Amnesty International Report "Operation Cast Lead" - 22 days of death and destruction

[earth_as_one]

Amnesty International Report "Operation Cast Lead" - 22 days of death and destruction

Amnesty International's Report regarding Israel's "Cast Lead" operation in Gaza from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009. At the time of the operation, our airwaves were filled with misinformation regarding this conflict. AI is objective and doesn't take sides. They don't hold back and like a referee they call it as they see it. If you really what to know what happened, rather than just what the news reported, read this report.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/a...a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf

 

[darkbeaver]

A crime against humanity. We are all victims of the Sionists now.

 

[earth_as_one]

Another Report which concludes that war crimes were committed during the Israel's brutal Operation "Cast Lead".

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/docs/UNFFMGC_Report.pdf

Just like the Amnesty International report above, they conclude that war crimes were committed by both sides.

Palestinians fired rockets at civilians targets in Israel, which resulted in 4 deaths, three civilian and one soldier. Inside Gaza, 9 Israeli soldiers died, 4 as a result of friendly fire.

In Gaza, Israeli forces were responsible for 1,387-1,417 deaths, most of whom were civilians. Israeli forces deliberately attacked Palestinian civilians, civilian infrastructure and buildings in violation of international law. Among Israel's deliberate targets were UN shelters filled with women and children, hospitals, ambulances and police stations. In all but one case, these attacks did not pursue any justifiable military target. Israeli forces used chemical weapons, heavy artillery and flechettes recklessly in densely populated areas in violation of international law. Israeli forces deliberately attacked unarmed civilians carrying white flags, directed civilians to take shelter in buildings which were subsequently bombed and many other examples of direct targeting and arbitrary killing of unarmed civilians. Israeli forces deliberately destroyed industrial infrastructure, food production, sewage and water treatment facilities. They also wantonly bulldozed farms and buildings for livestock not justified by any military objective or necessity. They also systematically leveled many residential areas completely absent of any military objective or any link to combat activity. Detained Palestinian civilians were subjected to humiliation, physical and mental abuse. Detained civilans including women and children were held in degrading conditions and deprived of food, water or access to sanitary facilities and exposed to the elements without shelter for extended periods of time. Israeli forces interrogated civilians under threat of death or injury to extract information about Palestinian combatants. Israeli soldiers used Palestinian civilians as human shields. Detained civilians were positioned in front of Israeli tank and artillery positions as they fired on Palestinian combatants. Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian civilians to walk in front of them as they actively engaged Palestinian combatants.

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/docs/UNFFMGC_Report.pdf

Comments?

I have one, how come only Palestinian war crimes are newsworthy?

 

[Colpy]

At a casualty rate of 1 Israeli for every 1.000 Palestinians, you would think Hamas would learn to cease and desist. Which they would, of course, were they a sensible group that had the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart.

But they do not.

They are a bunch of lunatic fundamentalists. Their only reason for existence is the destruction of the Jewish state. Murder of innocents is their ONLY purpose.

Israel acts in the interests of her people. That is the difference.

 

[earth_as_one]

Hey C, Doesn't digging pits in front of tanks and heavy artillery and filling them with innocent civilians cross any lines for you?

 

[Colpy]

Hey C, Doesn't digging pits in front of tanks and heavy artillery and filling them with innocent civilians cross any lines for you?

Yep. It crosses a lot of lines with me.

The use of Human shields is a disgrace.

What a shame Hamas also engages in the same practise by hiding among the population.

You will notice the difference that I pointed out did not address the culpability of either side.

Try not to be so one-sided.

Now, try to imagine Israeli soldiers hiding behind Israeli civilians. Not in the cards, is it?

Which sharpens my point, if you will......

 

[Niflmir]

At a casualty rate of 1 Israeli for every 1.000 Palestinians, you would think Hamas would learn to cease and desist. Which they would, of course, were they a sensible group that had the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart.

But they do not.

They are a bunch of lunatic fundamentalists. Their only reason for existence is the destruction of the Jewish state. Murder of innocents is their ONLY purpose.

Israel acts in the interests of her people. That is the difference.

Honestly. Lately I have started to wonder if these people can really be so stupid. At the end of the "hostilities" you always hear Hamas declaring a victory.

Seriously, these people can only have the worst interests for the Palestinians at heart.

 

[Spade]

Honestly. Lately I have started to wonder if these people can really be so stupid. At the end of the "hostilities" you always hear Hamas declaring a victory.

Seriously, these people can only have the worst interests for the Palestinians at heart.

Hmmmm... I thought math guys understood inequalities.

 

[Niflmir]

Hmmmm... I thought math guys understood inequalities.

Sure do. Let me spell it out for you.

1 << 1000

Ergo, victory for Israel. So what is Hamas on about?

 

[Spade]

Sure do. Let me spell it out for you.

1 << 1000

Ergo, victory for Israel. So what is Hamas on about?

Another inequality for you.
(Compassion + restraint)>>Vengeance
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/opinion/17goldstone.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

 

[Niflmir]

Another inequality for you.
(Compassion + restraint)>>Vengeance
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/opinion/17goldstone.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

Yes, I agree completely. Ergo my original point, which you clearly don't understand.

 

[Spade]

Yes, I agree completely. Ergo my original point, which you clearly don't understand.

Another faulty conjecture.

 

[earth_as_one]

Yep. It crosses a lot of lines with me.
The use of Human shields is a disgrace.
What a shame Hamas also engages in the same practise by hiding among the population.
You will notice the difference that I pointed out did not address the culpability of either side.
Try not to be so one-sided.
Now, try to imagine Israeli soldiers hiding behind Israeli civilians. Not in the cards, is it?
Which sharpens my point, if you will......

I'm not claiming Israeli soldiers hid behind Israeli citizens. But if Israel found itself overwhelmed by a hostile invasion force, I imagine they'd fight from within cities filled with civilians. Your belief that Palestinian militants hid behind Palestinian civilians is not supported by either report.

That perception is addressed directly in the AI Report:

From AI's Report:

4.2.2 ISRAELI ALLEGATIONS ABOUT USE OF “HUMAN SHIELDS”
...Amnesty International, for its part, did not find evidence that Hamas or other Palestinian
groups violated the laws of war to the extent repeatedly alleged by Israel. In particular, it
found no evidence that Hamas or other fighters directed the movement of civilians to shield
military objectives from attacks. By contrast, Amnesty International did find that Israeli
forces on several occasions during Operation “Cast Lead” forced Palestinian civilians to serve
as “human shields”. In any event, international humanitarian law makes clear that use of
“human shields” by one party does not release the attacking party from its legal obligations
with respect to civilians.

Amnesty International delegates interviewed many Palestinians who complained about
Hamas’ conduct, and especially about Hamas’ repression and attacks against their
opponents, including killings, torture and arbitrary detentions,125 but did not receive any
accounts of Hamas fighters having used them as “human shields”.
In the cases investigated by Amnesty International of civilians killed in Israeli attacks, the
deaths could not be explained as resulting from the presence of fighters shielding among
civilians, as the Israel army generally contends. In all of the cases investigated by Amnesty
International of families killed when their homes were bombed from the air by Israeli forces,
for example, none of the houses struck was being used by armed groups for military
activities. Similarly, in the cases of precision missiles or tank shells which killed civilians in
their homes, no fighters were present in the houses that were struck and Amnesty
International delegates found no indication that there had been any armed confrontations or
other military activity in the immediate vicinity at the time of the attack.

While the presence of Hamas and other fighters and weapons within civilian areas is not
contested, this in itself is not conclusive evidence of intent to use civilians as “human
shields”...

I searched the entire UN report for statements which support or refute Colpy's perceptions. All I found was these statements

E. Forcing civilians to remain in an area for the specific purpose of sheltering that area
or forces in that area from attack

473. As discussed in more detail in other parts of the report, the Mission asked numerous
witnesses in Gaza why they had stayed in their homes in spite of the shelling, bombing and
328 Ibid.,
Israeli ground invasion. They stated that they had decided to stay put either because they had
experienced previous incursions and, based on past experience, did not think they would be at
risk as long as they remained indoors330 or because they had no safe place to go.331 In additional,
some witnesses stated that they had chosen to stay because they wished to watch over their
homes and property.332 The Mission did not find any evidence of civilians being forced to remain
in their houses by Palestinian armed groups...

...
475. The Mission is also aware of the public statement by Mr. Fathi Hammad, a Hamas
member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, on 29 February 2009, which is adduced as
evidence of Hamas’ use of human shields. Mr. Hammad reportedly stated that
… the Palestinian people has developed its [methods] of death seeking. For the
Palestinian people, death became an industry, at which women excel and so do all people
on this land: the elderly excel, the mujahideen excel and the children excel. Accordingly,
[Hamas] created a human shield of women, children, the elderly and the mujahideen,
against the Zionist bombing machine.335
476. Although the Mission finds this statement morally repugnant, it does not consider it to
constitute evidence that Hamas forced Palestinian civilians to shield military objectives against
attack. The Government of Israel has not identified any such cases...

Besides one statement made by a Hamas representative which appears unsupported by evidence, the UN report found no evidence to support Israeli claims which are the basis of your perception that Hamas used civilians as human shields.

My comments are based on the contents of two independent and objective reports. I don't defend or make excuses for either side's war crimes, in fact I'm condemning both. That's hardly being one sided. You on the other hand believe Israeli claims despite evidence to the contrary. How objective is that?

 

[earth_as_one]

...Try not to be so one-sided.

(Hamas)... are a bunch of lunatic fundamentalists. Their only reason for existence is the destruction of the Jewish state. Murder of innocents is their ONLY purpose.

Israel acts in the interests of her people...

Yeah right... if you say so.

 

[L Gilbert]

I really can't see how anyone could choose sides ethically. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Israeli administration, et al are simply out for blood and both seem willing to kill their adversary as well as anyone who inadvertently walks in between them or even stands too close.

 

[earth_as_one]

I really can't see how anyone could choose sides ethically. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Israeli administration, et al are simply out for blood and both seem willing to kill their adversary as well as anyone who inadvertently walks in between them or even stands too close.

There is the Palestinian militant's side, the Israel government's side and then there are all the innocent civilians victimized by Palestinian and Israeli war criminals.

I'm on the side of innocent civilians.

I'm with Norman Finkelstein. This wasn't a war, it was a massacre:
Norman G. Finkelstein » Democracy Now! Analysis of Goldstone Report

As per Finkelstein's recommendation, I checked out the commments made by Israeli soldiers at "Breaking the Silence" and what I read fits the description of "insane". Read for yourself their statements of what they witnessed...

Breaking The Silence - Israeli soldiers talk about the occupied territories - Testimonies

Israeli soldiers went to Gaza to fight and encountered little to no resistance. Then out of combination of boredom and anti-Arab racism, they just started randomly blowing stuff up and killing people.

 

[einmensch]

At a casualty rate of 1 Israeli for every 1.000 Palestinians, you would think Hamas would learn to cease and desist. Which they would, of course, were they a sensible group that had the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart.

But they do not.

They are a bunch of lunatic fundamentalists. Their only reason for existence is the destruction of the Jewish state. Murder of innocents is their ONLY purpose.

Israel acts in the interests of her people. That is the difference.

You are not a Jew?? You are a baptist! Hard for me to believe

Shooting a 50 year old woman for fun is in the best interest of Israel ?? WOW you are a demented person--

 

[einmensch]

I really can't see how anyone could choose sides ethically. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Israeli administration, et al are simply out for blood and both seem willing to kill their adversary as well as anyone who inadvertently walks in between them or even stands too close.

Well Gibert --It is the Israelis that entered Lebanon and occupy a portion-> (since you mentioned Hezbolla)
Israel continues to expand beyond its borders and settle Palestinian lands with Jewish only communities
Israel attacked and entered Gaza--murdering

Obviously you are a Zionist, Gilbert --by the way Gilbert it wasn't the Israeli administration that shot women and children,or forced IDF soldiers to wear those catchy ONE SHOT TWO KILLS t-shirts

All one needs to remember is that an Israeli IDF OFFICER emptied his gun into a wounded 14 year old Palestinian school girl and received no demotion etc. You are right there with him Gilbert, just like a faithful dog and Colby see's no wrong it that action as well

OR am I all wrong and what you are saying Gilbert is that JEWS are animals just like the Palestinians?
_________________________________________________________________
I hope this is not offensive to toddlers who are on this forum--another joke!

 

[earth_as_one]

I don't think LGirlbert is a Zionist, or pro-Zionist. If you read his posts carefully, you will see he is a Humanist. While we don't always agree, but he has an open mind and his opinions are usually thoughtful and compassionate.

 

[einmensch]

Right now he is speechless--