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Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by RichyBlacK(m): 4:56am On Sep 16, 2009

A Palestinian woman next to her home destroyed during Israeli strikes in Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip in January

[size=18pt]UN says Israel should face war-crimes trial over Gaza[/size]
Report also censures Hamas but accuses Israelis of punishing entire population of the Palestinian Strip

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem


Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Israel targeted "the people of Gaza as a whole" in the three-week military operation which is estimated to have killed more than 1,300 Palestinians at the beginning of this year, according to a UN-commissioned report published yesterday.

A UN fact-finding mission led by the South African judge Richard Goldstone said Israel should face prosecution by the International Criminal Court unless it opened independent investigations of what the report said were repeated violations of international law, "possible war crimes and crimes against humanity" during the operation.

Using by far the strongest language of any of the numerous reports criticising Operation Cast Lead, the UN mission, which interviewed victims, witnesses and others in Gaza and Geneva this summer, says that, while Israel had portrayed the war as self-defence in response to Hamas rocket attacks, it "considers the plan to have been directed, at least in part, at a different target: the people of Gaza as a whole.

"In this respect the operations were in furtherance of an overall policy aimed at punishing the Gaza population for its resilience and for its apparent support for Hamas, and possibly with the intent of forcing a change in such support," the report said.

The 575-page document presented to yesterday's session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva was swiftly denounced by Israel. The foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the UN mission had "dealt a huge blow to governments seeking to defend their citizens from terror", and that its conclusions were "so disconnected with realities on the ground that one cannot but wonder on which planet was the Gaza Strip they visited".

The Gaza war began on 27 December 2008 and ended on 18 January 2009.

The UN report found that the statements of military and political leaders in Israel before and during the operation indicated that they intended the use of "disproportionate force", aimed not only at the enemy but also at the "supporting infrastructure". The mission adds: "In practice this appears to have meant the civilian population."

The mission also had harsh conclusions about Hamas and other armed groups, acknowledging that rocket and mortar attacks have caused terror in southern Israel, and saying that, where such attacks were launched into civilians areas, they would "constitute war crimes" and "may amount to crimes against humanity".

It also condemned the extrajudicial killings, detention and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees by the Hamas regime in Gaza – as well as by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank – and called for the release on humanitarian grounds of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli corporal abducted by Gaza militants in June 2006.

While the Israeli government refused to co-operate with the inquiry – or allow the UN team into Israel – on the ground that the team would be"one-sided", Corporal Shalit's father, Noam, was among those Israeli citizens who flew to Geneva to give evidence.

That said, the greater part of the report – and its strongest language – is reserved for Israel's conduct during the operation. Apart from the unprecedented death toll, the report says that "the destruction of food supply installations, water sanitation systems, concrete factories and residential houses was the result of a systematic policy by the Israeli armed forces". The purpose was not to avert a military threat, but "to make the daily process of living and dignified living more difficult for the civilian population".

The report also says that vandalism of houses by some soldiers and "the graffiti on the walls, the obscenities and often racist slogans constituted an overall image of humiliation and dehumanisation of the Palestinian population".

Amid a detailed examination of most of the major incidents of the war – albeit one carried out five months after it took place – it says that:

* The first bombing attack on Day One of the operation, when children were going home from school, "appears to have been calculated to cause the greatest disruption and widespread panic".

* The firing of white phosphorus shells at the UN Relief and Works Agency compound was "compounded by reckless regard of the consequences", and the use of high explosive artillery at the al-Quds hospitals were violations of Articles 18 and 19 of the Geneva Convention. It says that warnings issued by Israel to the civilian population "cannot be considered as sufficiently effective" under the convention.

* On the attack in the vicinity of the al-Fakhoura school where at least 35 Palestinians were killed, Israeli forces launched an attack where a "reasonable commander" would have considered military advantage was outweighed by the risk to civilian life. Under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the civilians had their right to life forfeited. And while some of the 99 policemen killed in incidents surveyed by the team may have been members of armed groups, others who were not also had their right to life violated.

* The inquiry team also says that a number of Palestinians were used as human shields – itself a violation of the ICCPR – including Majdi Abed Rabbo, whose complaints about being so used were first aired in The Independent. The report asserts that the use of human shields constitutes a "war crime under the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court".
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 8:35am On Sep 16, 2009
Where are all of the Israel ass kissers?

Everyone knew they were committing war crimes when this was happening. Who did they think they were fooling when they said "that isn't white phosphorous?"
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by yeswecan(m): 6:43pm On Sep 16, 2009
United Nations has failed; a reasonable person should know the United Nations failed in its activities. The suicide bombers are not committing any crime huh? If they want to earn my respect they should work towards a peace project for the Israel/Palestine instead of side-talking on issues. Fact-finding mission: Imagine that. Instead of finding a lasting solution to the ME they are bringing out wrong figures and judgment.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by 4Play(m): 7:02pm On Sep 16, 2009
The UN is continuing its age long tradition of a witch hunt against Israel.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by JeSoul(f): 7:41pm On Sep 16, 2009
yeswecan:

United Nations has failed; a reasonable person should know the United Nations failed in its activities. The suicide bombers are not committing any crime huh? If they want to earn my respect they should work towards a peace project for the Israel/Palestine instead of side-talking on issues. Fact-finding mission: Imagine that. Instead of finding a lasting solution to the ME they are bringing out wrong figures and judgment.
Which is why they will continue to remain an irrelevant figurehead void of true power or influence.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by BlackRevo: 10:58pm On Sep 16, 2009
Will all these report and condemnation solve the middle east problem?
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 11:32pm On Sep 16, 2009
Here they go, right on time! cheesy
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by Nobody: 1:35am On Sep 17, 2009
Richie what's new? The UN is only doing what it has done for ages - witch hunt the jews.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by Kobojunkie: 1:56am On Sep 17, 2009
According to the UN report, both sides in this war committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by BlackRevo: 5:59am On Sep 17, 2009
Then why are they insisting on only Israel to undergo a war crimes trial? this UN people self angry
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by Kobojunkie: 7:07am On Sep 17, 2009
Well, I would guess it is way easier for the UN to confront Israel than for it to confront Hamas, considering the latter is a terrorist group that they have not been able to get to the table in a while.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 7:25am On Sep 17, 2009
Since when do liberation groups get held to the same standard as governments? Powerful and influential ones at that?

LOL @ witch hunt against Israel. Israel hasn't seen it's witch hunt. . . . . .yet. You can only push your neighbors so far. . .Israel's reign of terror will soon be put to an end because everyone is getting tired of their BS.

The Zionist scum will soon meet their fate.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by Kobojunkie: 3:43pm On Sep 17, 2009
blackspade:

Since when do[b] liberation groups [/b] get held to the same standard as governments? Powerful and influential ones at that?


Isn't Hamas currently GOVERNMENT in palestine? And what has power and influence to do with this here. We are talking of war crimes here. Both sides were found to have committed war crimes, can we stick to the topic rather than going off on another tangent? You lost me after the line above.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by yeswecan(m): 5:05pm On Sep 17, 2009
This report is nonsense; the UN should work towards a long lasting peace in ME.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 5:34pm On Sep 17, 2009
Kobojunkie:

Isn't Hamas currently GOVERNMENT in palestine? And what has power and influence to do with this here. We are talking of war crimes here. Both sides were found to have committed war crimes, can we stick to the topic rather than going off on another tangent? You lost me after the line above.

They are a liberation group turned government.

Israel will inevitably be reduced to a mountain of rubble. Is that clear enough for you??

Israel's continual settlement expansion shows that they don't want peace.

The ME will not see peace until the trespassers are removed. If it wasn't for Britain sending them to Palestine, these Zionist scum would be committing these atrocities against Ugandans!

Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by Kobojunkie: 6:02pm On Sep 17, 2009
blackspade:

They are a liberation group turned government.

Israel will inevitably be reduced to a mountain of rubble. Is that clear enough for you??

Israel's continual settlement expansion shows that they don't want peace.

The ME will not see peace until the trespassers are removed. If it wasn't for Britain sending them to Palestine, these Zionist scum would be committing these atrocities against Ugandans!

So are you saying that when an assumed liberation group takes over government, they ought not to be subject to the same laws as governments around the world? Do you really think that will fly in the real world, outside of your reasoning there?

This topic ain’t really about your personal opinion or beef with Israel. The fact is the UN report finds both sides to be at fault in this and both government’s ought to be tried justly, no matter what side you personally belief is your liberation group.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 6:27pm On Sep 17, 2009
Kobojunkie:

So are you saying that when an assumed liberation group takes over government, they ought not to be subject to the same laws as governments around the world? Do you really think that will fly in the real world, outside of your reasoning there?

This topic ain’t really about your personal opinion or beef with Israel.  The fact is the UN report finds both sides to be at fault in this and both government’s ought to be tried justly, no matter what side you personally belief is your liberation group.

Palestine is not a diplomatically recognized state, it's a Zionist occupied territory.

That is what I'm saying.

Israel deserves all the war crimes committed against them. The Zionists planted themselves on lands they were never invited to. They weren't satisfied with the little amount of land they were given, so they did what their kind does best: satisfy their greed at the expense of others.

History has the tendency to repeat itself. The Zionists will have to learn their lesson the hard way.

Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by yeswecan(m): 7:23pm On Sep 17, 2009
blackspade:

They are a liberation group turned government.

Israel will inevitably be reduced to a mountain of rubble. Is that clear enough for you??

Oh so the Harmas can suicide boomb and fire rocket because they are liberation group turned government, you can see what hate has turned your reasoning faculty into.

blackspade:


The ME will not see peace until the trespassers are removed.
If it wasn't for Britain sending them to Palestine, these Zionist scum would be committing these atrocities against Ugandans!

I know where you got that from ;romoved, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's choice of word remove from the surface of the earth (The Islamic Ideology) the hatread of isreal is quranic.

Sorry for the diversionary tactics but i have always told people that the Israel/Palestine issue cannot be separated from the Islamic goal of wiping out the entire Jews.I pray history repeats its self, maybe the seven days war or the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by RichyBlacK(m): 7:27am On Sep 18, 2009
davidylan:

Richie what's new? The UN is only doing what it has done for ages - witch hunt the jews.

David,

Nobody is witch-hinting the Jews!

This report is about Israel, a certified terrorist state, that used White Phosphorous against civilian targets. Even Israel has admitted it used this banned agent to kill innocent Palestinian children. Shame on Israel!

According to the report, Israel deliberately targeted civilians and summarily executed soldiers who surrendered to them. Executing prisoners of war goes against every moral code in the modern execution of warfare and violates the Geneva Convention. Those summary executions are War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity!

Israel's rule of engagement in warfare, against the relentless freedom fighters, Hamas, where innocent civilian men, women and children are murdered, confirms that Israel is truly a backward barbaric enclave having a facade of civility, but concealing a grotesque reality too ugly to be fathomed by the blind supporters of this state sponsor of lethal terrorism!

It is the duty of the UN to continue to expose Israel's crimes and subtract from whatever moral credit Israel may try to claim in the future.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 11:10pm On Sep 18, 2009
@ yeswecan

History does have a tendency to repeat itself, but this time it won't be in favor of the Zionists.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by bawomolo(m): 6:19pm On Sep 21, 2009
Israel deserves all the war crimes committed against them

huh
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 7:34pm On Sep 21, 2009
Was I not clear in my statement?
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by bawomolo(m): 12:40am On Sep 22, 2009
blackspade:

Was I not clear in my statement?

why should war crimes be excused?
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 2:43am On Sep 22, 2009
They deserve nothing less for putting their thieving hands on what was never theirs. Them expanding into what's left of Palestine and having Palestinians resettled abroad only shows their true intentions.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by bawomolo(m): 3:13pm On Sep 22, 2009
true intentions to do what?
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by blackspade(m): 4:44pm On Sep 22, 2009
This map speaks for itself:



Their greed doesn't stop at Palestine.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by bawomolo(m): 1:37am On Sep 23, 2009
you are obviously on some conspiracy theory stuff.

dude, the IDF has gotten as far as damascus but choose to pull back. Israel would have occupied these territories about 20yrs ago if it wanted to.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by Nobody: 1:42am On Sep 23, 2009
blackspade:

This map speaks for itself:



Their greed doesn't stop at Palestine.

Actually you're just being paranoid. Do you know how huge the Sinai was? and yet they gave it back to Egypt.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by yeswecan(m): 6:35pm On Sep 23, 2009
The United Nation is just going back and forth with Israel and Palestine, this makes me think there is actually a New world order/hidden agenda in this whole UN nonsense. Why are they not working towards a lasting solution instead of pointing fingers?
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by dadde(m): 12:11pm On Sep 28, 2009
when these arabs send suicide bombers to kill Israelis they claim to be fighting for the lost land. whenever Israel retaliates this same fanatics claim they are the victims. had hamas have more powers to pound Israel they would eliminated Israel.

the statements of the UN on war crimes of Israel is just to fulfill all righteousnes. the UN official to that these arabs caused the woes meted on them.
Re: Israel Committed War Crimes And Crimes Against Humanity! by yeswecan(m): 10:05pm On Oct 06, 2009
dadde:

when these arabs send suicide bombers to kill Israelis they claim to be fighting for the lost land. whenever Israel retaliates this same fanatics claim they are the victims. had hamas have more powers to pound Israel they would eliminated Israel.

the statements of the UN on war crimes of Israel is just to fulfill all righteousnes. the UN official to that these arabs caused the woes meted on them.

You couldn't have done any better

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