Israel-Hamas arms embargo urged Amnesty International has called for a freeze on arms sales to Israel and Palestinian groups such as Hamas following the recent Gaza conflict. The human rights group said it had evidence both Israel and Hamas had used weapons sourced from overseas to carry out attacks on civilians. It called for the UN Security Council to impose the embargo on all parties. Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the conclusions of the report, in which Amnesty accuses each of war crimes. In the report, Israel is accused of illegal use of white phosphorus and other armaments supplied by the US in Gaza, while Hamas is condemned for launching unguided rockets into Israel. “ [Israeli] attacks resulted in the death of hundreds of children and other civilians and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure ” Donatella Rovera Amnesty International
Israel has denied the allegations. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev told the BBC: "The IDF, the Israeli Defence Forces, only use weapons that are in accordance with international law. "We did not use any such munition as an anti-personnel weapon; we are investigating ourselves." White phosphorus, which is used to lay smokescreens, is legal for use on open ground but its use in built-up areas where civilians are found is banned under international conventions. 'War crimes' Donatella Rovera, the head of an Amnesty fact-finding mission to southern Israel and Gaza, said: "Israeli forces used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes. "Their attacks resulted in the death of hundreds of children and other civilians and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure. "At the same time, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired hundreds of rockets that had been smuggled in or made of components from abroad at civilian areas in Israel. "Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime and caused several civilian deaths." The charity's report said it had found fragments and components of artillery, tank shells, fins from mortar rounds and aircraft-launched missiles and bombs in school playgrounds, hospitals and homes in Gaza. Israel's weaponry predominantly came from the US, the report said. In southern Israel, meanwhile, the remains of rockets fired indiscriminately at civilian areas by Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups were also recovered, the report said. 'Tainted' report Mr Regev told Reuters news agency the Amnesty report was "fundamentally flawed" and "tainted" because it used data provided by Hamas. He said Israel made every effort to avoid civilian casualties. "The report ignores the fact Hamas deliberately used the Palestinian civilian population as a human shield," he told Reuters. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called the report "unfair", telling Reuters there was no comparison between the Israeli forces' weaponry and Palestinian "people who defend themselves with some rifles and other primitive means". He denied that Hamas had acquired weapons from other countries. Around 1,300 Gazans and 13 Israelis died in 22 days of fighting last month. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7904929.stm Published: 2009/02/23 04:45:33 GMT © BBC MMIX Print Sponsor --------------- Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
