Human rights groups in Israel have begun
gathering claims about alleged war crimes
which they plan to present to the new
International Criminal Court in The Hague.

In recent days Israel has demolished homes
belonging to Palestinian militants and
assassinated militant leaders - actions which
human rights lawyers want to bring before the
court.

Israeli officials are
worried about a
wave of cases
against Israeli
soldiers and
politicians, which,
they say are
politically
motivated.

I travelled to an Israeli checkpoint in
Surda, near the West Bank town of
Ramallah, guarded by an armoured
personnel carrier and heavily armed
Israeli troops.

Human rights workers claim it is at
checkpoints like this that serious
abuses are often committed.

Checkpoint 'shooting'

Iba Omer al-Barghouti, a local taxi
driver, says he saw an unarmed
Palestinian man shot in the head
right here.

"We were all here
as usual. The
soldiers yelled at
us to go back, and
we did. One
soldier fired in the
air. Then he went
down on one knee
and fired. He hit a
man called Adel in
the head. Now he
is paralysed," Mr
al-Barghouti told
me.

It is claims like Iba's that human
rights workers are collecting.

Israeli soldiers and politicians are
worried now that arrest warrants
could be waiting if they travel abroad.

They are turning for help to
government legal advisor Alan Baker.

Mr Baker says they could wind up in
the dock.

"I genuinely fear that there might
well be a danger that Israelis will be
brought before this court.

"We'll do everything possible to
prevent it and we trust that the other
parties to the statute - especially the
European countries - will prevent the
abuse of the court in order to fight
political battles," he said.

No immunity

But supporters of the court say it is
not about politics, it is about human
rights.

Professor Jeff
Halper, a long-time
Israeli human
rights campaigner,
is already hunting
for names and for
suspects.

"We can't let
anybody off the
hook. I don't want some common foot
soldier to feel that he can do
anything because he is just following
orders and that he won't be held
accountable.

"And I don't want some general to
think he won't be held accountable
because he didn't actually do it - he
was sitting in his office that day
when they destroyed this particular
Palestinian city," said Mr Halper.

'Licence to kill'

Damaging Palestinian cities and
destroying homes often goes
unpunished now, according to Israeli
civil rights lawyer Dan Yakir.

He insists the Israeli army, the IDF,
has a poor record in prosecuting its
own.

"The policy of the IDF not to
investigate most of the cases in the
territories does give the impression
of a licence to kill.

"Now there is an external institution,
the International Criminal Court, that
might deter soldiers from abusing
their power," he said.

In the West Bank, many Palestinians
fear the court won't change their lives
- at least not in the short term.

But much as Israel objects to it, it
won't be exempt from its
proceedings.

No-one is - from foot soldiers to
heads of state.