Amnesty International to US, EU: Suspend all arms transfers to Israel

[Jefferson23]

By TOVAH LAZAROFF

02/27/2014 03:36

Foreign Ministry slams as "racist" report by NGO on IDF’s actions against Palestinians.

Amnesty International called on the international community to suspend transferring arms to Israel to protest IDF treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.

“Suspend transfers to Israel of munitions, weapons, and related equipment including crowd control weapons and devices, training and techniques,” Amnesty said in a 74-page report titled “Trigger- Happy: Israel’s use of excessive force in the West Bank” that it issued on Thursday.

Arms transfers by the United States, the European Union and other countries should only be resumed once Israel can ensure that they will not be used to violate international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Amnesty said.

“Without pressure from the international community, the situation is unlikely to change any time soon,” said Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International.

http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Amnesty-International-to-US-EU-Suspend-all-arms-transfers-to-Israel-343676



Amnesty says some Israeli West Bank killings may be war crimes

2 hours ago

A Palestinian protester jumps as tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers rises during clashes in Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah
.By Crispian Balmer

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces are using excessive, reckless violence in the occupied West Bank, killing dozens of Palestinians over the past three years in what might constitute a war crime, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

In a report entitled "Trigger Happy", the human rights group accused Israel of allowing its soldiers to act with virtual impunity and urged an independent review of the deaths.

The Israeli army dismissed the allegations, saying security forces had seen a "substantial increase" in Palestinian violence and that Amnesty had revealed a "complete lack of understanding" about the difficulties soldiers faced.

According to U.N. data, 45 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank between 2011-2013, including six children. Amnesty said it had documented the deaths of 25 civilians during this period, all but three of whom died last year.

http://news.yahoo.com/amnesty-says-israeli-west-bank-killings-may-war-000440574.html

[Jefferson23]

1. Amnesty International Report Shows Israeli Army and Police Use Excessive Force in West Bank

Casualties Over Past Three Years Include Children

Contact: Carol Gregory, [e-mail], 202-675-8759, @AIUSAmedia

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Amnesty International released a report today that shows Israeli forces have displayed a callous disregard for human life by killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, including children, in the occupied West Bank over the past three years.

At least 261 Palestinians have been seriously injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces. Over 8,000 Palestinians, including 1,500 children, have been wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets and other means.

The report, Trigger-happy: Israel's use of excessive force in the West Bank, describes mounting bloodshed and human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) as a result of the Israeli forces' use of unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force against Palestinians since January 2011. The report comes just days before the Israeli Prime Minister's visit to meet with President Obama on March 3rd and attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington, D.C. The conference is widely attended by U.S. elected officials.

"Instead of giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing ovations, Members of Congress must hold him accountable during his visit to Washington, D.C.," said Sunjeev Bery, Middle East North Africa advocacy director for Amnesty International USA. "Israeli soldiers have repeatedly opened fire on peaceful Palestinian protestors in the occupied West Bank. This trip is an opportunity for President Obama to decisively address Israeli security force violations in the occupied West Bank by suspending all U.S. arms shipments to Israel."

In each of the cases examined in Amnesty International's latest report, Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers did not appear to be posing a direct and immediate threat to life. In some, there is evidence that they were victims of wilful killings, which would amount to war crimes.

"The report presents a body of evidence that shows a harrowing pattern of unlawful killings and unwarranted injuries of Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces in the West Bank," said Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Amnesty International.

"The frequency and persistence of arbitrary and abusive force against peaceful protesters in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers and police officers - and the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators - suggests that it is carried out as a matter of policy."

http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-report-shows-israeli-army-and-police-use-excessive-force-in-west-bank