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TechnoratiIsrael May Face Charges for War Crime
RAMALLAH - Israel has committed war crimes and should be prosecuted in an international court, says Raji Sourani, head of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza.
![[Swiss Pierre Kraehenbuehl, director of operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, gestures as he talks about the humanitarian problems in Gaza after Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, during a press conference at the ICRC headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/redcross-0107.jpg "redcross-0107.jpg")
"The repeated bombing of clearly marked civilian buildings, where civilians were sheltering, crosses several red lines in regard to international law," Sourani told IPS.
Palestinian Authority (PA) delegate to Britain Professor Manuel Hassassian has said the PA will launch legal proceedings against Israeli leaders it says are responsible for war crimes in Gaza, according to a Palestinian news report.
Another 22 Palestinians were killed Wednesday morning in bombing and shelling as Israel's Operation Cast Lead entered day 11. The dead included four people killed in the shelling of a children's playground near a mosque in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza city.
Six Israelis were treated for shock as several rockets from Gaza hit Israel.
Hassassian's comment came in the wake of Israeli shelling of a UN school in Jabaliya refugee camp Tuesday afternoon which killed over 40 Palestinians. Several other UN schools in the Gaza Strip were also hit in the last few days, resulting in a number of casualties.
The UN called for an investigation, stating that prior to the current operation the Israelis were given the precise coordinates of all UN institutions in Gaza.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has already condemned an Israeli attack on two members of the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) last week. The ICRC said the medics were wearing fluorescent jackets, their ambulances were clearly marked, and their flashing lights were on.
Nihal Al-Akras, chairman of the Palestinian Health Care Committees, asked the international community to pressure Israel to stop firing on medical facilities and workers in the Gaza Strip.
Akhras's comments followed Tuesday's bombing of the Ad-Dura hospital in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza city. Three mobile clinics provided by a Danish NGO, DanChurchAid, were also destroyed.
"We've been able to help the wounded and suffering so far because our vehicles have been present and ready inside Gaza. This possibility of emergency aid is now in ruins," said Henrik Stubkjær, secretary general of DanChurchAid.
"We are deeply shocked that the Israeli air strikes directly prevent the humanitarian aid effort," he added.
According to DanChurchAid the clinics were clearly marked with red crosses and were parked in the Union of Healthcare headquarters.
"One Palestinian doctor and three medics have been killed during Israel's bombing campaign which began on December 27," Sammy Hassan, spokesman for Gaza's Shifa Hospital told IPS.
While Israel has denied that it deliberately targets civilians, reading between the lines of reports in the Israeli media and admissions by military leaders would suggest that the lives of Palestinian civilians are secondary to saving Israeli soldiers.
Several senior Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) officers have admitted that the IDF strategy is to use tremendous firepower on the ground to protect Israeli soldiers during fighting in civilian areas, a senior officer explained to journalists on Tuesday.
"For us, being cautious means being aggressive," said one officer. "From the minute we entered, we've acted like we're at war. That creates enormous damage on the ground.
"When we suspect that a Palestinian fighter is hiding in a house, we shoot it with a missile and then with two tank shells, and then a bulldozer hits the wall. It causes damage but it prevents the loss of life among soldiers."
The IDF suffered significant military casualties during the 2006 Lebanon war, and the top brass realised that a repeat of this would erode public morale and the country's political will. The Israeli cabinet took all this into account prior to the ground operation into Gaza.
Additionally, limited global reaction -- due to the lack of international media on the ground in Gaza following an Israeli ban -- to several of the more serious incidents of civilian casualties has emboldened Israel to a certain degree.
Even during the Lebanon War following similarly serious attacks by Israel on Lebanese civilians, a ceasefire took weeks to be enforced.
However, Israel has not been completely immune from the world's outrage. Following international pressure on the escalating humanitarian crisis, Israel has agreed to establish a humanitarian corridor near Gaza city.
Israeli military operations will be halted for threehours every day to allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza's besieged population through this corridor.
"The idea is for the Israeli military to lay down its weapons every day from 1 pm to 4 pm starting today (Wednesday) in the area of the city of Gaza," an Israeli source was quoted as saying.
Israeli leaders met in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning to discuss expanding the ground offensive during a period when most of the aims of the operation have been reached, according to a number of Israeli analysts.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defence Minister Ehud Olmert -- the war cabinet's troika - reportedly discussed an even more intensive campaign in Gaza's towns and cities. Israel is hoping to inflict as much damage as possible to Hamas's personnel and infrastructure.
168 Comments so far
Show AllIsrael should go on trail, right after they finish trying the Chinese leadership for committing genocide in Tibet, Mugabe for letting the people of Zimbabwe starve, and Putin of Russia for waging aggressive war against the independent republic of Georgia. The Israelis have, so far, managed to kill fewer than 2,000 people, many of whom are combatants. That is a good weekend in Tibet or Zimbabwe...
I think you're leaving out the U.S.A., for murdering over 1 million Iraqi civilians, lord knows how many Afghan civilians, etc, ad infinitum. If that isn't genocide, I don't know what is. Throw violating the UN Charter, Nuremburg Charter, and about a dozen other international laws, US law, etc, for launching an illegal invasion of a sovereign nation in there as well. Oh yeah, and maybe a couple thousand tortures, shredding the Geneva Conventions, and forced disappearances as well, for good measure.
Your point is noted, "liberty," but have the cahones to look in the mirror before pointing to the other "bad guys" outside our own borders. You and the other Rethugs have left the U.S. with no moral ground to stand on. The last entity in the world to be pointing fingers about war crimes should be the U.S.. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
Sinclair Lewis, "It Cant Happen Here", 1935
US MEDIA DIDN'T REPORT ISRAELI CEASEFIRE VIOLATION
By Jim Lobe and Ali Gharib, The Electronic Intifada, 8 January 2009
WASHINGTON (IPS) - Consumed by coverage of the 4 November
presidential election, US mainstream media ignored a key
Israeli military attack on a Hamas target that some
Palestinians claim marked the effective end of the
ceasefire between the two sides and set the stage for the
current round of bloodletting. While the major US news
wire Associated Press (AP) reported that the attack, in
which six members of Hamas's military wing were killed by
Israeli ground forces, threatened the ceasefire, its
report was carried by only a handful of small newspapers
around the country.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10140.shtml
Oh by the way, as did Jonah, I lived in the whale's belly for a much longer time than did Johah and incidentily had time to furnish cabinets with such foods as talapia, tacos, tunafish in cans, and especially that locust derived manna from heaven. Hell, I even had a HD Tv with the soports package. Now isn' such a tale on par with the biblical manure?
NYCartist; I was American Christian until I eschewes all religion after watching Israel and reading the horrible events and fairy tales in the Old Testament. By way of ancestry I am a third generation Arab, but would not fight in any war which involved the mideast countries like Rahm Emanuel did, nor would I ever prefer them over the USA. This is the home of my family where we work sleep and eat and whose customes we have practised since birth like doing American dances, eating American food, speaking English, voting, schooling etc. We titthe to no other nationality or religion, nor do we belong to any religious supporting lobbying groups such as JDL,AIPAC. Such groups prefer Israel and Judaism to America. Witness their hatred of all non-Jewish things.
Anyone care to wager that Israel won't be prosecuted for its war crimes, no more than will Smirk and his crew?
There is NO JUSTICE when it comes to the MIC, short of REVOLUTION....Who's ready?
Israel just killed a UN aid convoy driver with tank fire, violating their own three hour ceasefire.
Add another war crimes charge to the list.
Walk in peace.
This part of a pattern with the IDF. They target the UN so as to ensure there no witnesses to their crimes and the UN attempts at bringing aid fail so that the Palestinians must rely on the people killing them to feed them.
This was no accident.
It's true israel kills or forbids witnesses to its crimes much like the mafia, last year Israel shot a clearly marked press car with a tank, killing a cameraman for Retuters:
"Reuters has said it is "deeply disturbed" that the Israeli military has decided the tank crew that killed one of the news agency's cameramen and eight young bystanders in the Gaza Strip four months ago will not face legal action."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/13/reuters.pressandpublishing
And please check out the link for the gruesome photo of the clearly marked burning press car.
I heard that this morning. The UN has now halted all aid into the area because it is too dangerous.
UN halts aid to Gaza, citing Israeli attacks on staff
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/01/08/israel-gaza.html
Pay special attention to the video on the right.
Edited to add - the UN is actually accusing the Israeli army of trying to block them from getting into an area they bombed for days ago. They found four kids barely alive beside their dead mothers.
Israel is guilty of war crimes and violations of a plethora of international laws, but who really cares? So is the U.S. - and again I ask, who cares? Do any of you REALLY think anything will be done? Israel is immune to any sanctions due to their being the U.S.'s biggest ally, and because they are Jews. No person and no organization will ever actually do anything about their crimes, just like no person and no organization will ever do anything about the crimes of the Bush administration. Make some noise, protest, file a few complaints with the sterile U.N. - whoopdie doo da. The "anti-semite" label will be thrown at anyone who speaks out against the "holy state of Israel", and nobody has ever had the balls to do anything against the U.S. in the last century. Can you imagine the EU boycotting or imposing trade sanctions against the U.S.?? LOL Or the UN or any country using military aggression against the U.S.?? LOL Please.
The war crimes will continue. Until the world stands up to the two biggest terrorist states in the world - the US and its proxy state, Israel - they will do what they want with impunity. Everyone knows this.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."
Sinclair Lewis, "It Cant Happen Here", 1935
Using chemical weapons is a war crime. White Phosphorous is a chemical weapon. Claiming that you were only dropping it as a smoke screen over the most densely populated stretch of land on the planet only shows that you are attempting to manage public opinion while being fully cognizant that you have infact committed a war crime. CASE CLOSED.
This is absolutely true.
But deliberately attacking a UN school has got to also rank up there in the war-crime list.
Short answer: The Israelis train kids to believe all Palestinians are no better than rats or insects. They then give them all guns and turn them loose.
Amazing since the Jewish people have been on the sharp end of such policies themselves many many times in the past. But it is so very difficult to put yourself in the same place as a rat or an insect isn't it.
1996 Israeli Jets bomb UN building and kill 102 people who had sought refuge.
In Hamburg an architecture student sees video of this and becomes enraged.
On the first day of Israeli "Operation Grapes of Wrath", he signs a will he gets from his mosque, offering his life in response.
This man's name was Muhammad Atta.
Interesting piece of the puzzle, thanks azjoe.
Hi hootowl, learned it on Informed Comment by Juan Cole yesterday. Today I note a correction. Muhammed Atta signed his will during/right after the Qana Massacre. How many time-bombs have begun ticking with THIS slaughter of civilians? 9-11 part 2 coming soon.
The U.S. should face War crimes too.
All the 'COW's should be tried.
NYCartist I am semite as are my children from both parents. I call myself Jonah because I was swallowed by a whale and then spit out. What horse manure the old testament is. If it isn't why did yahweh tell the Israelites to kill every man woman and child and everything that breathes? But don't forget to gather the gold and silver and all valuables. Read it in Deuteronomy Chapter 20. If he indeed did that then he is a war-monger also!
Jonah:I know your wife's family is Lithuanian Jew. I don't remember what you said you are. The Jews use the word "ashem" not yahweh. I don't read the bible. I am an atheist Jew. I appreciate your taking the time to answer me. I would love to read your whale story.
JWVerez-You're right...My apologies to you and Moore. I just got a little pumped there for a moment. I guess we're all trying to parse the nuances, and cut through the BS.
Thanks my friend. No apologies needed though. I'd have asked how you came to that conclusion when I read your posting, it startled me, but JWVerez saved my butt!
No problem. Yes, it can be tricky understanding others when you meet them at first. It happened to me too. It's cool.
Look-Thomas Moore, Goose, and their ilk are just a bunch of apologist trolls. Obviously the media was setting the whole scene up early on in the game with the 'Hezbullah hiding amongst civilians' thing to soften up the images and reports of what the IDF was going to do anyway-bomb the hell out of civilians. I think in media terms, it's called 'cultural softening'. Didn't the breaking of the cease fire by Israel happen on November 4th? Right when we were having the most historic election that the world was watching? Everything the Israelis do is politically timed. Even this bullshit 4-hour cease fire to let in aid and meds to the palestinians, and then start up again!
The israelis have their own 'elections' coming up, and quite frankly, they don't look too good to the world, hizbollah handed their asses to them in '06, and the poor little israelis-the 'ultimate' victims-aren't feeling loved, or respected for that matter. This is about getting a score in.
After all, Hizbollah was better armed, and willing to fight head to head-something that the israelis can't seem to handle very well-so they beat up on the palestinians. Typical, really.
Keep playing these games people. Go ahead and be self congratulatory and smug, and pretend to be coy about what's really going on. Sooner or later, israel will render herself useless to the world-proving herself to be too high maintenance, and there will be no need to have that shit hole of a state around any longer.
The israelis are just as much a bunch of savage little tribes as any one else over there, and a prime example of a people who have become spiritually dead, lacking wisdom, and as far as I'm concerned, have fallen way out of God's good graces long, long ago.
To all of the Jewish and Arab people out there who are brave enough to stand up for peace and what is right-I salute you with all my heart. Keep up the good work-let these other good-for-nothing bastards rot in their willful ignorance and 'divine' hatred.
I'll agree with you about Goose4 but not on Thomas More. Sure, we all have our disagreements but even Thomas More has shown his amazing abilities to moderate the wacky zionists. TM doesn't support either side but like all of us wants peace. Read his posts again.
I am amazed at the justification for killing humans. Israel has no right to behave like the Nazis.
Btw, did anyone get Kissinger's take on the whole mess?
The key word in the headline is "May", which is the same as "Won't".
I agree. I would take the article more seriously than simple saber rattling if a global power like Russia, China, the EU, Japan, or even the USA were calling for war crimes in the UN.
I was thinking the same thing. If one were to say "Iran may face charges", then it would have been a greater likelyhood but for Israel, even if it does, it'll be dropped sooner than we can imagine.
Why do I get the feeling that this "trial" is just gonna be another DUMBSHOW ? The US has been aiding and abetting Israel for all its war crimes and Israel owes nothing in return for all the US taxpayer money doled out to the zionist elites and militants. If India were to bomb Pakistan or Turkey were to bomb the Kurds, they would be tried and executed immediately even if it were for actually defending themselves, not that I support the idea of bombing a nation or for that matter a group of people out. Unfortunately, it looks like a nightmare of a growing number of people in India getting angrier at Pakistan for "defending" terrorists are beginning to entertain the idea of imitating Israel and I hear it's coming from the younger folks. Maybe like Christianity, Hinduism is losing its identity to war and terror these days?
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20090105&fname=raman&sid=1
If India gets put on trial, you can count of sparks of racism from the US and the EU and their historical double standard treatment of handling terrorists in one nation vs another will be on world wide display.
P.S.: It seems that in India, most people distrust their government very much kinda like the deep red states.
Come to western Maryland and ask your average man-on-the-street about all of this. Here's what you're likely to hear:
"I think we should just go over there and kill all those Muslims because they aren't Christians and don't respect life like we do."
No kidding. I've heard it many times. Today I was speaking with a local methodist minister who told me "I'm not interested in talking politics. I don't watch Aljazeera like you do."
And, of course, this is a heavily Republican area. Media reform would do absolutely no good around this area. On the editorial page of the local newspaper they're still presenting opposing arguments at the Scopes Monkey Trial. And when you mention this to someone, more often than not they've never heard of the Scopes Monkey Trial.
Maryland would have joined the South, but Lincoln had enough loyal military close at hand to prevent it. There would be no trouble in Palestine had the South won as the whole direction of history would be vastly different. Global Warming will also change the course of history, and by 2100 Palestine will become the vast desert wasteland it's been during previous climatic gyrations in the past. The Abrahamic Religious Myths are at the root of Palestine's troubles, and indeed, they are responsible for more death and destruction than anything else known to or experienced by mankind.
orcan said:
Today I was speaking with a local methodist minister who told me "I'm not interested in talking politics. I don't watch Aljazeera like you do."
In Australia the President of the Uniting Church (of which Methodists made up the largest group when they united in 1977 with Presbyterians and Congregationalist) spoke out against Israel's attack on Gaza and criticized the Australian acting Prime Minister for being relatively Pro-Israel in her remarks.
See:
http://assembly.uca.org.au/media-centre/50-mediareleases09/410-mrgaza.html
From the United Church of Canada:
United Church Moderator Calls for a Ceasefire in Gaza
http://www.united-church.ca/communications/news/releases/090105
“The United Church of Canada has consistently expressed its deep concern about the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories, and about the violence committed by both Israelis and Palestinians,” says the Moderator, the Right Rev. David Giuliano. ...
“The teachings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are rooted in love, peace, and justice,” says Giuliano. “I invite all religious leaders to join hearts to witness to those roots through prayer and action for peace. As faith leaders, let us demonstrate that religion is a force for life, not death, in the world.”
Take Action - Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza
http://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/takeaction/090106
The United Church of Canada and the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem are deeply concerned about the current conflict in Gaza. ...
Most recently, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance reports that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Gaza Strip due to shortages of electricity and water. The situation is desperate for the population of one and a half million. For the latest information, go to IRIN news , the website of a UN humanitarian news and information service. ...
(from sample letter) - "The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and Canadians are looking to our government to stand up for human rights and support the rule of international law. Canada's one-sided position in the face of the Palestinians' suffering is a violation of Canada's obligations under international law."
"Media reform would do absolutely no good around this area."
Don't be so sure. A lot of us who live in heavily Republican areas just have to pay attention to local elections and push for better candidacies. In time, western MD won't be as red as it is now. The Christo brown shirts can be tough nuts to crack. They don't follow the bible or follow anything that's actually good about Christianity. They've been trained to follow the bad shit and scarf down bullshit from Limbaugh, Hannity, Pat Robertson, etc ...
P.S.: I live in TX and see a lot of it though it's not as bad out here in south Texas where I live.
I began writing letters to the editor way back in 1994. At that time the editorial page editor was somewhat liberal. But of over 120 letters even he only published around 75, and the more "controversial" elements of them were often edited out. What I got in return was a load of abuse. They did everything from call me a liar, KGB propaganda operative, traitor, communist, anti-American and stupid, to calling for a community collection effort to buy me a one-way plane ticket to Afghanistan. That particular editor was fired two years ago and the present editor refuses to even acknowledge my existence. So I write my commentaries, make numerous print-outs, and literally walk around town handing them out. Most people just take them, walk directly over to a trash receptacle and in it goes. Often they say things like "American soldiers fought and died to give you the freedom to do this." Then they throw it into the trash. they usually don't give me the chance to tell them that I'm an honorably discharged Vietnam Era veteran and that my uncle won three Bronze Stars during the Second World War. they don't want to hear it. Fortunately, my uncle is still alive and agrees with my positions more often than not.
Hmm, the problem is defintely out there in most of rural America no doubt. They think everything is being given to them on a silver plate but go haywire anyway. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party often writes off rural America and relies on urban and suburban areas. I believe western MD is rural, no? Unfortunately, the only way these blindies are going to learn is when the oil runs out and a Great Depression, the likes of which this country has never witnessed, will hit them all. I used to live in VA before I moved to TX and I do have remote contacts who tell me about the culture of the state and the neighboring ones. I've seen the election results of your state at www.uselectionatlas.org and www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008 and I notice that central MD has most of the population while the eastern and western parts don't. You'll have to find people out there you can relate to on at least some of the matters and then figure out how to reframe the issues. George Lakoff wrote quite a few books on this matter and it's well worth the read. Of course, the Democrats never really took it seriously although they were lucky to get by these past two elections even as they pandered to the GOP more often than not. The self-reliant yankees as I would call them will probably have to learn the hard way and I'll bet Peak Oil will hit them the hardest. By the way, I too was a Vietnam war veteran. The neocons and the brown shirts, most of whom never bother serving even though they preach the idea to others, have no idea what going through war is really like. The more one has to kill the more haunted memories pile up and the more the soldier's life is psychologically and even mentally affected and that's before we're talking about any physical injuries.
The other night I walked into a Cumberland, MD hospital wearing my traditional Palestinian scarf around me neck. I went around to three nursing stations asking if they could please give me 6 or 8 oz of blood to pour on the scarf to make it even more authentic. I was very calm and quite the entire time. Within ten minutes a hospital security guard was escorting me out of the building.
I showed my scarf to a local high school social studies teacher at a fast food restaurant, and told him that it would be even more authentic if it had blood all over it. He stood up, walked over to the front counter and told the cashier to call the police.
I would suggest food colouring - what they use to make icing different colours.
Menstration would also afford certain opportunities.
I think that the cashier thought that you were going to kill him/her. People freak out when you mention blood.
What would Fulla do in this situation - mad dentist on the loose!
I'm afraid that's not how you're going to reach out to those folks. Asking to put blood on your scarf is disgusting and it's going to convince these people of anything. You have to come up with appealing ideas that mould into their culture sort of. You have to get people on issues with which you and them can find some common ground. Maybe these people don't like Palestinians. But ask them something like this:
"Do you like it that your politicians are not providing you affordable healthcare or for that matter repairing the country's infrastructure but are instead wasting it on reckless wars and dangerously shipping WMDs to rogue nations and in the process engaging in unilateral disarmament?"
You don't want to produce hair trigger responses. Not everyone's a rabid conservative as it may appear at first. Go to amazon.com and look up George Lakoff. You'll find it interesting that framing can be a powerful tool. There will always be a set of hardcore folks on both sides but there's plenty of room for moderates even where the extremes are dominant.
Case in point. Let's revisit your social studies teacher. Ask him what he thinks of the "No Child Left Behind" Act and how his school is doing in the last 8 years. Ask him what he thinks about government wasting taxpayer money on wars and the US trading arms with rogue regimes even as school budgets dry up. If he's a staunch conservative, you'll know what to expect. People aren't gonna care about that scarf. But ask them how they feel about their taxpayer money being wasted on reckless wars and bailouts to Wall Street even as public infrastructure here in the area continues to rot. You'd be amazed at the responses. Not everyone's bound to be a rabid conservative.
Good advice to help the intrepid orcan to become more effective.
As a teacher, I say you have to take stock of where students are. Meet them there and then bring them along. Don't forget to listen and learn and check for feedback. I believe progressives can use that advice too, since part of what we do is education.
People are complicated. As a friend from China always says: "Everybody knows something. Everybody doesn't know something."
Joe
Trust me. I can see where it's easy to be over reactive and I've fallen into those traps too back in the days I fought against those who tried to exploit my disabilities. My wife and my mother taught me to calm down and be reasonable. It takes time to get the hang of that idea and I'll admit I can get really crazy when folks like joehope drive me nuts. I read Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter With Kansas?" and George Lakoff's "Don't Think of an Elephant" and the political dysfunctionality became even more clear. My wife and I became so interested in Lakoff's application of cognitive science that we bought and read "Moral Politics", "Whose Freedom", and we're looking forward to buying his books "Thinking Points" and "The Political Mind". Conservatives don't use violence to win. They use framing and frame traps to lock up long term victories. This is why they still win despite being in the minority while the progressives and liberals still keep insisting that the Age of Enlightment will set us free when in fact it won't. It's one thing to tell the truth but the truth is null and void unless people can accept it. I may live in El Paso where conservatism isn't as popular as it is in the rest of the state but it doesn't take a long distance to find conservative fundies to confront.
The fact that so-called "progressive" bloggers defend Israeli war crimes illustrates how little difference there is between Republicans, right-wingers and them.
Some progressives do, some don't. That is sad though that they're divided on this issue. Anyone who defends war crimes is not a progressive, period.
MY LETTER TO UN
Subject:Creation of Israeli war crimes tribunal
Dear President General Assembly United Nations
The current massacre happening in Gaza is of urgent concern to me and all people of conscience, for these attacks which bear all the trademarks of war crime demand a war crimes tribunal.
The 1.5 million open air prisoners of "the world's biggest concentration camp" are forced to continue to collectively-pay for democratically-electing Hamas.
While the Israeli authorities punish the Palestinians in order to teach Hamas a lesson, the INNOCENT pay the highest price!
Israel is refusing ceasefire requests, in spite of Hamas offering it on the basis of reasonable and attainable compromises:
"an end to the blockade, and an Israeli ceasefire on the West Bank", according to Yuval Diskin, current head of Israeli security services Shin Bet.
Also, in light of the current attacks which have sparked international condemnation, Archbishop Desmund Tutu said: "In the context of total aerial supremacy, in which one side in a conflict deploys lethal aircraft against opponents with no means of defending themselves, the bombardment bears all the hallmarks of war crimes."
Over the past 2 months, fuel supply to Gaza has been blocked leading to the closure of its power plant, and even the U.N. has been forced to halt distribution of food aid, upon which most Gazans are reliant. The actions of the Israeli authorities violate the Geneva Conventions and so many international norms. It is now more necessary than ever for the U.N. to establish an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI), under U.N. Charter Article 22. Failure to create viable accountability would only further embolden the Israeli government to continue their extermination of the Palestinians.
As the crimes committed against Palestinians degrade all humanity, we request you to urge members of the U.N. General Assembly to swiftly take necessary and appropriate action towards creating an ICTI under U.N.Charter Article 22, and holding the Israeli government accountable.
I HOPE the 'fierce urgency of now' moves the world to unite and END the Siege on Gaza and End the Occupation of Palestine which is the ONLY way to security for Israel.
"HOPE has two children. The first is ANGER at the way things are. The second is COURAGE to DO SOMETHING about it."-St. Augustine
HOPE you send a message too:
http://www.un.org/ga/contactus.asp
Eileen Fleming, Author, Founder WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Producer "30 Minutes With Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"
Israel may face charges for war crime, but you can bet your last dollar the US will do everything humanly possible to shield them from any consequence. Far from recieving consequences, they will be rewarded with billions of dollars worth of military hardware so they can continue their massacres unabated.
The US policy toward Israel will continue, be it by the current Bush, or the next one. Just watch.
Israel's Shocking Slaughter will destabilize moderate Arab regimes like Jordan and Egypt and strengthen and embolden radical ones like Somalia. This murderous rampage will draw al-Queda towards Gaza and radicalize militant Palestinians even further. While Hezbollah and Iran watch.
The short-sightedness of this not-a-war, war takes two, is only exceeded by the misery inflicted on a penned in, Colonized, dispossessed people by heavy armor and air.
SIX Israeli's were Shocked? What nerve! A few BILLION non-Israelis are shocked.
Where is world Jewry? Not that wonderful but lone voice. But that chorus of indignation??? Where?
Signed, A supporter of Israel who is appalled.
"This murderous rampage will draw al-Queda towards Gaza and radicalize militant Palestinians even further."
If so, and you are most likely right, Israel can simply do this again. No one is stopping them now, no one will stop them later. Even Hezbollah isn't responding since the 2006 war. Looks in retrospect that despite them claiming a victory, they took it in the shorts.
All in all it is really easy to kill Palestinians and really hard to kill Israelis. If Palestine doesn't stop trying, the Israelis won't have any problem continuing this later.
Young man you have no conscience and need serious psychological help when you say things like:
"All in all it is really easy to kill Palestinians ..."
That is exactly what Hitler said before he ordered that Jews be gassed and loaded into ovens. Where is your empathy and ethics? Do you even know what those words truly mean?
Israel can only go so far in shooting like looney brains but as soon as China hits the foreclosure switch on America, Israel won't be getting its goodies and they'll be in for a crude awakening. And if that doesn't work, wait until the upcoming Peak Oil crisis hits. Without all that petroleum, those WMDs that Israel uses will be USELESS. It will then no longer be as hard to kill the Israelis as it is to kill the Palestinians. I don't want either one of them killed and if you had a fraction of a brain, neither would you.
NYCartist, I'm sorry that my post was poorly written so that it could be misinterpreted. Thanks for clarifying it.
Dennis Kucinich talks about the legal ramifications of using US weapons for aggressive war:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGOv0lMMNDI
Some Americans all believe and push the B.S.they get from CNN's own Zionist Jews ex AIPAC Wolfe Blitzer and Larry King both long and staunch supporters of Israel.
Where they never tell you that the Geneva Convention expressly forbids the type of actions the Israeli military is taking in Gaza and for years Gaza has been an Israeli open air prison where inmates have been reduced to eating grass to survive.
The US State Dept & Foreign "office" Middle East departments etc are all filled with Jews with a "dual loyalty" to Israel -- shouldn't they and Wolf Blitzer and Larry King and all of FOX excuse themselves from any discussion on the Middle East or at least state up front their having a "vested Israel bias" ?
Here is a "first" in the MSM
as said here by Chris Hedges New York Times correspondent.
A war?
Israel uses sophisticated attack jets and naval vessels to bomb densely crowded refugee camps and slums, to attack a population that has no air force, no air defense, no navy, no heavy weapons, no artillery units, no mechanized armor, no command and control, no army, and calls it a war.
It is not a war. It is murder.”
Zieg Heil! Israel Uber Alles !
http://wake-up-america.net/
I'll report back when monkeys fly out of my butt.
Since you can't make a comment because you will be called anti-semite, you had beeter start being PRO-semite and love Israel with all your heart, mind and soul. Did you ever notice in our times how atrocious most Israelis and Jews are (oops, I meant how loving they are). It is time to treat each one of them with the contempt they deserve. How many have you ever heard say Israel is wrong. They are quite silent. Remember what Dr Matin Luther King Jr said: "In the end, we will remember not what our enemies say but we will remember the silence of our friends." Are Jewish Americans and Israels really our friends? Ask Jonathan Pollard, Lawrence Franklin and the US Reprentatives from predominantly Jewish districts. Perhaps we should disperse them to places like Montana, Utah, South Dakota etc. They live in our largest states like NY, Fl, Calif, PA where there are a lot of electoral votes. Hey by the way, where is the Mayor of that fine American city of New York? Why he is in Israel working on public schools and health care and streets for New Yorkers. We wonder why they hate us? Rahm Emanuel served in the Israeli Army in 1989 while I served in the US Army. Where is that pig Joe Lieberman? Is he working on the deficit? Health care, jobs etc? Yeah right. I know! He is getting funding for homes for the American families who were devastated by Katrina.
We are witnessing a battle of fundamentalism. Jewish Zionists, Militant Muslims, and Christian Neocons, are gaining more and more power in their respective countries and regions. The general populations are often caught up in conflicts they don't understand and are continually fed propaganda about their supposed enemies. Many Israeli's are appalled by the actions of their Zionist leaders as are many Muslims by the actions of extremists. There are many moderates and pacifists within Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and secular communities and it's up to this majority to throw out the saber rattling fundamentalists and war criminals who propagate fear and hatred.
Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner that's why I keep harping on opposing religion. Until the religious zealots have less power we will see this over and over again, and yes a lot of the planners of the wars are I'm sure cynical greedy, power hungry non believers, but the cannon fodder is far easier to come by in a population brainwashed by religion. Teach people analytical thinking skills and sociopathic leaders lose their armies of obedient followers, and poof no more war.
Hey Hoot...hadn't you heard it was the Fundamentalist astheists that were causing the trounble? (lol)
Seriously thats not a bad point about religious fanatics. Dangerous folks as are any fanatical group, but I'd say more so.
War won't be eradicated by that method either! There are degrees of thinking.
There are plenty of Zionists who are atheists. Judaism is an identity that no longer requires religious belief for it to be real.
Many "neocons" are more ultra nationalist and "free market" fanatics than they are religious fanatics.
Islamist extremists are largely a product of Western/Zionist Imperialism. The lie is they are out to create a caliphat when actually they are struggling to resist Western imperialism of which Israel is an outpost.
.
True words.
Moderates and pacifists will always be caught off guard by fundamentalism because while we merely want to live our lives in peace and let others do so as well, fundamentalists want to bend everyone into their world view. Fundamentalists are sociopaths and are truly fearful and angry. A dangerous mix which stuns people into shock and submission.
I don't believe fundamentalism wins in the end, but oh the horrible toll it takes before it is finally vanquished.
"All Nature's difference keeps all Nature's peace." Alexander Pope
bligh4
Yep. Anti-Semite. Definitely fits.
"Since you can't make a comment because you will be called anti-semite"
I don't think thats true for a moment. But I suggest you reread your posting, it looks pretty anti-semitic to me.
Jonah:want to hate all Jews? My mayor was in Israel with his NYPD commissioner, Ray Kelly. You'll have to read other folks comments, and Phyllis Bennis www.democracynow.org. (I won't tell you the name I called Mr. Bloomberg, because it's an insult in Yiddish.) Why did you give yourself an old testament biblical screen name? And why am I living in NYC? Besides being born here, after living in the south and midwest, I missed the diversity of NYC.
No where in all the comments does it say the rockets fired from Gaza are quite
likely fired from building with "school" designation or other protected sites.
No body has said that Hamas has one mission. The elimination of Israel.
Clearly you believe everything our "news" tells us. Why don't we
hear from someone who doesn't have a dog in this fight?
Zionism's stated goal is to purge all Muslims from the Middle East and take the land as its own. It's all right there in the archives of the Israeli government. It is impossible to have an intelligent discussion about this issue without starting from first principles. Hamas does not have as its goal the elimination of Israel. Hamas does not have the ability to eliminate Israel any more than I do. It is Israel that is in the process of eliminating Israel.
Lie much on behalf of Israel's government butchering women and children "young fascist?" Hint the U.N. said they screened people coming into the school Israel shelled multiple times when they knew it's GPS cooridnates and the U.N. said NO weapons were in the school.
That Hasbara book making good bed time reading material "old hippy" (who doubt is either old or a hippy).
I'll bet you helped lynch and immolate blacks too, as you're clearly an Oldterrorist.
Oldhippy39:Is that the year you were born? I'm slightly younger. I suggest you read Phyllis Bennis on DemocracyNow and the debate on same place, on Jan. 5,2009. www.democracynow.org (Am older, Jewish, against Israeli policies, as I am against my government's pre-emptive war in/on Iraq, Afghanistan.)
The US is a cobelligerent of Israel and thus a legitimate target for counterattacks of all types since it has, de facto, announced by its behavior and pronouncemnets to no longer be a signatory to the Geneva Conventions as became apparent several decades ago during the Korean conflict and its covert war against Indonesia in 1958 and followed by its behavior in Southeast Asia, to cite just three of many dozens of examples. The US is also the leading Terrorist State, providing sophisticated training and weapons to its terrorists and, based on many previous elections, to have a populace allied with its terrorist leaders. Any taxes you pay going to the Imperial government support its terrorism. Obama has said he will continue US Terrorism and expand its scope, and he said so prior to the election. If you voted for Obama, you voted for a terrorist and continued terrorism; Bush is just doing what was just mandated by the election. "But I voted for change when I voted for Obama, not more terrorist barbarism" will be a common thought but very incorrect as Obama vowed to continue and even escalate the current terrorist barbarisms. Thus those being portrayed as terrorists by the Propaganda and Indoctrination Systems are actually the opposite and trying to fight the massive terrorist barbarisms wrought by the US Empire and its cobelligerents.
That is how things really are.
"But, I'm a civil person and hate no one."
"Do you provide money to the Imperial government?"
"Yes, I always pay my taxes on time."
"Then you directly fund the biggest terrorist organization on the planet, and become a terrorist yourself by extension."
"But... But... But.... NOoooo!!!!"
"Sorry, but that's reality."
The reality is also that taxation is a real hydra and it's impossible to avoid providing money to the Imperial government, which makes even me, despite all my efforts, a terrorist too.
"When we suspect that a Palestinian fighter is hiding in a house, we shoot it with a missile and then with two tank shells, and then a bulldozer hits the wall. It causes damage but it prevents the loss of life among soldiers."
--------------------------------
Your mother must be so proud of you.
"Should be prosecuted" and "will be prosecuted" are very distinct issues. Perhaps the overly confident author (who wrote the subtext) might do well to review the attempts to bring Ariel Sharon to a wars crimes tribunal for his role in the Sabra and Shatila Massacres in Lebanon between 16-18 September 1982 where between 700 and 3500 unarmed Palestinian refugees where raped and murdered by the Israeli supported Phalangist Militia. The war crime at Sabra and Shatila is as gruesome as any large scale slaughter of civilians and the blood on Ariel Sharons and the Israelis hands will never be washed away. How do you propose to "prosecute" the current Israeli thugs when they have more US support than at any time in the past???
Terry Scott @ http://ampal.blogspot.com
Visit also http://www.indictsharon.net/
We are all Gazans
By Cindy Sheehan
from afterdowninstreet dot org (1-7-09)
note: Commondreams has decided to stop carrying Cindy's articles. I've decided to print them here.
------------------------------------------
My eyes are red from crying as I write this.
The images of bloody babies and maimed children and mothers and fathers wailing in pain are too much for me to bear!
Today, the defense forces of Yahweh's "Chosen People" bombed two UN refugee centers. The schools, which Israel knew were being used as refugee centers (the UN was idiotic enough to give the GPS coordinates?) were demolished, dozens of innocent Gazans killed and Israel makes the convenient claim that Hamas was using the playgrounds as rocket-launching pads, which has been denied by the UN.
Mr. "One President at a Time" famously said: "I am not against war, I am against dumb wars." Even though he has resisted commenting on the horror being perpetrated in Gaza right now, we know what side he is going to weigh in on, as when he was in Jerusalem in July, 2008 and told Israeli president Shimon Peres: "For most of Israel's 60 years, you have been deeply involved in this miracle that has blossomed," and while in Sderot, in Southern Israel, which is, as most of Israel is, built on Palestinian land, he affirmed Israel's right to defend itself from the very weak Hamas rockets. Memo to Mr. "Only One President at a Time," we know you love Israel and get that you long ago sold out to the American-Israel Political Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the US/Israel imperial-military cabal, but no Palestinian baby has fired rockets from Gaza.
I am here to tell Obama, that war is not dumb: IT'S EVIL! All war is evil. From the war on poor people of color here in American streets to the genocidal wars of aggression against Arab peoples waged by America and Israel: all war is completely, absolutely, incontrovertibly and atrociously evil. Until Congress and the Knesset and respective administrations come down off of their muy macho and extremely racist perches of death and destruction, we have no "hope" at all for any kind of profound and positive "change."
George Bush is a lame duck idiot who has always supported death and destruction and welcomed both Republican and Democratic allegiance to the war machine. He is finally leaving and we are overjoyed, but should we celebrate an incoming administration that feels it's okay to comment its brains out about the economy, but when it comes to sticking up for the helpless sitting ducks in Gaza he cops-out with lightening speed and amazing alacrity?
I am sick, sick, sick of babies, children and other innocents paying the price of greedy and bloodthirsty governments. I feel a deep sense of helplessness at the carnage as many of my colleagues and much of the "peace" movement wants to give the incoming war-monster, Zionists a "chance." Well, I say: BULLSHIT!
At the rate Israel is slaughtering Gazans, hundreds of more will die and thousands more will be wounded when Doctors have no medicine or supplies; and tens of thousands are frightened and starving while Obama remains silent. Silence is complicity and if we follow the lead of our misleaders, we are complicit also.
What can we do? Tax time is coming up. Your taxes have been paying for death and destruction since you started paying them, no matter how old or young you are. Do you sleep peacefully at night knowing that your hard earned money is going towards paying for killing Gazan babies? Iraqi babies? Afghan babies? I rarely sleep peacefully at night anymore, but not because I fund the US/Israel war machine.
I am going to call on the supervisors of the City of San Francisco to divest of any holdings or investments in Israeli companies. The violent apartheid of all Palestinian people must stop and a fair and humane solution must be economically forced with mostly white Israel as it was with South Africa. You can start a similar movement in your own city or join others that are already in place.
Our protests must be organized and smart to force our elected officials to finally do the humane thing. Most of our federal elected officials are bought and paid for by AIPAC which has seemingly unlimited resources and influences much legislation in our government to be pro-Israel.
How many babies must be massacred before we get righteously outraged and decide to carry the moral water for this fascist government and speak with one voice crying out for peace and justice?
When Gazans are being systematically killed by American made bombs dropped from American made planes and being strafed with American made bullets shot from American made helicopters, we can do no less.
That was a very powerful article. This is off-track but I wonder, why commondreams stopped carrying her articles?
Why did CD stop carrying Cindy Sheehan? IMO the editors of CD ought to make a monthly report to the readership as to WHY certain decisions are made. Although I enjoy CDs articles and forums transparency is non existent around here.
Not all of us *are* Gazans, not all of us are terrorists.
This is simply the result of missles being fired into Israel. Stop the missles, stop the killing. Israel is 100% in the right here Cindy. Sorry.
Yeah never mind "cast lead" has been planned for 6 months, that Israel broke the cease fire first in the fall by bombing tunnels, and that the timing of this massacre just happens to coincide with the run up to Israel's election.
Facts are pesky things aren't they GooseStep?
Is that Goose as in Goose-Step?
Yes, firing the rockets continually into Isreal led here, but its far, far more complicated than that. Israel is not 100% in the right here. Its absurd to claim that.
Aside from that, this is way past who's to blame. Both sides and their supporters are to blame. Thats plainly evident and cannot be questioned.
Yes Thomas Moore, it is. I agree with many of your posts, but this is the Palestinian war. They asked for it. They fought for it. They provoked it.
This is Israel's chance to silence a lot of Hamas voices. The claim that this will make the Palestinians more radical is silly. The dial only goes to 10 and it has been there for ages. What is needed here is a real humiliation of the Hamas supporters. Once that happens and they agree not to fire rockets, then you get peace. If there is going to be some ceasefire as reported with foreign troops to make sure that Hamas doesn't re-arm, then go on an open the border with Egypt if Egypt will do it. Open the ports and airspace, Palestine deserves that. But not the Israeli border. There is no need ever again to allow Palestinians to cross over. Seal it off and forget they're there. They can't play well with others so they need to be shut off from the rest of the world.
As for Egypt opening their border, I don't know if that is going to happen. Mubarek has no desire to let in Palestinains either.
And that's why God punishes Israel with a horrible economy and no middle class.
You are sorry Goose.
I like Cindy Sheehan. I was able to visit the NYC Camp Casey on Union Square,NYC --not too many yards from Gandhi's wonderful bronze statue by Kantilal B. Patel (google it) and take photos. My only comment re the article, is that Jews use the word "ashem", never "yaweh",which I never heard until I occassionaly tuned in to Right wing Born Again Radio, where they were pretending to be Jews (looking for converts to Christianity).
Howard Zinn refers to American exceptionalism, the idea that Americans are better than other people, thus justifying atrocities committed by my government. In the Middle East, this notion of exceptionalism, that Israelis are better than their neighbors is used to justify atrocities they commit.
I pray with all my heart that Obama does all he can to bring an end to these fantasies that make violent solutions seem glorious. He will need every ounce of prodding and/or support we can muster.
rumiluv:Please make it clear that Howard Zinn isn't supporting the concept of "American exceptionalism", he is explaining it. I heard it in his speech of Nov.8,2008, played on DemocracyNow on Jan.2,2009, transcript is online, free. Fab speech: www.democracynow.org Phyllis Bennis on Hugh Hamilton's show "Talk Back" on Monday, Jan.5, 2009, archived for 90 days, suggests that Israel is using US ways in the attack on Gaza. She says it better. www.wbai.org. She was also on DemocracyNow that morning for segment. I really really like your last line.
Aren't UN marked buildings, such as Red Cross buildings, not to be fired upon? To say there were militants in a safehouse is covering their behinds for a war crime against innocent civilians.
When their houses are bombed, where are the people to go? This is proof that they are to be wiped out anywhere they try to find refuge from the onslaught.
As far as trying Israel and the US for war crimes, that will happen when pigs fly.
Israel charged for war crimes? Hardeeharhar! Israel will get away with murder as always. I hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see that day in my lifetime.
You'll forgive me if I don't agree with the "murder" remark, but there is no doubt in my mind that you are 100% right. There won't be any charges of war crimes for either side.
Good people can disagree.