Rights Group: Israel Violated Laws of War in Gaza

[Purveyor]

By Associated Press
JERUSALEM February 13, 2013 (AP)
A U.S.-based rights group says Israel violated laws of war in a series of airstrikes during an eight-day military operation last November against the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.

Human Rights Watch says it counted 14 airstrikes in which there didn't appear to be a valid military target, and four others targeting militants, but which used disproportionate force.

HRW says the attacks killed more than 40 Palestinian civilians. It cites a bomb attack on a Gaza home that killed a father and two children, ages 4 and 2. The group released the report late Tuesday.

Israel's air assault came after increased rocket fire and other attacks by Gaza militants.

The military had no immediate comment. In the past, it has accused Hamas of using civilians for cover.

More...

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rights-group-israel-violated-laws-war-gaza-18487201

[azurnoir]

1. oh dear HRW well I am sure we'll be reminded on how anti-Israel

and there for possibly by extension it seems antisemitic, and oh lest I forget Mark Garlasco who collect American and German WW@ memorabilia, but alas he left HRW in 2010

[shira]

2. Looks like HRW needs to hire better Nazis next time to do their bidding....

B'Tselem stated that according to its initial findings, which covered only the period between 14 and 19 November, 102 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, 40 of them civilians.[42] The Israel Defense Forces have stated that out of 177 Palestinians killed, 120 were militants and that the IDF never deliberately targets civilians.[16][195]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pillar_of_Defense#Palestinian_casualties

The civilian to combatant ratio in Gaza 2 was better than in Gaza 1 (which was then the best ratio ever recorded in military history). Definite proof Israel attacks civilians for no military purpose.

[azurnoir]

3. well of course we all know

that any Palestinian in Gaza especially that gets killed by Israel is a human shield

eta but thanks for proving me right

[shira]

4. Of course we know B'tselem must've lied when claiming over 60% killed were combatants. n/t

[azurnoir]

5. did I mention that nope but I guess that's acceptable for some

in fact some see it as acctually good in some manner

[shira]

6. It's the best combatant:civilian ratio ever in the history of warfare. The standard....

This deliberate attempt by HRW to distort the facts and history is hate speech.

No other Western nation is more careful WRT civilians in combat than Israel. But HRW never slams other western nations like it does Israel.

This is a deliberate attempt to bash Israel. There's nothing Israel can do to avoid it.

[azurnoir]

7. ah yeah cause HRW has never ever said the same about any other country n/t

[shira]

8. HRW doesn't deliberately twist facts & turn them on their head WRT other countries. n/t

[azurnoir]

9. so when its other it nver twisted but when it's Israel

it is ? okay then

[shira]

10. I don't see you arguing for HRW in this case. They're obviously lying about Israel here.

Tough to defend the indefensible, isn't it?

[azurnoir]

11. not at all I thought I'd let you keep going

but I guess you okay with killing a certain percentage of civilian? Is that it? Is this true of any country? and finally will you answer any of those questions?

[shira]

12. When Israel performs better than any other nation in combat history WRT civilian lives....

...how do you get that they're deliberately going after civilians?

[azurnoir]

13. at no point in the OP did HRW say deliberately they did however mention

the al-Dalu family who were killed in an IAF airstrike on their home during Pillar of Cloud

[shira]

14. HRW says 14 strikes against non-military targets. So who was Israel going after? n/t

[azurnoir]

15. are you saying that HRW is lying or what?

as to strikes against nonmilitary targets you explain then but still the word deliberately was not used

[shira]

16. HRW is accusing Israel of violating LoW. They're not saying there were individual mistakes. n/t

[azurnoir]

17. either way it is against International Law n/t

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

19. Against international Law!? Who cares for such piffle?

[shira]

20. What is? Who did HRW interview? How do they know the IDF's motives?

Seems all they did was opine that 14 targets weren't legitimately military, so Israel must therefore be guilty of violating the LoW.

[The Philosopher]

18. Is there

a list of the 14 strikes that "didn't appear to be valid"? Did the IDF give a reason to the airstrikes? Neither is in the article.

[shira]

21. No evidence or facts needed. Israel is guilty regardless. n/t

[Jefferson23]

22. Top photo prize for picture of dead Gaza children

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -- A photograph of two dead children, who were killed in an Israeli missile strike near Gaza City, won the top World Press Photo prize on Friday for Swedish photographer Paul Hansen of newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

The photograph shows a group of men bearing the bodies of two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and her brother Muhammad, 3, as they were taken to the mosque for a burial ceremony. Their parents were killed in the same strike.

"The strength of the picture lies in the way it contrasts the anger and sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children," Mayu Mohanna, a member of the jury, said of the photograph which was named World Press Photo of the Year 2012.

Ammar Awad of Reuters received an honorable mention in the General News single category for his photograph "Israeli Border Police Pepper spray Palestinian Protester".

http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=565531

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

23. Wait! Aren't there going to be any snide comments

peppered on this sub thread?

[Scurrilous]

24. K & R