Amnesty report: Israel guilty of war crimes

Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing war crimes during its recent 23-day assault of the Gaza Strip.

The group said white phosphorus was dropped by IDF aircraft on built-up civilian areas, contravening the rules laid down in the Geneva Convention about use of incendiary devices.

It also blamed the Jewish State's main ally, America, for supplying many of the weapons used during the conflict, and called on US president Barack Obama to halt military cooperation between the two countries.

Amnesty delivered the report precisely one month after Israel and Hamas declared unilateral ceasefires in Gaza.

Its fact-finding missions unearthed evidence that Israeli troops "used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes".

Spokesperson Donatella Rovera concluded that these attacks caused "the death of hundreds of children and other civilians".

White phosphorus is commonly used to lay smokescreens in the battlefield. Deployment of the incendiary device is legal on open ground, but Protocol III of the Geneva Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons states that it cannot be used in built-up civilian areas.

The weapon can stick to human skin and is capable of burning its way through to the bone in a matter of seconds.

Noting that fragments from white phosphorous munitions had been found in civilian areas, Amnesty lawyer Malcolm Smart urged the UN Security Council to "impose an immediate and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel".

Under a ten-year agreement reached with former US president George W Bush, America is due to send $30 billion in military aid to Israel by 2017.

"As the major supplier of weapons to Israel, the USA has a particular obligation to stop any supply that contributes to gross violations of the laws of war and of human rights," Mr Smart said. "The Obama administration should immediately suspend US military aid to Israel."

But the human rights group did not reserve its criticism solely for Israel. It also accused Hamas of breaching international law by instructing militants to fire missiles indiscriminately into southern Israel.

"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," Ms Rovera noted in the report.

"Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime, and caused several civilian deaths."

An estimated 1,300 people lost their lives in the 23-day conflict, which was triggered when Hamas marked the end of a six-month truce with Israel by resuming cross-border rocket attacks. The Jewish State responded with overwhelming military might to quell the barrage.

And in a clear indication that Amnesty's findings may be accurate, both sides have caustically rejected them out of hand.

Speaking to Reuters, Mark Regev, the spokesman for outgoing Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, said the report was "fundamentally flawed" because it relied on data supplied by Hamas. The militant group reacted by saying that it also felt the study was "unfair".

Since 2002, Israel has received over $20 billion in military and security aid from America. Hamas' arsenal is largely made up of home-made missiles, but it is known to include weapons developed in Syria and Iran.

Comments

[Lynne (weirdvis)]

You can't beat a good, well balanced, biased report can you?

More leftist, pro-Hamas propaganda. Not a peep about what Hamas does to it's own population. Nor a mention of Hamas' let's wipe out Israel at any cost charter.

It's incredible that this idiot would seek to put an arms embargo on Israel knowing it's citizens are fair game for any Islamist nutjob. I wonder if AI would be squealing so loud in condemnation if Iran achieved it's nuclear capability and turned Isreal into radioactive ash? Or would it be consigned to history as the Irealis own fault?

I think we should be told.

[alexandro]

so bush made a deal to give 30 billion to israel? WTF!!!

[Dave]

Lynne, maybe you should read the damn article before spewing your rubbish?

"But the human rights group did not reserve its criticism solely for Israel. It also accused Hamas of breaching international law by instructing militants to fire missiles indiscriminately into southern Israel.

'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," Ms Rovera noted in the report.

"Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime, and caused several civilian deaths."'

Moron.

[Lynne (weirdvis)]

I have read the article. It's biased. So was the media response to it. I didn't notice the part that says Iran should be censured for giving their Hamas friends a hand. If I missed it then please point it out. AI never lets an opportunity go by to bash the Iraelis. Maybe you should read more of AI's outpourings without your rose tinted glasses before calling someone a moron.

[Lynne (weirdvis)]

I'm not arguing that the Iraelis have the right in this althought they do have a right to defend themselves. The US was censured for helping Israel but the report became a litle coy about the friends of Hamas. Why? I am arguing that if the blame is to be laid then lets spread it evenly. Is that too much to ask?

[Casey Brown-Myers]

Anytime I hear the name "Amnesty International" or "a human rights organization" I know I am about to hear or read something very biased against the US or Israel. These groups have lost any credibility that they may have had. These types of groups are no better than the UN in regards to biased reporting.

[Jonathan Bert]

Amnesty International is a vital organization, keeping the World informed of atrocities committed by Governments, Armies and insurgent organizations. AI isn't perfect, but the report cited above has a lot credibility. Both sides in this conflict couldn't care less for the civilians maimed and killed in their attempt to fulfil their ambitions. Israel and Hamas both deserve censure, anyone that suggests that one should or should not be penalized is biased. This report is not biased, as it critcizes both sides.

Of particular concern to Americans is the billions of dollars we are giving Israel to conduct their side of the disgrace.

[Martin (riverScrap.com)]

Lots of strongly-held opinions here! For what it's worth, I did try to be even-handed by mentioning Amnesty's criticism of Hamas; but at the end of the day this is a report about Israel's use of white phosphorous, so it's inevitable that the article will focus on that.

While Amnesty's political bias is definitely a cause for concern, so are terrifying images such as this: http://www.infiniteunknown.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/white-phosphorus.jpg And it goes without saying that there are far more graphic pictures on Google Images.

Israel's use of white phosphorous is a hot topic (no pun intended) that undoubtedly warrants scrutiny by NGOs. Not all of whom agree with Amnesty's assessment: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-8248286,00.html

[James]

Israel's actions in Gaza are justified under international law, and Israel should be commended for its self-defense against terrorism. Article 51 of the United Nations Charter reserves to every nation the right to engage in self-defense against armed attacks.

" Every time Israel seeks to defend its civilians against terrorist attacks, it is accused of war crimes by various United Nations agencies, hard left academics and some in the media. It is a totally phony charge concocted as part of Hamas' strategy -- supported by many on the hard left -- to delegitimate and demonize the Jewish state. Israel is the only democracy in the world ever accused of war crimes when it fights a defensive war to protect its civilians. This is remarkable, especially in light of the fact that Israel has killed far fewer civilians than any other country in the world that has faced comparable threats. In the most recent war in Gaza fewer than a thousand civilians -- even by Hamas' skewed count -- have been killed. This, despite the fact that no one can now deny that Hamas had employed a deliberate policy of using children, schools, mosques, apartment buildings and other civilian areas as shields from behind which to launch its deadly anti-personnel rockets. The Israeli Air Force has produced unchallengeable video evidence of this Hamas war crime."
Source: Alan Dershowitz On Huffington Post.

[Lynne (weirdvis)]

AI does excellent work, I won't dispute that. But they should adhere to highlighting the evils being perpetrated, of which there are many, and refrain from playing politics.

Oxfam suffers from the same malady.

[Martin (riverScrap.com)]

Follow the debate further afield:

http://benno.newsvine.com/_news/2009/02/23/2467098-amnesty-report-israel-guilty-of-war-crimes

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/7zhmj/amnesty_international_says_israel_guilty_of_war/

http://digg.com/world_news/Amnesty_report_Israel_guilty_of_war_crimes

http://www.mixx.com/stories/3912097/amnesty_international_report_israel_guilty_of_war_crimes

[Casey Brown-Myers]

James, You are correct in regards to Israels attempt to reduce civilian deaths in the war zone and they should be applauded. One never hears anything positive about Israel in the media, UN reports and the "human-rights" groups. Israel (Jews) have been blamed and killed by various nations throughout history and I guess it will never stop. Just wait till they bomb Iran-You will hear all of these Jewish hate groups accuse them of war-crimes against Iran.
The same Iran that wants to wipe them of the map-But I guess that doesn't matter to these groups.