AI, HRW, the UN? Who should you believe?

AnnaG

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That's fair enough. I agree with you. All sources have biases, which is why it makes sense to get information from multiple sources representing all sides before drawing conclusions.
Fine. :)

If AI, HRW, a UN Fact Finding mission, the Red Cross, Oxfam and other entities investigate claims of human rights abuses and they all report finding physical/photographic evidence and eye witness testimony from both sides supporting claims of abuses and the side alleged to have committed the abuses is caught lying repeatedly and responds by denying the claims, refuses to cooperate with all independent investigations, claims they conducted their own investigation and found nothing and pays lobby groups to discredit AI, HRW, the UN Fact Finding Mission, the Red Cross, Oxfam.... what conclusions would you draw?
I'd think that if they found only one side to be lying and committing abuses, they would be exercising their bias. I would like to see an impartial investigation launched. I really don't like seeing issues where only one side is found to be blameless. Everything between two people or two groups is a two way street and most of the time the street is not unidirectional.

Would you believe the alleged abuser denials and their paid lobbyists, or the similar conclusions of AI, HRW, the UN fact finding commission, the Red Cross and Oxfam?
Neither and the reason for which, I stated above.

That's the context of CB's original post.
Then we read two different OPs, I guess.
 

earth_as_one

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Fine. :)

...I would like to see an impartial investigation launched. I really don't like seeing issues where only one side is found to be blameless...

An impartial investigation was launched and both sides were found to have committed war crimes:

UN mission finds evidence of war crimes by both sides in Gaza conflict

The four person United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict


15 September 2009 – The United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict at the start of this year has found evidence that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants committed serious war crimes and breaches of humanitarian law, which may amount to crimes against humanity.


“We came to the conclusion, on the basis of the facts we found, that there was strong evidence to establish that numerous serious violations of international law, both humanitarian law and human rights law, were committed by Israel during the military operations in Gaza,” the head of the mission, Justice Richard Goldstone, told a press briefing today.

“The mission concluded that actions amounting to war crimes and possibly, in some respects, crimes against humanity, were committed by the Israel Defense Force (IDF).”

“There’s no question that the firing of rockets and mortars [by armed groups from Gaza] was deliberate and calculated to cause loss of life and injury to civilians and damage to civilian structures. The mission found that these actions also amount to serious war crimes and also possibly crimes against humanity,” he said....

UN mission finds evidence of war crimes by both sides in Gaza conflict

The Mission is headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, former member of the South African Constitutional Court and former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

The three other mission members are:

Professor Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who was a member of the High Level Fact Finding Mission to Beit Hanoun (2008 );

Ms. Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders, who was a member of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur (2004);

and Colonel Desmond Travers, a former officer in the Irish Armed Forces and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI).

Their Biographies
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/docs/Bios_Gaza_FMM.doc

Links to their report:
United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict

If you believe these people are biased, then please justify your opinion. Who are they biased against and why?
 
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earth_as_one

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Here is a summary of the report, which explains where they got their evidence and how they came to their conclusions.

UN Fact Finding Mission finds strong evidence
of war crimes and crimes against humanity
committed during the Gaza conflict;
calls for end to impunity

15 September 2009


NEW YORK / GENEVA – The UN Fact-Finding Mission led by Justice Richard Goldstone on Tuesday released its long-awaited report on the Gaza conflict, in which it concluded there is evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during the Gaza conflict, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity.

The report also concludes there is also evidence that Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes, as well as possibly crimes against humanity, in their repeated launching of rockets and mortars into Southern Israel.

The four members of the Mission* were appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council in April with a mandate to "To investigate all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law that might have been committed at any time in the context of the military operations that were conducted in Gaza during the period from 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, whether before, during or after."

In compiling the 574- page report, which contains detailed analysis of 36 specific incidents in Gaza, as well as a number of others in the West Bank and Israel, the Mission conducted 188 individual interviews, reviewed more 10,000 pages of documentation, and viewed some 1,200 photographs, including satellite imagery, as well as 30 videos. The mission heard 38 testimonies during two separate public hearings held in Gaza and Geneva, which were webcast in their entirety. The decision to hear participants from Israel and the West Bank in Geneva rather than in situ was taken after Israel denied the Mission access to both locations. Israel also failed to respond to a comprehensive list of questions posed to it by the Mission. Palestinian authorities in both Gaza and the West Bank cooperated with the Mission.

The Mission found that, in the lead up to the Israeli military assault on Gaza, Israel imposed a blockade amounting to collective punishment and carried out a systematic policy of progressive isolation and deprivation of the Gaza Strip. During the Israeli military operation, code-named "Operation Cast Lead," houses, factories, wells, schools, hospitals, police stations and other public buildings were destroyed. Families are still
living amid the rubble of their former homes long after the attacks ended, as reconstruction has been impossible due to the continuing blockade. More than 1,400 people were killed during the military operation.

Significant trauma, both immediate and long-term, has been suffered by the population of Gaza. The Report notes signs of profound depression, insomnia and effects such as bed-wetting among children. The effects on children who witnessed killings and violence, who had thought they were facing death, and who lost family members would be long lasting, the Mission found, noting in its Report that some 30 per cent of children screened at UNRWA schools suffered mental health problems.

The report concludes that the Israeli military operation was directed at the people of Gaza as a whole, in furtherance of an overall and continuing policy aimed at punishing the Gaza population, and in a deliberate policy of disproportionate force aimed at the civilian population. The destruction of food supply installations, water sanitation systems, concrete factories and residential houses was the result of a deliberate and systematic policy which has made the daily process of living, and dignified living, more difficult for the civilian population.

The Report states that Israeli acts that deprive Palestinians in the Gaza Strip of their means of subsistence, employment, housing and water, that deny their freedom of movement and their right to leave and enter their own country, that limit their rights to access a court of law and an effective remedy, could lead a competent court to find that the crime of persecution, a crime against humanity, has been committed.

The report underlines that in most of the incidents investigated by it, and described in the report, loss of life and destruction caused by Israeli forces during the military operation was a result of disrespect for the fundamental principle of "distinction" in international humanitarian law that requires military forces to distinguish between military targets and civilians and civilian objects at all times. The report states that "Taking into account the ability to plan, the means to execute plans with the most developed technology available, and statements by the Israeli military that almost no errors occurred, the Mission finds that the incidents and patterns of events considered in the report are the result of deliberate planning and policy decisions."

For example, Chapter XI of the report describes a number of specific incidents in which Israeli forces launched "direct attacks against civilians with lethal outcome." These are, it says, cases in which the facts indicate no justifiable military objective pursued by the attack and concludes they amount to war crimes. The incidents described include:
Attacks in the Samouni neighbourhood, in Zeitoun, south of Gaza City, including the shelling of a house where soldiers had forced Palestinian civilians to assemble;
Seven incidents concerning "the shooting of civilians while they were trying to leave their homes to walk to a safer place, waving white flags and, in some of the cases, following an injunction from the Israeli forces to do so;"
The targeting of a mosque at prayer time, resulting in the death of 15 people.

A number of other incidents the Report concludes may constitute war crimes include a direct and intentional attack on the Al Quds Hospital and an adjacent ambulance depot in Gaza City.

The Report also covers violations arising from Israeli treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank, including excessive force against Palestinian demonstrators, sometimes resulting in deaths, increased closures, restriction of movement and house demolitions. The detention of Palestinian Legislative Council members, the Report says, effectively paralyzed political life in the OPT.

The Mission found that through activities such as the interrogation of political activists and repression of criticism of its military actions, the Israeli Government contributed significantly to a political climate in which dissent was not tolerated.

The Fact-Finding Mission also found that the repeated acts of firing rockets and mortars into Southern Israel by Palestinian armed groups "constitute war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity," by failing to distinguish between military targets and the civilian population. "The launching of rockets and mortars which cannot be aimed with sufficient precisions at military targets breaches the fundamental principle of distinction," the report says. "Where there is no intended military target and the rockets and mortars are launched into civilian areas, they constitute a deliberate attack against the civilian population."

The Mission concludes that the rocket and mortars attacks "have caused terror in the affected communities of southern Israel," as well as "loss of life and physical and mental injury to civilians and damage to private houses, religious buildings and property, thereby eroding the economic and cultural life of the affected communities and severely affecting the economic and social rights of the population."

The Mission urges the Palestinian armed groups holding the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to release him on humanitarian grounds, and, pending his release, give him the full rights accorded to a prisoner of war under the Geneva Conventions including visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Report also notes serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial executions of Palestinians, by the authorities in Gaza and by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The prolonged situation of impunity has created a justice crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that warrants action, the Report says. The Mission found the Government of Israel had not carried out any credible investigations into alleged violations. It recommended that the UN Security Council require Israel to report to it, within six months, on investigations and prosecutions it should carry out with regard to the violations identified in its Report. The Mission further recommends that the Security Council set up a body of independent experts to report to it on the progress of the Israeli investigations and prosecutions. If the experts' reports do not indicate within six months that good faith, independent proceedings are taking place, the Security Council should refer the situation in Gaza to the ICC Prosecutor. The Mission recommends that the same independent expert body also report to the Security Council on proceedings undertaken by the relevant Gaza authorities with regard to crimes committed by the Palestinian side. As in the case of Israel, if within six months there are no good faith independent proceedings conforming to international standards in place, the Council should refer the situation to the ICC Prosecutor.
 

earth_as_one

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AI, HRW, the UN? Who should you believe?

If AI, HRW, the Red Cross, Oxfam.... and pretty much every Human Rights Organization in the world are more or less in agreement with these people?????

An impartial investigation was launched and both sides were found to have committed war crimes.

The Mission is headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, former member of the South African Constitutional Court and former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

The three other mission members are:

Professor Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who was a member of the High Level Fact Finding Mission to Beit Hanoun (2008 );

Ms. Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders, who was a member of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur (2004);

and Colonel Desmond Travers, a former officer in the Irish Armed Forces and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI).

Their Biographies
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/docs/Bios_Gaza_FMM.doc

Links to their report:
United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict




Summary of their Report

I'm inclined to believe Justice Richard Goldstone, Professor Christine Chinkin, Ms. Hina Jilani and Colonel Desmond Travers.
 
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AnnaG

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I'm inclined to believe Justice Richard Goldstone, Professor Christine Chinkin, Ms. Hina Jilani and Colonel Desmond Travers.
I am, too, but I won't go so far as to say that either of the sides you seem to have a obssession about are any better than the other. To me, someone that murders 12 is just as nuts as someone who murders 1200.
As I said, any group is special interest, therefore they have biases. I am just not interested in AI or the UN to investigate what their biases are, though, and so I take whatever they say with a pinch of salt.
 

earth_as_one

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I'm in favor of freedom and justice. I'm against injustice and oppression.

I support holding people who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable for their actions.

Goldstone’s team examined over 10,000 pages of documentation and testimony, conducted 188 interviews; saw 1,200 photographs, and 30 videos. They concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed. Their findings are unanimously supported by every NGO which operates in the area. Their findings are even corroborated by Israeli soldier testimonies. That kind of consensus about atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity should be taken seriously.

Israel and their supporters don't actually dispute any of the report's specific findings. Instead they make general statements about the report's inaccuracy and bias while attacking the credibility and reputations of organizations and people who have no reason to be biased against Israel. Their goal is to get people to ignore these reports or at least take them "with a grain of salt" and as a result let them continue committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with impunity.

Goldstone's reputation is not only impeccable, he's also a Zionist Jew.
Nicole Goldstone, the daughter of Richard Goldstone, whose report on Operation Cast Lead alleged that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza, maintained on Wednesday that her father "is a Zionist and loves Israel." ...

...Speaking from Toronto, where she now lives, Nicole told Army Radio she had many conversations with her father after he was asked to head the UN inquiry. "I know better than anyone else that he thought however hard it was to accept it, he was doing the best thing for everyone, including Israel," she said. "He is honest, tells things how he sees them and wants to uncover the truth."...


... "My dad loves Israel and it wasn't easy for him to see and hear what happened. I think he heard and saw things he didn't expect to see and hear, and I am 100 percent sure he [conducted the investigation] in the hope that the Israelis would come to cooperate, and he wanted to help find a long-term solution for the state of Israel."...


Goldstone's daughter: My father is a Zionist | Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict | Jerusalem Post
If you want to have an informed opinion about this report, then you'll have to inform yourself. This UN website has links to the report, to press summaries of the report (if 500 pages is too much), and if you want to dispute the report's findings it also has links to the evidence which forms the basis of the report's conclusions:
United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict
 
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MHz

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Think about that.
From your last two posts there seems to be some conflict that leaves me a bit unsure of your actual point, for example
copy & paste, you dislike that practice when others do it yet that is how you have posted in the past.
"I've grown tired of posting link after link to the facts, only for those not unlike yourself, to have them dismissed without so much as a glance. It's a waste of my time. Other then to see what the poster to whom they are directed are made of."
Another statement indicated a need for a balanced input of information from both pro and con articles and then coming to a conclusion. That was said to be the method you use. If these (OP bodies) are discredited as being able to present an accurate view of the 'con-side' then what sources do you use to get that part of the balanced 'reading' before you make a 'fair' judgment call? When using a pro-side source would it mean that no western media has their own opinion as they are merely a conduit for the broadcast of somebodies opinion that is separate from the reporting body. The source report is the one who would be bias and their relationship with Israel or Hamas should be examined. Obviously anything coming out of the US is going to be pro-Israeli, simply based on the fact they have vetoed every UN condemnation of Israel and have repeatedly stated in the media by the WhiteHouse that they will support the gov of Israel and it won't matter if they are in the right or the wrong, that is true bias.
Assuming you still read 'link after link' you now offer a summary based on what you have taken in from what others have to say on the subject. If anybody has another conclusion they must be the ones in error no matter what they use as support for having that opposing view.
How is your method 'better'? The readers have no idea what articles you read that would influence your bias. Eao has already said Israel should be on trial to determine their guilt, same for Hamas. His posts allow the reader to look at and read the same articles He read (before or in support of a previous judgment call ). The way the courts will examine the charges are closer to his method than yours.
The fact remains that there is a body that is a recognized court that has a mandate to listen to and judge on issues dealing with that particular area.
"Have you even had an original thought of your own?"
Your thoughts (on this subject) are entirely based on what others have told you. (links to articles or private discussion) You have no idea which are true and which are lies. That is what taking it to court is about, the ultimate fact finding mission. That is a move that everybody should agree as being a good move considering 1400 people died in just one conflict less than a year ago.
It seems to be quite common that an Israeli supporter says no to a war-crimes trials (guilt is not established before the verdict) and a pro-Gaza stance does support an extensive trial (meaning issues other than 'cast lead) can be addressed. Your quote below would be the reason your support is steadfast.
"Members such as Colpy and myself, once defended Israel, without second thought. I for one defended them without question, for various reasons. It didn't take me long to see that that defense was miss placed, and that Israel was in many cases wrong, plain and simple."
Not that those conclusions have much impact on the way things went on the world stage. Nor do I think you can say that for anybody but yourself.
"Your posts are typical cut and pastes from pro Palestinian sites, organizations and bias media outlets. Most which fail the sniff test of a grade nine student. Several times your posts have contained articles that have circled back to themselves, while being tracked for sources. Mean while, organizations such as CAMERA, which documents everything back to its very origins, with far greater transparency and evidence, are routinely dismissed without so much as a single piece of proof, other then for you to call them Israeli shills."
How many pro-Taliban articles have you read from the WhiteHouse website? Or from the Pentagon on how well the 'Resistance Fighters' in Iraq are doing for being such a bunch of 'mis-fits'. None.
"Do I believe you're a Nazi eao?
No, I believe you inadvertently support a neo Nazi ideology with your continued imbalance in acceptance of fact and evidence. Your continued biased attacks against the only democracy in the region, while ignoring the atrocities of the opposition, highlight the bias in which you filter the intake of information. Your posts smack of bias, inconsistancy and thus filled malice."
The old WWII stand-by with a twist, this time the ones manning the road-blocks and the weapons were the victims of such acts in WWII. It really is a mirror image right down to the fact the everything is reversed.
With the amount of active soldiers doing 'various works' just what would military law look like rather than this Democracy?
"How else can one view the poster, behind the post, when facts, evidence and reality, takes a backseat to hyperbole, half truths and emotions?"
When you found Israel lied about many things did they get greeted with a bit of skepticism on the next article you read? How many gov. organizations that use the western media to promote their slant on things are known to be utterly honest in all matters, even if it puts their own gov in a bad light?
"These groups, who do serve a greater good, and should rightly exist, have long since abandoned their mandate of exposing and confront all human right violations. In so doing, they have taken on the task of validating the enemies cause. Their reports and oft baseless accusations, are used to bolster the misguided ideologies that perpetuate the strife that permeates the Middle East, South America and the Balkans."
I might agree if the report was intended for the public media and it ended there. As it is, it will become a matter before the courts so the consequences are quite high. Perhaps it ends up that Gaza has the right to own a number of aircraft carriers as long as they are used for defensive purposes. Armed with just defensive missiles like the S-400 their air-space being totally safe. If the court came up with some sort of recommendation that was against them you don't really expect Israel to obey the court do you?
"I seek what you seek, peace, and end to the blood shed and the violance. You seek it with bias and naivete. I seek it with balance and fact. Only one of us isn't assisting the enemy to the ideal."
How can you claim no bias there, you call Gaza and the West Bank people the enemy.
"No, I believe you inadvertently support a neo Nazi ideology with your continued imbalance in acceptance of fact and evidence. Your continued biased attacks against the only democracy in the region, while ignoring the atrocities of the opposition, highlight the bias in which you filter the intake of information. Your posts smack of bias, inconsistancy and thus filled malice."
Just what part of that ideology is so different from today. Nazis (not Germans or any particular European country) believed they were more important than any other group they interacted with. Jews certainly believe that same thing, in all countries not just their own homeland. The US Gov has lots of Jewsish based lobby groups, how many Muslim based lobby groups are there that ask for and get what they ask for? (they use the relationship with God in all 'requests')
The Nazis used machines meant for war against civilians who were basically unarmed, Jews are using that same tactic yet they should be applauded and given even more weapons of war.
 

MHz

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and so I take whatever they say with a pinch of salt.
How would you take a ruling from the court that has the authority to rule on such matters, would you support their ruling even thought you disagreed strongly with their conclusions and even more-so with their recommendation if some were condemned to public execution.
 

AnnaG

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I'm in favor of freedom and justice. I'm against injustice and oppression.
Good for you.

I support holding people who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity accountable for their actions.
I'd be happier if such acts weren't committed in the first place, but if people want to commit them, they should be responsible for their actions, yes.

Goldstone’s team examined over 10,000 pages of documentation and testimony, conducted 188 interviews; saw 1,200 photographs, and 30 videos. They concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed. Their findings are unanimously supported by every NGO which operates in the area. Their findings are even corroborated by Israeli soldier testimonies. That kind of consensus about atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity should be taken seriously.

Israel and their supporters don't actually dispute any of the report's specific findings. Instead they make general statements about the report's inaccuracy and bias while attacking the credibility and reputations of organizations and people who have no reason to be biased against Israel. Their goal is to get people to ignore these reports or at least take them "with a grain of salt" and as a result let them continue committing war crimes and crimes against humanity with impunity.

Goldstone's reputation is not only impeccable, he's also a Zionist Jew.
If you want to have an informed opinion about this report, then you'll have to inform yourself. This UN website has links to the report, to press summaries of the report (if 500 pages is too much), and if you want to dispute the report's findings it also has links to the evidence which forms the basis of the report's conclusions:
United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict
Good for Goldstone.
If the report doesn't mention Palestinian acts against Jews then it's biased and IMO is not finished.
As I said, killing 12 is no different than killing 1200.
 

CDNBear

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From your last two posts there seems to be some conflict that leaves me a bit unsure of your actual point, for example
copy & paste, you dislike that practice when others do it yet that is how you have posted in the past.
I use small excerpts of other peoples commentary, or facts for support or to illustrate a point. I certainly don't make a habit of it and I certainly don't abuse it as eao does.

Another statement indicated a need for a balanced input of information from both pro and con articles and then coming to a conclusion. That was said to be the method you use. If these (OP bodies) are discredited as being able to present an accurate view of the 'con-side' then what sources do you use to get that part of the balanced 'reading' before you make a 'fair' judgment call? When using a pro-side source would it mean that no western media has their own opinion as they are merely a conduit for the broadcast of somebodies opinion that is separate from the reporting body. The source report is the one who would be bias and their relationship with Israel or Hamas should be examined. Obviously anything coming out of the US is going to be pro-Israeli, simply based on the fact they have vetoed every UN condemnation of Israel and have repeatedly stated in the media by the WhiteHouse that they will support the gov of Israel and it won't matter if they are in the right or the wrong, that is true bias.
I suggest you do some more research.
Assuming you still read 'link after link' you now offer a summary based on what you have taken in from what others have to say on the subject.
Incorrect, I base my opinion on the facts that have been presented, supported and proven to be correct. Complete with source verification and the bios of said sources.

If anybody has another conclusion they must be the ones in error no matter what they use as support for having that opposing view.
Again, incorrect. They are incorrect when they use propaganda, information gathered under faulty investigative procedures, use testimony from tainted witnesses, or the otherwise use of material from groups that have no oversight of their investigative procedures.
How is your method 'better'?
Mine relies solely on fact, proven fact. Traceable to the source. Verified sources and bios. Whereas you and eao are merely going by what someone has told you is the truth. Neither of you dig any further then that. You don't look at the source of the testimony, the bios of said sources and so on. That is the major difference.

The readers have no idea what articles you read that would influence your bias. Eao has already said Israel should be on trial to determine their guilt, same for Hamas. His posts allow the reader to look at and read the same articles He read (before or in support of a previous judgment call ). The way the courts will examine the charges are closer to his method than yours.
:roll:...I think not.
The fact remains that there is a body that is a recognized court that has a mandate to listen to and judge on issues dealing with that particular area.
This may be true, but there isn't enough evidence to support the case, hence why Israel hasn't been invaded by the UN and brought to bare. That very fact is lost on many.

Your thoughts (on this subject) are entirely based on what others have told you.
Again, incorrect. They are based on facts, gathered from multiple sources, balanced between both accounts and filtered with deductive reasoning and commonsense, hence the issues you and eao have with the subject.

(links to articles or private discussion) You have no idea which are true and which are lies.
Again, incorrect, for reasons I have already highlighted.

That is what taking it to court is about, the ultimate fact finding mission. That is a move that everybody should agree as being a good move considering 1400 people died in just one conflict less than a year ago.
:roll:...and the fact that Israel was rightfully and justifiably quelling an aggressor that uses human shields is obviously lost on you.
It seems to be quite common that an Israeli supporter says no to a war-crimes trials (guilt is not established before the verdict) and a pro-Gaza stance does support an extensive trial (meaning issues other than 'cast lead) can be addressed. Your quote below would be the reason your support is steadfast.
Actually that quote would indicate the exact opposite, but I understand why you have difficulty understanding that.

I do believe that Israel should show restraint in it's retaliation for rocket attacks, knowing full well that the target will likely house civilians. In so doing, they bear much of the responsibility in the human cost. On the other hand, they are still justified in so doing, because any attack on a sovereign nation can me met with lethal force, under international law. No matter what groups like AI HRW and so on believe. Their interpretation of international law, has no standing in reality. And it is their interpretation of international law that eao and yourself has touted time and time again, erroneously.

Not that those conclusions have much impact on the way things went on the world stage. Nor do I think you can say that for anybody but yourself.
Another statement proving you haven't addressed your reading comprehension issue.
How many pro-Taliban articles have you read from the WhiteHouse website?
None.

Or from the Pentagon on how well the 'Resistance Fighters' in Iraq are doing for being such a bunch of 'mis-fits'. None.
Actually I have read a report on how well organized they have been in their coordination in past attacks, but the word is insurgents, not "Resistance Fighters".

The old WWII stand-by with a twist, this time the ones manning the road-blocks and the weapons were the victims of such acts in WWII. It really is a mirror image right down to the fact the everything is reversed.
And this is where your train derails. You haven't clue one about the political and cultural dynamics of the powers that be in that region, and your assertion is based solely on your limited understanding of said. The stark differences are so vast, that only a complete moron could make such an assertion. Under the Nazi's, the Jewish population was decimated, under Israel rule, the Palestinians have multiplied a thousand fold. That is but the most glaring inconsistancy in your moronicy. Of which the list is monumental, and long.
With the amount of active soldiers doing 'various works' just what would military law look like rather than this Democracy?
Apparently it's good for breeding.

When you found Israel lied about many things did they get greeted with a bit of skepticism on the next article you read?
No, because I don't base my opinion on articles.

How many gov. organizations that use the western media to promote their slant on things are known to be utterly honest in all matters, even if it puts their own gov in a bad light?
I have no idea, likely very few. Which is why I don't use them as a source of information. I prefer to use NGO's, that have proven investigative procedures, that have shown time and time again that they seek only the truth and have brought media giants to bear, over incorrect reporting. That very fact supports their investigative skills. Compared to AI HRW or the UN. Of which have been proven wrong on many occasions, by the NGO's I read from and have been forced to retract or correct their reports.

I might agree if the report was intended for the public media and it ended there. As it is, it will become a matter before the courts so the consequences are quite high. Perhaps it ends up that Gaza has the right to own a number of aircraft carriers as long as they are used for defensive purposes. Armed with just defensive missiles like the S-400 their air-space being totally safe. If the court came up with some sort of recommendation that was against them you don't really expect Israel to obey the court do you?
Not so long as the complainant hides, supports and shelters foreign nationals, for the expressed purposes of attacking Israel.

How can you claim no bias there, you call Gaza and the West Bank people the enemy.
No I didn't. Please show where I did. And they aren't Gaza and West Bank people, they are "Palestinians".

Just what part of that ideology is so different from today. Nazis (not Germans or any particular European country) believed they were more important than any other group they interacted with.
How about open calls for mass genocide? Written mandates that call for the wiping of Israel from the map?

Perhaps you should learn about the influence Nazism had on the Muslims of the area, before you comment further. Or perhaps if you read a little history of the area, that would help you out a lot.

Jews certainly believe that same thing, in all countries not just their own homeland.
Expressed racial stereotyping aside. you really haven't the cognitive skills to debate the matter, if you believe that Israel of today is anything remotely like Nazi Germany.

The US Gov has lots of Jewsish based lobby groups, how many Muslim based lobby groups are there that ask for and get what they ask for? (they use the relationship with God in all 'requests')
Read this first, then get back to me.
The Nazis used machines meant for war against civilians who were basically unarmed, Jews are using that same tactic yet they should be applauded and given even more weapons of war.
Your half truth aside, absolutely. Given the fact that they only killed 1400 people, the bulk of which were armed militia, in an operation of that size, says multitudes about their targeting policies. Only someone with an agenda or a completely idiot, wouldn't be able to see that FACT, as clear as day.
 
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earth_as_one

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Good for you.

I'd be happier if such acts weren't committed in the first place, but if people want to commit them, they should be responsible for their actions, yes.

Good for Goldstone.
If the report doesn't mention Palestinian acts against Jews then it's biased and IMO is not finished.
As I said, killing 12 is no different than killing 1200.

It does describe in detail Palestinian war crimes against Israelis. If you had the impression it didn't, then you were mistaken.

Why don't you read the report?

Executive Summary:
A/HRC/12/48 of 23 September 2009


PRESS CONFERENCE ON REPORT OF UNITED NATIONS FACT-FINDING MISSION ON GAZA CONFLICT

...In evaluating the effects of Palestinian rocket attacks on the civilian population in southern Israel, the report details the effects on cities and populations that fell within the rockets’ range, particularly the terror felt and the effects on schoolchildren. It was a matter of luck, as well as the preventive measures taken by the Israeli authorities, that the death toll had not been higher than it was. The report was critical, however, that those protections were apparently not extended to the Palestinian population in the same way....

... In his estimation, he regarded Israel’s efforts thus far to investigate allegations of war crimes had been “pusillanimous”. On the Palestinian side, there had been a “complete absence” of any investigation aimed at stopping or deterring the unlawful rocket and mortar attacks on Israel....


Report of UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict - Mission head (Goldstone) - Press conference (15 September 2009)

pu⋅sil⋅lan⋅i⋅mous
–adjective
1. lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.
2. proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.
 

AnnaG

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It does describe in detail Palestinian war crimes against Israelis. If you had the impression it didn't, then you were mistaken.

Why don't you read the report?

Executive Summary:
A/HRC/12/48 of 23 September 2009




pu⋅sil⋅lan⋅i⋅mous
–adjective
1. lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.
2. proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.
I read the first and last paragraphs. The first usually tells me the direction of reports and the last usually tells me the conclusion. I don't like reading long, dry, official things unless it has something to do with my money. :D
Anyway, I said my position and that is 12 is the same as 1200 to me. I think if one harps constantly about one side or the other in a situation like this, one is biased.
Why didn't you give me the following url to read instead of a page of links?

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/12session/A-HRC-12-48.pdf

BTW, I know what pusillanimous means.
 
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earth_as_one

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I had to look pusillanimous up. Now I can drop it in casual conversation...

If the Israeli and Palestinian civil authorities do not act on this report, then I support bringing this case before the international court of justice.

War criminals must be held accountable for their actions.
 

CDNBear

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I had to look pusillanimous up. Now I can drop it in casual conversation...

If the Israeli and Palestinian civil authorities do not act on this report, then I support bringing this case before the international court of justice.

War criminals must be held accountable for their actions.
First off, the report uses an incorrect interpretation of "War Crimes", the "Laws of War" and so on. It has been proven time and time again, that under the interpretation used by these groups, police officers could not effectively enforce the law, let alone a nation defend itself with force.

Secondly, Israel has charged Soldiers that have committed crimes on the battlefield.

The two combined facts, nullify the hyperbole of the biased reports.

As for Netanyahu's comments about not charging, and ultimately defending all Israeli military personnel...

"This distorted report, written by this distorted committee, undermines Israel's right to defend itself. This report encourages terrorism and threatens peace," Netanyahu said in his address at the opening of parliament's winter session. "Israel will not take risks for peace if it can't defend itself."

Ya, I would say the same thing, based on the perverted use of such terms as...

The U.N. report, compiled by a team led by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accused Israel of using disproportionate force, deliberately targeting civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure during a three-week offensive against Hamas militants last winter.

"disproportionate force" :lol:, Nowhere in history has this been used to address a nation defending itself, nowhere. Only against Israel. Even though there are far better nations to use this against, it has no basis in legitimate warfare, tactics or rights to defend ones nation.

"deliberately targeting civilians" Another laughable accusation. Besides the facts not supporting this, the absurdity is magnified by the fact that the UN accused the Israelis of "disproportionate force". Given that, how is a death toll, in an operation of the size and magnitude of "Cast Lead", of 1400, the bulk of which were Militia and terrorists, considered "deliberate". If they "deliberately" targeted civilians, using "disproportionate force", then the death toll would be far greater and contain far more civilians.

Funny that.

"destroying civilian infrastructure" Again, nowhere in history has this been applied to any other country, honestly. This is fanciful manipulation of international law. Removal of infrastructure being used to support a military campaign is not only tacticly sound, it is common military practice. Infrastructure and military installations are always the first targets. Period.

You may not like it, but that's war. Get over it.
 

earth_as_one

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Israel has proven them quite accurate when they want to be. Would it have been better if they just bombed Gaza to rubble using aircraft? They didn't, they put their soldiers in harms way to try and keep causalities to a minimum. No one ever thought or talked about that option. By the way, Hamas was using weapons supplied by Iran.

You obviously didn't read the report.

First Israel bombed Gaza from altitude for a few days. Mostly they targeted police stations, government buildings, schools, universities and hospitals. Gaza's leadership went into hiding. When Israeli soldiers went in, they encountered little to no resistance. Finally out of boredom, IDF started shooting civilians and bombing civilian structures. The risk to IDF soldiers was minimal. There were no military installations to destroy. They did not encounter a guerilla type resistance, let alone a standing army. Finally the IDF pulled out, having done their bit to help Israeli politicians win re-election. A good percentage of Gaza was laid to waste and most of it remains bombed out rubble a year later as Israel blocks building material like cement from entering Gaza along with food and medicine.

Operation Cast Lead as describe by Gaza Children:
YouTube - The Children of Gaza share their experiences of "Cast Lead" - 27 Dec 09

Israel attacks Gaza

John Ging, a UN relief director, on why hope endures despite three weeks of bloodshed in the Gaza strip





Civilians and medics run to safety during an Israeli strike over a UN school in Beit Lahia. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

I got back into Gaza in the first days of January. I'd been on Christmas holidays in Ireland with my family, when I'd seen the aerial bombardment unfolding on my TV screen. It took a couple of days to get in because the Israeli ground operation had just begun. A small group of Red Cross doctors and I were the only people allowed in or out.

When we crossed into Gaza the scale of devastation and the eeriness were immediately striking. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, and on the journey into UNRWA headquarters we travelled down empty streets with rubble and destruction everywhere. The only sign of human life was a single family scurrying across a narrow street with a couple of suitcases. I'd been in Lebanon, Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo, and in times of conflict you would find certain dangerous areas that would be very quiet and in other areas a lot of movement. I quickly came to realise that in Gaza there was no safe haven: everyone was terrified. This operation was unprecedented in scale and scope.

At the main hospital the ambulances were streaming in endlessly. The quantity and nature of the injuries and the number of young children killed was particularly harrowing to see. The doctors bore the physical signs of exhaustion and bewilderment – there had been no let-up for them. High on their list of anguish was the nature of the injuries; phosphorus burning was very difficult to control and they were talking about other injuries that they couldn't fathom – wounds that wouldn't respond to conventional treatment. There were an extraordinary number of multiple amputations.

My job now was solely about getting humanitarian aid into Gaza and out to the people. As the invasion was raging this involved difficult decisions, balancing staff safety and humanitarian need. We were going out in convoys of trucks with UN insignia and being shot at by the Israeli Defence Force. A number of our staff paid with their lives....

The rest here:
2009 in review: Israel attacks Gaza | World news | The Observer
BTW, notice the ambulance and ambulance driver in the above photo?

Meanwhile in the West Bank and Jerusalem:

Getting away with murder

Settler attacks on Palestinians escalate while Israel does nothing to apprehend the culprits, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

Paramilitary Jewish terrorists have stepped up their attacks on Palestinians and their property throughout the West Bank, with the Israeli occupation army doing next to nothing to stop them.


The settlers, who act on religious rulings issued by local rabbis, have long adopted a policy whereby they attack "Palestinian targets" every time the Israeli government moves to evacuate them from land seized at gunpoint from Palestinian landowners.


On Friday, 11 December, suspected settler terrorists burned down the main mosque in the village of Yasuf, 13 kilometres south of Nablus. The fire gutted the entire interior of the house of worship. The incident, though not the first of its kind, represents a dramatic escalation in the ongoing reign of terror by settlers vehemently opposed to any peaceful solution that cedes any part of the West Bank to Palestinians.

In addition to torching the mosque, attackers scrawled Nazi slogans in Hebrew, reading "We will burn all of you"...

Al-Ahram Weekly | Region | Getting away with murder
Israeli forces disrupt UNRWA chief’s farewell

Posted on: December 11, 2009 | ShareThis
Ma’an News
10 December 2009
UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd with Refka al-Kurd



Israeli police ordered outgoing UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd to leave an East Jerusalem home on Thursday during her last official visit as the head of the relief agency.


Ma’an’s reporter on the scene said AbuZayd left after police gave her five minutes to evacuate the premises of the house of the Al-Kurd family, as a Palestinian woman yelled “We want our homes and our lands. We have no alternative.”


Amidst Israeli police and soldiers, AbuZayd visited Palestinians recently evicted from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem on International Human Rights Day. She spoke of Jerusalem as a “City of Dispossession,”


“On this day, and in this place, I wish to remind the international community of the unfinished business in Sheikh Jarrah and elsewhere in the West Bank,” she said.


“The dispossessed, the displaced must see their losses acknowledged, their injustices addressed,” she added. “Peace is possible, but only if we insist on our universal humanity.”

Members of the Al-Kurd family, who are fighting a court battle to keep their home from being taken over by Israeli settlers, told her, “What are we to do? International Law should have helped us.”...

Israeli forces disrupt UNRWA chief’s farewell | International Solidarity Movement

Shame on everyone who supports these war crimes and crimes against humanity.
 
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AnnaG

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I think the topic got lost between Israel and Palestine somewhere. So, is the issue between Israel and Palestine the only one that concerns the UN, AI, etc.?
 

CDNBear

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I think the topic got lost between Israel and Palestine somewhere. So, is the issue between Israel and Palestine the only one that concerns the UN, AI, etc.?
Not at all, but the issue between Israel and Palestine is the only one that gets the kind of attention it does.

Israel surely gets more then it's fair share of abuse, labeling, undue attacks, and resolutions place against it.

If one looks at the death tolls from other events around the globe, and metered them against those caused by Israel, one would have to see that Israel is unduly chastised.

If you can't see that, then you are ideologically blinded, unable to formulate critical reasoned thought, and worse of all, possibly a bigot of some sorts.