Palestinian activists urge Hamas to probe own Gaza war crimes

[bemildred]

Eleven Palestinian human rights organizations have called on the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza to endorse the Goldstone report by investigating Palestinian violations of international law allegedly committed during operation Cast Lead.

Acts listed by the report include Palestinian attacks on civilians in Israel and instances of internal repression, such as summary executions in the Gaza Strip and arrests and torture in the West Bank.

The calls were made in identical letters sent to Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh. The organizations asked the two leaders to launch investigations before the February 5 deadline by which the UN Secretary-General is to report to the General Assembly on compliance by Israel and the Palestinians with the assembly's earlier resolution.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1143330.html

[shira]

1. why is Hamas being asked to comply with something Goldstone never mentioned in his report?

Internal repression in the form of summary executions, arrrests, and torturing Fatah during OCL wasn't mentioned once in the report, so what does investigating all that now have to do with compliance to Goldstone?

[bemildred]

2. Why not?

We want political accountability, for everyone, right?

[The Magistrate]

3. Indeed, Sir: 'Biter Bit' Is Always a Rum Show....

[bemildred]

4. Happy New Year, Sir.

Let's hope it's an improvement on the last one.

[shira]

8. why didn't Goldstone report on Hamas repression of Fatah during OCL?

Goldstone's team covered for Hamas.

Hamas' actions towards "collaborators" was just one of many crimes ignored by Goldstone's team.

Further, it's beyond laughable to expect Hamas to seriously investigate and/or prosecute anyone for any actions taken during OCL, and you'd probably take their "investigation" more seriously than the Israeli government's.

[bemildred]

10. So you feel that Hamas should ignore its own war crimes?

Or what? What is your point?

I think you have gummed the Goldstone report to death already. If you don't know Mr Goldstone's reasons for what was done by now, then I conclude that you don't want to know them. And if you simply don't believe him, well there is nothing I can do about that.

[shira]

11. Hamas will ignore their own war crimes

1. Tell me, do you really think Hamas would ever seriously investigate or prosecute their own war crimes? I'm not talking a 1 in a million chance, but zero....do you have any reason to believe otherwise? It's as much a joke asking Al-Qaeda to investigate themselves as it is Hamas.

2. Why didn't Goldstone investigate Hamas' crimes against Palestinians committed under the cover of war? Or investigate the deaths of Gazans due to malfunctioning Qassams that landed within Gaza?
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=windows-1256&langpair=auto%7Cen&u=http://www.palpress.ps/arabic/index.php%3Fmaa%3DReadStory%26ChannelID%3D68659&tbb=1&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1

3. Can you at least admit the Goldstone team lied about the following...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=298048&mesg_id=298164

[bemildred]

12. The question was "Do you think they should?"

I was not asking you to predict what they will do, I was asking you if you disagree with the OP's view that they ought to investigate their war crimes.

[shira]

13. Hamas should....just as much as Al-Qaeda should investigate itself for actions the past decade

[bemildred]

14. Good. Thank you. nt

[azurnoir]

7. Perhaps you should be contacting the author of the article

to let her know how wrong she is in her statements about the report, which once again I will admit I have not read.
As to the rest I believe that both sides should be held accountable for their actions

[shira]

9. the author may or may not be aware of what's in the report...

...the point remains Goldstone let Hamas off the hook for what they did to alleged "collaborators" under the cover of war.

I fail to see why anyone would be okay with Goldstone covering for Hamas crimes.

[proteus_lives]

5. That will be the day.

I wonder how hard the Hamas honchos laughed at this.

[mplo]

6. That's progress right there.

Both Israelis and Palestians need to face up to their accountability in this bloody, decades-old conflict that has deprived both peoples of the right to live in peace, resulting in much bloodshed, and the killing and maiming of innocent people on both sides for too long, not to mention the fact that the Palestinians have been without their own independent, sovereign nation-state for sixty years. Israel bears responsibility by continuing to hold onto West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and refusing to pull their troops and settlers out of those territories, despite the fact that most Israelis, both civilian and those serving in their military, don't approve of the occupation.