UN report on Gaza: Both sides may be guilty of war crimes

[webfact]

UN report on Gaza: Both sides may be guilty of war crimes
By ARON HELLER

JERUSALEM (AP) — A much-awaited United Nations report into the 2014 Gaza war released Monday found that both Israel and Palestinian militant groups may have committed war crimes during the conflict.

Both Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers quickly rejected the report's findings, which said Palestinian militants targeted civilians in their rocket attacks, while Israeli forces likely used "disproportionate" force in civilian areas of the Gaza Strip — both identified by the U.N. committee as potential war crimes.

While Israel long has had a contentious relationship with the United Nations, the stakes now are much higher as Palestinians have joined the International Criminal Court and are pursuing war crimes charges against Israel. Monday's report could play a key role in the case against Israel.

"The extent of the devastation and human suffering in Gaza was unprecedented and will impact generations to come," said Mary McGowan Davis, the chair of the commission. "There is also ongoing fear in Israel among communities who come under regular threat."

The war started July 8, 2014, after the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, as well as the subsequent kidnapping and burning alive of a Palestinian teenager in an apparent revenge attack. Israel responded to the teens' kidnapping by arresting hundreds of Hamas members in raids in the West Bank, prompting militant groups in Gaza to step up their rocket attacks.

More than 2,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, were killed during the fighting, according to U.N. and Palestinian officials, while 73 people, including six civilians, died on the Israeli side.

Israel preemptively criticized the report as biased. In particular, Israel took issue with the U.N. Human Rights Council that commissioned the inquiry, saying it is stacked with countries that focus disproportionate attention on Israel while having poor human rights records themselves.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that throughout the conflict Israel acted according to international law and he criticized the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday as a body that does "everything but worry about human rights."

"Israel does not commit war crimes. Israel defends itself against a terrorist organization that calls for its destruction and carries out many war crimes," Netanyahu said. "We will continue to act forcefully and determinedly against those who seek to harm our citizens and we will do this according to international law."

Hamas was similarly defiant, with senior official Ghazi Hamad telling The Associated Press the U.N. report created a false balance "between the victims and the killers." He said Hamas rockets and mortars were aimed at Israeli military sites, not at civilians.

Israel has attacked the council's latest investigation since it was ordered last July. Israeli claims of bias forced the head of the investigation, Canadian law professor William Schabas, to resign earlier this year after it was discovered he had provided legal advice to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Schabas was replaced by Davis, an American jurist. The other member of the commission was Doudou Diene of Senegal.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said it was studying the full U.N. report, but noted "it is well known that the entire process that led to the production of this report was politically motivated and morally flawed from the outset." It said the UNHRC "has a singular obsession with Israel, passing more country specific resolutions against Israel than against Syria, Iran and North Korea combined — in fact, more than against all other countries combined."

A report by the council into the 2008-2009 war, conducted by South African jurist Richard Goldstone, found evidence that Israel and Hamas both committed war crimes, though Goldstone later backed off his key allegations against Israel.

The U.N. commission, which presented its findings in Geneva, said the 2014 hostilities saw a huge increase in firepower, with more than 6,000 airstrikes by Israel and approximately 50,000 tank and artillery shells fired. Palestinian armed groups fired 4,881 rockets and 1,753 mortars toward Israel during the 50-day war, it said.

Palestinians have said that the Israeli army violated the rules of war, which include giving adequate warning to civilians, using proportionate force and distinguishing between civilians and combatants. They have pointed to the high civilian casualty count as evidence.

Israel claims that Hamas is responsible for the civilian casualties because it used Gaza's residents as "human shields" by firing rockets from residential areas and operating in schools, hospitals and mosques. It also notes that Hamas' rockets and mortar shells were aimed at Israeli population centers.

Israel has argued that it took unprecedented measures to avoid civilian casualties, ordering residents to evacuate through leaflets, phone calls, radio broadcasts and warning strikes with unarmed shells ahead of live airstrikes.

However, the U.N. commission said that in many incidents "the weapons used, the timing of attacks, and the fact that the targets were located in densely populated areas indicate that the Israel Defense Forces may not have done everything feasible to avoid or limit civilian casualties."

In its conclusions, the commission said Israel "released insufficient information regarding the specific military objectives of its attacks." It also noted Israel refused to allow its investigators to enter Gaza.

The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions."

It also noted that while Israel had taken steps to investigate its own alleged violations, it concluded that "investigations by Palestinian authorities are woefully inadequate."

It also condemned the extrajudicial killings in Gaza of alleged "collaborators," which it also called a potential war crime.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-23

[ezzra]

Some body at the UN didn't get the memo, or were sick and delirious when they wrote the report

saying that the Palestinians are guilty too, how can it be? the whole world knows that the

Palestinians are innocent and blameless and Israel is the blood thirsty wolves that preys on

the lost lambs of Gaza...

Or could it be that finally, the truth has to be told, and no matter how much bias one can be,

and that no amount of cover ups, favorable medias campaigns, marches and flotillas to Gaza,

if there were to be peace one day there, both have to take responsibility for their actions....

[Ulysses G.]

Israel preemptively criticized the report as biased. In particular, Israel took issue with the U.N. Human Rights Council that commissioned the inquiry, saying it is stacked with countries that focus disproportionate attention on Israel while having poor human rights records themselves.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that throughout the conflict Israel acted according to international law and he criticized the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday as a body that does "everything but worry about human rights."

Ain't that the truth. The U.N. Human Rights Council are a bunch of lying hypocrites.

[Seastallion]

"The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions.""

Oh dear...distress and disruption. Not quite as much of an impact as death and injury, but it is something to consider. Poor things, they got distressed. At least they didn't die like 2000 Palestinians at the hands of Israel.

Israel is fond of accusing the UNHRC of "disproportionate attention". Well, Israel, if you don't like disproportionality, don't be disproportionate yourself...it is, after all one of your potential war crimes that you're being investigated for.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Seastallion

[Seastallion]

"The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions.""

Well, to be absolutely fair, Israel will have to be criticised for "causing immense distress and disruption to the lives of Gazan civilians, especially... all of them that didn't die"

[konying]

"The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions.""

Oh dear...distress and disruption. Not quite as much of an impact as death and injury, but it is something to consider. Poor things, they got distressed. At least they didn't die like 2000 Palestinians at the hands of Israel.

Israel is fond of accusing the UNHRC of "disproportionate attention". Well, Israel, if you don't like disproportionality, don't be disproportionate yourself...it is, after all one of your potential war crimes that you're being investigated for.

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

[RustBucket]

When your favoured strategy is to attack your enemy while holding children and elderly people in front of you as a shield under threat of execution, and said shield gets hit, then who is guilty of the war crimes?..... You or your enemy.

Secondly, in a conflict situation, what counts as 'disproportionate'? You are in a war situation for god's sake. He who hits hardest wins.

[RustBucket]

The whole WESTERN world have been brainwashed by the anti-semitic progressive liberal mainstream media..... Well the stupid ones have been anyway.

There are plenty of reports from Palestinians who say their life is HELL under Hamas, and they are much more afraid of THEM than the Israelis.

I suggest you put down the New York Times or the Washington Post and turn off your Fox News and go to youtube and get yourself educated.

If the Palestinians laid down their weapons, they could have peace tomorrow, if Israel laid down its arms, they would be slaughtered.

The Palestinians do not want peace, they want EVERY Jew dead..... Not Israelis..... JEWS. They have said it countless times.

Edited June 23, 2015 by RustBucket

[Ulysses G.]

He was being sarcastic. His point is that the Palestinians have plenty to answer for.

[jdinasia]

There's no question that both sides have committed war crimes

[RustBucket]

He was being sarcastic. His point is that the Palestinians have plenty to answer for.

Ooops..... Lol

Having read it again, I can see he was being humerously facetious.

I do apologise Ezzra.

I'll leave it up anyway, I thought it was a pretty good rant, and hopefully it will pre-emp any bleeding hearts that are surely to wander along.

Edited June 23, 2015 by RustBucket

[Ulysses G.]

It WAS a good rant. I might have made the same mistake, but I already know his stance on the matter.

[winstonc]

"The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions.""

Oh dear...distress and disruption. Not quite as much of an impact as death and injury, but it is something to consider. Poor things, they got distressed. At least they didn't die like 2000 Palestinians at the hands of Israel.

Israel is fond of accusing the UNHRC of "disproportionate attention". Well, Israel, if you don't like disproportionality, don't be disproportionate yourself...it is, after all one of your potential war crimes that you're being investigated for.

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

try living in there conditions and come back on here ......nothing to see in kansas.eh...

[winstonc]

Some body at the UN didn't get the memo, or were sick and delirious when they wrote the report

saying that the Palestinians are guilty too, how can it be? the whole world knows that the

Palestinians are innocent and blameless and Israel is the blood thirsty wolves that preys on

the lost lambs of Gaza...

Or could it be that finally, the truth has to be told, and no matter how much bias one can be,

and that no amount of cover ups, favorable medias campaigns, marches and flotillas to Gaza,

if there were to be peace one day there, both have to take responsibility for their actions....

5555 you slag off the arabs then your last sentence they....both..got to take responsibility...very good ezzra..

[vogie]

The whole WESTERN world have been brainwashed by the anti-semitic progressive liberal mainstream media..... Well the stupid ones have been anyway.

There are plenty of reports from Palestinians who say their life is HELL under Hamas, and they are much more afraid of THEM than the Israelis.

I suggest you put down the New York Times or the Washington Post and turn off your Fox News and go to youtube and get yourself educated.

If the Palestinians laid down their weapons, they could have peace tomorrow, if Israel laid down its arms, they would be slaughtered.

The Palestinians do not want peace, they want EVERY Jew dead..... Not Israelis..... JEWS. They have said it countless times.

Theres one on you tube on how the Israelis carried out ethnic cleansing in the towns when the British were evacuating in 1948, miss that one, did we?

[winstonc]

The whole WESTERN world have been brainwashed by the anti-semitic progressive liberal mainstream media..... Well the stupid ones have been anyway.

There are plenty of reports from Palestinians who say their life is HELL under Hamas, and they are much more afraid of THEM than the Israelis.

I suggest you put down the New York Times or the Washington Post and turn off your Fox News and go to youtube and get yourself educated.

If the Palestinians laid down their weapons, they could have peace tomorrow, if Israel laid down its arms, they would be slaughtered.

The Palestinians do not want peace, they want EVERY Jew dead..... Not Israelis..... JEWS. They have said it countless times.

Theres one on you tube on how the Israelis carried out ethnic cleansing in the towns when the British were evacuating in 1948, miss that one, did we?

dont start him off we havent had the 6 million chest nut bandied about yet..that usually rears its predictable head..

[Ulysses G.]

The whole WESTERN world have been brainwashed by the anti-semitic progressive liberal mainstream media..... Well the stupid ones have been anyway.

There are plenty of reports from Palestinians who say their life is HELL under Hamas, and they are much more afraid of THEM than the Israelis.

I suggest you put down the New York Times or the Washington Post and turn off your Fox News and go to youtube and get yourself educated.

If the Palestinians laid down their weapons, they could have peace tomorrow, if Israel laid down its arms, they would be slaughtered.

The Palestinians do not want peace, they want EVERY Jew dead..... Not Israelis..... JEWS. They have said it countless times.

Theres one on you tube on how the Israelis carried out ethnic cleansing in the towns when the British were evacuating in 1948, miss that one, did we?

If it is on YouTube, it MUST be true. They were at WAR - started by the Palestinians - in 1948.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[RustBucket]

The whole WESTERN world have been brainwashed by the anti-semitic progressive liberal mainstream media..... Well the stupid ones have been anyway.

There are plenty of reports from Palestinians who say their life is HELL under Hamas, and they are much more afraid of THEM than the Israelis.

I suggest you put down the New York Times or the Washington Post and turn off your Fox News and go to youtube and get yourself educated.

If the Palestinians laid down their weapons, they could have peace tomorrow, if Israel laid down its arms, they would be slaughtered.

The Palestinians do not want peace, they want EVERY Jew dead..... Not Israelis..... JEWS. They have said it countless times.

Theres one on you tube on how the Israelis carried out ethnic cleansing in the towns when the British were evacuating in 1948, miss that one, did we?

No.... But I saw the correct version of it.

You are talking about the small town on the supply route from Tev Aviv to the beseiged Jerusalem that was constantly being attacked by the Palestinians who would slaughter anyone who passed. The place being Dia Yaseem.

Yes there was an attack, no it was not genocide, it was a small unit who went way over the top but were stopped by the next column of Israelis who were really pissed off by what the others had done.

All the survivors were taken to Jerusalem, and the palestinians put out propaganda through their radio station decalring child killings, women being raped and all sorts of atrocities. This was a big backfire, as all the Palestinans fled from all the towns and villages along the route handing the entire territory on a plate to the Isrealis.

I am posting a video below, from about 10 minutes into the video, you hear it from both sides, and especially those who actually admit it was all propaganda..... The Palestinians...

I suggest you find the time to watch all three parts of this video. You may get an education on the subject and how Israel tried their hardest for 50 years to make peace with the palestinians and how actually the very same were most persecuted by all the surrounding Arab nations.

Oh yes... The biggest persecuters of the Palestinians were the Arabs themselves.

Edited June 23, 2015 by RustBucket

[konying]

"The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions.""

Oh dear...distress and disruption. Not quite as much of an impact as death and injury, but it is something to consider. Poor things, they got distressed. At least they didn't die like 2000 Palestinians at the hands of Israel.

Israel is fond of accusing the UNHRC of "disproportionate attention". Well, Israel, if you don't like disproportionality, don't be disproportionate yourself...it is, after all one of your potential war crimes that you're being investigated for.

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

try living in there conditions and come back on here ......nothing to see in kansas.eh...

Why? Have you tried?

[Jingthing]

Given how unfairly biased the U.N. is against Israel, I reckon the news here is that they accuse the Gaza side of war crimes as well. Are they having a bad hair day?

[winstonc]

"The report also criticized Hamas, saying that its rocket attacks toward Israel "caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of Israeli civilians, especially those living in the southern regions.""

Oh dear...distress and disruption. Not quite as much of an impact as death and injury, but it is something to consider. Poor things, they got distressed. At least they didn't die like 2000 Palestinians at the hands of Israel.

Israel is fond of accusing the UNHRC of "disproportionate attention". Well, Israel, if you don't like disproportionality, don't be disproportionate yourself...it is, after all one of your potential war crimes that you're being investigated for.

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

try living in there conditions and come back on here ......nothing to see in kansas.eh...

Why? Have you tried?

well thought out answer well done..

[konying]

well thought out answer well done..

So that would be a no then

[konying]

Given how unfairly biased the U.N. is against Israel, I reckon the news here is that they accuse the Gaza side of war crimes as well. Are they having a bad hair day?

May be found it hard to keep quite with all the new evidence.

Things like blowing up their own kids and at school and then trying to cover it up.

Sadly a reporter managed to get away and tell the truth

[arend]

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

Excuse me but your bigotry is showing..... Arabs are an extensive N. African ethnic group, militants are members of an extreme ideology....

Some extremist group in Gaza attacks Israel and the response is to kill 2000 civilians. I don't have to take sides to know that something is very wrong with that picture....

[Jingthing]

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

Excuse me but your bigotry is showing..... Arabs are an extensive N. African ethnic group, militants are members of an extreme ideology....

Some extremist group in Gaza attacks Israel and the response is to kill 2000 civilians. I don't have to take sides to know that something is very wrong with that picture....

2000 civilians? Sounds like you actually believe the Hamas propaganda about the percentage civilians killed vs. combatants. Like I've said before, in the recent Israel - Gaza war, Israel won the military conflict but Hamas won the propaganda PR conflict.

[Seastallion]

Given how unfairly biased the U.N. is against Israel, I reckon the news here is that they accuse the Gaza side of war crimes as well. Are they having a bad hair day?

When all the people that think 2100 killed in response to 3 killed is a fair response, then I suppose they would also think the UN is biased. It's a very skewed worldview.

I'd say the people who think Israel is cool, calm, and collected in their response are the biased ones.

Lets just see what transpires....remember, might is right, according to those same people. Whatever the UN are able to bring about by force (including political force) must be right.

[arend]

2000 civilians? Sounds like you actually believe the Hamas propaganda about the percentage civilians killed vs. combatants. Like I've said before, in the recent Israel - Gaza war, Israel won the military conflict but Hamas won the propaganda PR conflict.

I stand corrected. I misread...

"More than 2,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, were killed during the fighting, according to U.N. and Palestinian officials, while 73 people, including six civilians, died on the Israeli side."

Edited June 23, 2015 by arend

[Seastallion]

2000 civilians? Sounds like you actually believe the Hamas propaganda about the percentage civilians killed vs. combatants. Like I've said before, in the recent Israel - Gaza war, Israel won the military conflict but Hamas won the propaganda PR conflict.

I stand corrected:

"More than 2,200 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, were killed during the fighting, according to U.N. and Palestinian officials, while 73 people, including six civilians, died on the Israeli side."

Never ever forget the 500 children that were killed. They do deserve a separate mention.

[konying]

Oh dear how dare anyone critique Arabs national sport of firing rockets,wearing suicide jackets and just thirsting for blood

Totally unacceptable

Excuse me but your bigotry is showing..... Arabs are an extensive N. African ethnic group, militants are members of an extreme ideology....

Some extremist group in Gaza attacks Israel and the response is to kill 2000 civilians. I don't have to take sides to know that something is very wrong with that picture....

Oh its my bigotry is it?

Yes very extensive ethnic group in Africa, might be the reason why there is a never ending on slaughter taking place across Africa

Some??? Some?? You mean the ruling government party? whose sole and only purpose is destruction of Israel

Yes, i am proud to be the bigot

[Scott]

An inflammatory post has been removed.