Amnesty: US assisted Gaza war crimes

[Scurrilous]

Rights organization says Israeli army used white phosphorus in densely-populated civilian residential areas, calls for weapons embargo to be imposed on Israel, Hamas

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3675913,00.html

<snip>

"Amnesty International condemned the IDF's conduct during its military operation in Gaza in a report published Monday, and called for an arms embargo on both Israel and the terrorist Hamas group.

"Amnesty International found that the Israeli army used white phosphorus, a weapon with a highly incendiary effect, in densely-populated civilian residential areas in and around Gaza City, and in the north and south of the Gaza Strip," the report says.

"The organization’s delegates found white phosphorus still burning in residential areas throughout Gaza days after the ceasefire came into effect on 18 January - that is, up to three weeks after the white phosphorus artillery shells had been fired by Israeli forces.

"Amnesty International considers that the repeated use of white phosphorus in this way in densely-populated civilian areas constitutes a form of indiscriminate attack, and amounts to a war crime," it adds.

The report also criticizes the US' role in the war as Israel's main supplier of weapons, recommending that the Obama administration halt all further military aid to Israel."

[seemslikeadream]

1. we are a war crimes country

.

[L. Coyote]

2. war is THE crime!

[seemslikeadream]

5. and THE crime must be prosecuted

[IndianaGreen]

8. It won't end until we start hanging former Presidents and their henchmen

Not even Obama seems to have the stomach to enforce the law on the Bush law breakers.

SHAME!

[oberliner]

10. That seems a little extreme

Violence begets violence after all.

[Scurrilous]

3. New Amnesty report calls for freeze on arms sales to Israel (Amira Hass)

<snip>

"More than 20 countries sold Israel weapons and munitions whose use during Operation Cast Lead could constitute war crimes and might pose serious infractions of international law, according to a report to be released by Amnesty International on Monday.

The United States is at the top of the list of arms exporters to Israel, but France, Romania, Bosnia and Serbia are listed as well. Amnesty's report, entitled, "Fueling Conflict: Foreign Arms supplies to Israel/Gaza," details arms sales to Israel between 2004 and 2007, and publishes some of the organization's findings on the use of such weapons against civilians and civilian targets.

"Direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, disproportionate attacks and indiscriminate attacks are war crimes," the report states, describing such attacks during the war in Gaza. The organization recommends that all arms sales to Israel be frozen until "there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment will be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses."

The report further noted that Hamas and other Palestinian groups also used weapons indiscriminately against civilians. Although Amnesty cannot determine the direct supplier of non-homemade weapons (which are manufactured in Iran and Russia), it also calls for a moratorium on weapons sales and shipments to the Palestinians. The report also mentions that the types and quantity of weapons in Hamas' hands are much smaller than those in Israel's possession.

"Even before the three-week conflict, those who armed the two sides will have been aware of the pattern of repeated misuse of weapons by the parties. They must take some responsibility for the violations perpetrated with the weapons they have supplied and should immediately cease further transfers," the report states."

more

[Idealism]

4. Amnesty reports are only truthful when they suit certain people's agendas

So, I am sure this will be brushed aside- ignored as biased and not to be mentioned- by the Pro-Israeli faction on here. But...but... the rockets!

:puke:

[IndianaGreen]

7. Like Reagan applauding AI when it condemned 'their' bad guys

while attacking AI for daring to condemn 'our' bad guys. Nothing has changed. Same old bullshit.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Amnesty calls on US to suspend arms sales to Israel (Independent UK)

Adding to OP's thread, here is The Independent's reporting of this story. Not mentioned is that Israel broke US law by using American weapons on civilian population. Were we to follow the LAW, we should cut off Israel from further arms sales.

Amnesty calls on US to suspend arms sales to Israel

Hellfire missiles and white phosphorus artillery shells among weapons used in 'indiscriminate' attacks on civilians, says human rights group

Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
Monday 23 February 2009 09.14 GMT

Amnesty researchers in Gaza found several weapon fragments after the fighting. One came from a 500lb (227kg) Mark-82 fin-guided bomb, which had markings indicating parts were made by the US company Raytheon. They also found fragments of US-made white phosphorus artillery shells, marked M825 A1.

On 15 January, several white phosphorus shells fired by the Israeli military hit the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza City, destroying medicine, food and aid. One fragment found at the scene had markings indicating it was made by the Pine Bluff Arsenal, based in Arkansas, in October 1991.

The human rights group said the Israeli military had used white phosphorus in densely populated civilian areas, which it said was an indiscriminate form of attack and a war crime. Its researchers found white phosphorus still burning in residential areas days after the ceasefire.

At the scene of an Israeli attack that killed three Palestinian paramedics and a boy in Gaza City on 4 January, Amnesty found fragments of an AGM114 Hellfire missile, made by Hellfire Systems of Orlando, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The missile is often fired from Apache helicopters.

Amnesty said it also found evidence of a new type of missile, apparently fired from unmanned drones, which exploded into many pieces of shrapnel that were "tiny sharp-edged metal cubes, each between 2 and 4mm square in size".

"They appear designed to cause maximum injury," Amnesty said. Many civilians were killed by this weapon, including several children, it said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/23/israel-arms-embargo-gaza

[bemildred]

9. Hamas rejects Amnesty report

Israel and Hamas have rejected an Amnesty International report on the misuse by the Israeli military and Hamas fighters of imported weapons during Israel’s 23-day onslaught on Gaza.

The 37-page document, entitled “Fuelling Conflict: Foreign Arms Supplies to Israel/Gaza,” released on Monday, examines in detail how the warring sides used the weapons in their arsenals and reveals the origins of these arms. Both Israel and Hamas misused weapons. “Direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, disproportionate attacks and indiscriminate attacks are war crimes,” Amnesty states.

Amnesty recommends that all arms sales to Israel should be suspended until “there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment will be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses.”

The report also criticises Hamas and other Palestinian groups for firing missiles indiscriminately at civilians. The organisation admitted that most rockets used by Gaza’s groups are home-made and that it could not identify the covert suppliers of Katyusha rockets and Grad missiles, manufactured in Russia and Iran, but called for an embargo on weapons sales to the Palestinians.

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb242009/foreign20090223120280.asp