once again a one sided report. pappa must be proud. On Feb 13, 5:42 pm, "AmericanBuilt.us" <[email protected]> wrote: > MARK, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE TREASONOUSLY DEFENDING & SUPPORTING... > > THIS IS ABSOLUTE EVIDENCE OF ABSOLUTE COWARDS! > > ARMED "SOLDIERS" AFRAID OF WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND ELDERLY: > > US lawyers report on Israeli crimes in Gaza > > We are a delegation of eight American lawyers, members of the National > Lawyers Guild (NLG) in the United States, who have come here to the > Gaza Strip to assess the effects of the recent attacks on the people, > and to determine what, if any, violations of international law > occurred and whether United States domestic law has been violated as a > consequence. We spent five days interviewing communities particularly > impacted by the recent Israeli offensive, including medical personnel, > humanitarian aid workers and United Nations representatives. In > particular, the delegation examined three issues: 1) targeting of > civilians and civilian infrastructure; 2) illegal use of weapons and > 3) blocking of medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians. > > Targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure > > Much of the debate surrounding Israel's aerial and ground offensive > against Gaza has centered on whether or not Israel observed principles > of proportionality and distinction. The debate suggests that Israel > targeted Hamas, i.e., its military installations, its leaders and its > militants, and in the process of its discrete military exercise it > inadvertently killed Palestinian civilians. While we have found > evidence that Palestinian civilians were victims of excessive force > and collateral damage, we have also found troubling instances of > Palestinian civilians being targets themselves. > > The delegation recorded numerous accounts of Israeli soldiers shooting > civilians, including women, children, and the elderly, in the head, > chest and stomach. Another common narrative described Israeli forces > rounding civilians into a single location, i.e., homes and schools > which Israeli tanks or warplanes then shelled. Israeli forces > continued to shoot at civilians fleeing the targeted structures. > > We spoke to Khaled Abed Rabu, who witnessed an Israeli soldier execute > his two-year-old and seven-year-old daughters, and critically injure a > third daughter, Samar, four years old, on a sunny afternoon outside > his home. Two other Israeli soldiers were standing nearby eating chips > and chocolates at the time on 7 January 2009. Abed Rabu recounts > standing in front of the Israeli soldiers with his mother, wife and > daughters for five to seven minutes before one of the soldiers opened > fire on his family. > > We spoke to Ibtisam al-Samouni, 31, and a resident of al-Zeitoun > neighborhood in Gaza City. On 4 January, the Israeli army forced > approximately 110 of al-Zeitoun's residents into Ibtisam's home. At > approximately 7am on 5 January, the Israeli military launched two tank > shells at the house without warning, killing two of Ibtisam's > children: Rizka, 14 and Faris, 12. When the survivors attempted to > flee, Israeli forces shot at them. Her son Abdullah, seven, was > injured in the shelling and remained in the home among his deceased > siblings for four days before Israeli forces permitted medical > personnel into al-Zeitoun to rescue them. After medical personnel > removed the injured persons, an Israeli war plane destroyed the house > and it crumbled over the lifeless bodies. The dead remained beneath > the rubble for 17 days before the Israeli army permitted medical > personnel to remove their bodies for burial. > > We spoke to the family of Rouhiya al-Najjar, 47, who lived in Khozaa, > Khan Younis. Israeli forces ordered her neighborhood's residents to > march to the city center. Rouhiya led 20 women out of her home and > into the alley. They all carried white scarves. Upon entering the > alley, an Israeli sniper shot Rouhiya in her left temple, killing her > instantly. Israeli forces prevented medical personnel from reaching > her body for 12 hours. These are only some of the accounts that we've > collected. > > Israeli forces also destroyed numerous buildings throughout the Gaza > Strip during the recent incursion. Guild delegates viewed the remains > of hundreds of demolished homes and businesses -- in addition to the > remains of the American School in Gaza, damaged medical centers, and > the charred innards of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) > warehouses. While in situations of armed conflict, collateral damage > and mistakes can occur, the circumstances surrounding the cases that > the delegation investigated indicate deliberate targeting rather than > collateral damage or mistake. Specifically: > > The American School at Gaza, which was hit with two F-16 missiles on 3 > January 2009, killing the watch guard on duty. According to Ribhi > Salem, the school's director, the Israelis gave no warnings. Salem > stated that the school had come to an agreement with resistance groups > not to use school grounds and there had never been resistance activity > on the property. > > UNRWA > > John Ging, the Director of Gaza Operations for UNRWA, reported that > Israeli forces fired missiles at UNRWA schools in Gaza City, Jabalyia > and Beit Lahiya. The United Nations compound in Gaza City was also hit > with white phosphorous shells and missiles. Ging noted that all UN > buildings and vehicles fly UN flags, are marked in blue paint from the > top, and that during hostilities the UN personnel remained in constant > contact with Israeli authorities. > > Misuse of weapons > > Our delegation has heard allegations of the use of DIME (Dense Inert > Metal Explosive) weaponry, white phosphorus and other possible weapons > whose use in civilian areas is prohibited. We have also heard of the > use of prohibited weapons, such as flachettes. We have found our own > evidence of the use of flachette shells, which we will combine with > evidence collected by Amnesty International to push for further > investigation. We have not found any conclusive evidence of the use of > DIME, though we believe that this warrants further investigation and > disclosure by the Israeli military. > > Our findings overwhelmingly point to the use of conventional weapons > in a prohibited manner, specifically, the use of battlefield weaponry > in densely populated civilian areas. Customary international law > forbids the use of weapons calculated to cause unnecessary suffering. > We found evidence that Israel used white phosphorus in extensively > throughout its three-week offensive in a manner that led to numerous > deaths and injuries. For example, Sabah Abu Halima, 45, lived in Beit > Lahiya with her husband, seven boys, and one girl. It was midday and > she and her entire family were at home. Within minutes she felt her > home shaking and missiles fell through the rooftop. She fell to the > ground upon impact. When she looked up she saw her children burning. > > Preventing access to medical and humanitarian aid > > Under customary international humanitarian law, the wounded are > protected persons and must receive the medical care and attention > required by their conditions, to the fullest extent practicable and > with the least possible delay. Parties to a conflict are required to > ensure the unhindered movement of medical personnel and ambulances to > carry out their duties and of wounded persons to access medical care. > Speaking to medical workers and the family of victims, NLG delegates > documented serious violations of this provision. Among the stories > documented include: > > Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, which came under attack and invasion by > ground forces on 3 January 2009. The Palestine Red Crescent Society > received 145 calls from al-Zeitoun for help, but were denied entry by > Israel. Bashar Ahmed Murad, Director of Emergency Medical Services for > the Palestine Red Crescent Society told us that "a lot of people could > have been saved, but hey weren't given medical care by the Israelis, > nor did the Israeli army allow Palestinian medical services in." When > paramedics were finally allowed to enter on 7 January, Israeli forces > only gave them a three hour "lull" to work and prohibited ambulances > into the area. Instead they forced paramedics park the ambulances two > kilometers away and enter the area on foot. Murad told delegation > members how they had to pile the wounded on donkey carts and have the > medical workers pull the carts in order to help the most people > possible in the short time they were given. After the three hours were > over, the Israeli army started shooting toward the ambulances. The Red > Crescent was not able to reach that area again to evacuate the dead > until 17 January 2009 when the Israeli army pulled out. > > Shurrab family > > On 16 January, Israeli forces shot at the jeep of Mohammed Shurrab, 64 > years old, and two of his sons, Kassab and Ibrahim, aged 28 and 18, as > they were returning from their fields. Mohammed was shot in the left > arm and Ibrahim was shot in the leg. The elder son, Kassab, sustained > a fatal bullet wound to the chest, being shot multiple times after he > was ordered out of the car. Mohammed, bleeding from his wound, > contacted the media, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and > a number of non-governmental organizations via mobile phone in order > to acquire medical assistance. Israeli forces denied medical relief > agencies clearance to reach them until almost 24 hours after Mohammed, > Ibrahim and Kassab had been shot. Earlier that morning, Ibrahim had > succumbed to his wound and died. Mohammad Shurrab and his sons were > shot during a so-called "lull" in Israeli ground operations, which > Israeli forces had agreed to in order to allow humanitarian relief to > enter and be distributed in the Gaza Strip. As such NLG delegates fail > to see how this denial of medical access to the wounded Shurrab family > could have been absolutely necessary and not simply arbitrary. > > International humanitarian law also prohibits attacks on medical > personnel, medical units and medical transports exclusively assigned > to carry out medical ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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