| Submit your comments on this article | |||
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |||
| Amnesty accuses Israel and Hamas of "war crimes" | |||
| 2009-02-25 | |||
| (AKI) - Rights group Amnesty International has called for the United Nations to impose a global freeze on arms sales to Israel and the Gaza-ruling Hamas movement, claiming that both sides used foreign-made weapons to attack civilians. In a report released on Monday, Amnesty also claimed that the Jewish state and Hamas had both committed "war crimes". "We urge the UN Security Council to impose an immediate and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups until effective mechanisms are found to ensure that munitions and other military equipment are not used to commit serious violations of international law," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty's Middle East director in a statement published on Monday. Amnesty research claimed that Israel committed war crimes by using white phosphorous munitions, which killed hundreds of children. "Israeli forces used white phosphorus and other weapons supplied by the USA to carry out serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes. Their attacks resulted in the death of hundreds of children and other civilians and massive destruction of homes and infrastructure," said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty researcher on Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
He added that American taxpayers were funding Israel's munitions, some of which have been used to commit alleged war crimes. "To a large extent, Israel's military offensive in Gaza was carried out with weapons, munitions and military equipment supplied by the USA and paid for with US taxpayers' money," said Smart. According to Amnesty the United States is the major supplier of conventional arms to Israel and under a 10-year agreement, the US is expected to provide 30 billion dollars in military aid to Israel to the year 2017. However, the report attacked the Islamist Hamas movement, saying its rocket attacks also constituted a war crime. "At the same time, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired hundreds of rockets that had been smuggled in or made of components from abroad at civilian areas in Israel. Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime and caused several civilian deaths," said Rovera. Amnesty said that "unsophisticated" rockets are smuggled into Gaza clandestinely or built in Gaza from components secretly brought in from abroad, but did not name the countries.
Israel's foreign ministry immediately attacked the Amnesty report as "biased and unprofessional". "Initial study of the report indicates that it presents a biased version of the events, and does not adhere to professional criteria and objectivity. A detailed response will be given at a later stage," said a statement in Israel's foreign ministry website posted on Monday. The foreign ministry instead accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, failing to recognise the existence of Israel and said that it was merely protecting its citizens against terror.
| |||
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 So I guess Amnesty is getting a little something from Fatah, based on the slant in the particular "report". |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-02-25 12:15 |
| #2 The foreign ministry instead accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields... That's one Amnesty missed, supporting the contention of bias and incompetence. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2009-02-25 10:06 |
| #1 in other awards (^8 Amnesty accused of crimes against Language. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-02-25 08:28 |