Toronto.
The Hind Rajab Foundation accused Olmert and Livni of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during Operation Cast Lead, the IDF offensive in Gaza that began in December 2008 and continued until mid-January 2009. At the time, Olmert was prime minister and Livni was foreign minister.
The group also claimed the two share responsibility for “similar crimes” it alleges were committed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
Natacha Bracq, head of litigation for the foundation, said in a statement that “Those who planned, ordered, and supervised crimes committed against Palestinians — whether in the past or present — must be held accountable, as war crimes and crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations. The Hind Rajab Foundation calls on Canada to act without delay, in fulfillment of its international obligations, because justice cannot be postponed or denied.”
The complaint was submitted jointly with Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR). The foundation urged Canada’s federal police, which has opened an investigation into Canadian-Israeli soldiers over their involvement in the war in Gaza, to investigate Olmert and Livni and summon them for questioning during their upcoming visit to Toronto.
It is not the first time the pro-Palestinian foundation has filed complaints against current or former officials in countries they were expected to visit. Similar complaints against Olmert and Livni have been submitted in Germany, Britain, Belgium and Switzerland. Last month, the group filed another complaint in Germany accusing Olmert of "war crimes."
In a similar effort, the Hind Rajab Foundation and other pro-Palestinian organizations sought an arrest warrant in Britain for President Isaac Herzog during a visit there, but authorities rejected the request.
In August, the foundation petitioned the International Criminal Court in The Hague to arrest IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir; Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar; Southern Command chief Yaniv Asor; former Unit 8200 commander Brig. Gen. Yossi Sariel; the current Unit 8200 commander; the commander of the Palmachim Airbase; the commander of the 161st Squadron; and the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, over the deaths of Al Jazeera journalists in a strike near Shifa Hospital in Gaza.