Israeli Human Rights Spokesperson: Attacks on Civilians Unjustifiable

[Jefferson23]

B'Tselem spokesperson Sarit Michaeli says although Hamas has violated international law by firing on Israeli civilians, this does not give Israel license to kill Gazan civilians

July 23, 14

snip* Transcript:

Bio Sarit Michaeli is a spokesperson for B'Tselem, an Israeli information center for human rights in the occupied territories based in Jerusalem.

ANTON WORONCZUK, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Anton Woronczuk in Baltimore.

At least 613 Palestinians are now dead, as well as 27 Israeli soldiers and two civilians, on the 15th day of Operation Protective Edge, according to the most recent reports for Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry continued to insist on an Egyptian ceasefire that was rejected by Hamas, who says it will only agree to a proposal that includes the lifting of the siege and the release of prisoners rearrested during the West Bank raids ostensibly in search of three Israeli teenagers last month. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said he will seek to use close down Al Jazeera offices in Israel in retaliation for its coverage of Gaza, as gunshots were reportedly fired into its Gaza bureau on Tuesday. And Delta Airlines at U.S. Airways have also temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv due to rocket fire from Gaza.

WORONCZUK: So let's start off by talking about a letter that you sent, along with nine of the human rights organizations, concerning violations of international law in the recent operation against Gaza.

MICHAELI: Yeah. We approached the Israeli government's attorney general in order to request an immediate cessation to attacks and military actions in the Gaza Strip that we would classify as raising serious concerns for violations of international law humanitarian law, and additionally a demand to set up an external independent investigation mechanism to look at military, Israeli military actions during this operation. Additionally, an additional issue is looking at the decision-making process within the military [inaud.] generals office and into legality of military strikes in the Gaza Strip.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12141

[Jefferson23]

1. 32 more Palestinians killed in Gaza as Wednesday total hits 56

Israeli forces bomb al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza City

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli warplanes on Wednesday bombed a central Gaza City hospital after the army claimed militants opened fire from the premises, while a UN human rights chief warned that abuses by Hamas did not justify possible war crimes by Israel.

The Israeli military said in a statement that they had "targeted specific sites" in the al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital compound "in light of several occasions in which fire was opened" and "despite repeated warnings against such activities."

The military last bombed the hospital on Thursday, forcing doctors and patients -- 14 of whom were paralyzed or in a coma -- to flee the premises.

The Israeli military has repeatedly claimed hospitals are being used as launching grounds for Palestinian militants, giving those inside only minutes to flee before subjecting them to bombing raids and shelling.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=715650

[Jefferson23]

2. Israeli media is not listing the names of children killed in Gaza. These are their names:

at link: http://www.btselem.org/

[Jefferson23]

3. These attacks aim to terrorise, wound the soul and the body of the people

An article by MEMO summarises the arguments of the Lancet letter. The letter is then posted in full.

The Lancet: Leading doctors and scientists denounce Gaza violence

By MEMO
July 22, 2014

More than 20 leading doctors and scientists from the UK and Italy denounce ongoing Israeli military aggression in Gaza in a letter to The Lancet, published today.

“On the basis of our ethics and practice, we are denouncing what we witness in the aggression of Gaza by Israel,” write the authors. “We ask our colleagues, old and young professionals, to denounce this Israeli aggression.”

“We are appalled by the military onslaught on civilians in Gaza under the guise of punishing terrorists. This is the third large scale military assault on Gaza since 2008. Each time the death toll is borne mainly by innocent people in Gaza, especially women and children under the unacceptable pretext of Israel eradicating political parties and resistance to the occupation and siege they impose.”

The letter states that tightening blockades imposed on Gaza by Israel in the last year have not only caused starvation and poverty for residents of Gaza, but have also resulted in a dangerous lack of access to medicine and healthcare.

in full: http://jfjfp.com/?p=62733