Arab News Japan
A Kyoto hotel is asking Israeli tourists to sign a declaration that they had not committed any war crimes during their military service in order to check in, according to several reports.
One tourist reported that the alleged incident occurred as soon as he presented his Israeli passport for check in.
The form required him to declare that he had not committed war crimes, including rape, murder of individuals who had surrendered or attacks on civilians.
“The clerk handed me this form and told me that without signing it, I wouldn’t be allowed to check in,” the tourist, who served as a medic in the Israeli Navy, said.
He apparently refused to sign the form initially but signed it after being told that all Israeli and Russian guests were required to do so.
According to media reports, the declaration stated: “I have never been involved in any war crimes in violation of international and humanitarian law, including but not limited to attacks on civilians (children, women, etc.), killing or ill-treatment of those who surrendered or were taken as prisoners of war, torture or inhuman treatment, sexual violence, forced displacement or looting, and other acts falling within the scope of Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). I have never planned, ordered, aided, abetted, or incited war crimes, nor have I participated in such acts. I pledge to continue complying with international law and humanitarian law and never to engage in war crimes in any form.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Japan, Gilad Cohen, sent a letter to Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki, saying the incident was unacceptable.
The hotel manager defended their decision, saying it was the “appropriate” thing to do.
“For us, war is a distant thing, and we have never met people who kill women and children and bomb schools,” he told the media.
Since Oct. 7, the Gaza death toll now stands at about 52,243, with continuous Israeli attacks on the strip.
On Friday, the UN’s World Food Programme said its food stocks in Gaza are completely depleted, as Israel’s aid blockade continues for nearly two months.
In a statement, the organization said it had “delivered its last remaining food stocks” in Gaza to local kitchens, which it anticipates will run out of food entirely “in the coming days.”
AloJapan.com