Hamas admits it DID use schools and hospitals in Gaza Strip as 'human shields' to launch rocket

[shira]

Hamas admits it DID use schools and hospitals in Gaza Strip as 'human shields' to launch rocket attacks on Israel - but claims it was 'mistake'

Hamas appeared to admit using human shields to fire rockets into Israel for the first time today, but refused to accept responsibility for the slaughter of hundreds of innocent Palestinians killed in retaliatory airstrikes. In a veiled confession that comes two weeks after the end of the Gaza war, a senior Hamas official said the group's fighters had no choice but to use residential areas from which to launch missiles into their neighbour's territory.

But while Ghazi Hamad claimed they took safeguards to keep people away from the violence, he admitted 'mistakes were made', blaming Israel's heavy-handed response for the deaths of civilians.

'Gaza, from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah in the south, is one uninterrupted urban chain that Israel has turned into a war zone,' said Mr Hamad, a senior Hamas official in Gaza. Increasingly, the discussion is not about whether the Hamas rockets were fired from civilian areas, but exactly how close they were to the actual buildings. 'The Israelis kept saying rockets were fired from schools or hospitals when in fact they were fired 200 or 300 meters (yards) away. Still, there were some mistakes made and they were quickly dealt with,' Hamad told The Associated Press, offering the first acknowledgment by a Hamas official that, in some cases, militants fired rockets from or near residential areas or civilian facilities.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2753176/Hamas-DID-use-schools-hospitals-Gaza-Strip-human-shields-launch-rocket-attacks-Israel-admits-says-mistake.html#ixzz3DWrdxfQ0

[roody]

1. Oh, so I guess it's ok for Israel to

massacre Palestinians then.

[shira]

4. There was no massacre, but nice deflection from hamas war crimes. n/t

[GitRDun]

7. You live in some kind of dream world

People don't question that Hamas is a terrorist organization, it's just no excuse for what Israel does in killing indigenous Palestinians, all to advance an ever expanding settlement program. They have been doing it for decades, and the US wags its tail, supporting Israel at every turn.

How you can blind yourself is just stunning to me. I've watched your posts.

Let's all get behind the US's indiscriminate use of drones too, or the war in Iraq, based on lies, hurray!

I suppose what Israel should do is kill another half million Palestinians, take the rest of their land, and then put them on reservations where they can build casinos and get rich! It worked OK here!

Give us all a break!

[shira]

13. Actually people DO question whether Hamas is a terror org...

The UN is about to probe Israel for possible war crimes in Gaza and the head of that commission could not admit on TV that Hamas was a terror organization (start at 2:50)

Leading up to that Schabas couldn't even tell the reporter whether Hamas war crimes would be investigated.

In addition, there are still human rights organizations unwilling to admit Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Amnesty International still denies it, and I'm certain they will CONTINUE to deny it despite Hamas admitting to it.

The problem really isn't with Israel, as what Israel does during war is FAR more restrained regarding civilians than anything the US and UK have been involved in the past decade. The problem is with those who defend and enable Hamas terrorists and then swear up and down they don't support terrorism. These folks do not believe Israel has any right to defend its citizens whatsoever.

That's the problem.

And I'm living in a dream world?

We're on a Democratic Forum and thank God there are no elected Democrats siding with Hamas, enabling and then denying their war crimes, denying Israel any right to self-defense, and then crying about Palestinian civilians they couldn't give a shit about. Hamas supporting Democrats would ensure that Republicans rule both the House and Senate for a long time. The real world doesn't include Democrats with such twisted views who support fascists. People can dream about that happening some day. I wouldn't bet on it happening anytime soon....

[GitRDun]

17. Both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes.

You can rationalize Israel's behavior all you want. It does not take away from the simple fact that they are leveling civilian areas trying to kill Hamas members.

These are war crimes, plain and simple. Do others commit them? Yes they do, including the US and our government is as guilty as Israel of not taking responsibility for its actions.

We the people have to stop making excuses for our government's collective mistakes. If we don't take our blinders off, say what's wrong, it will never change.

There is a political solution to Israel / Palestine. Each for their own reasons, neither wants a political solution, e.g., they are both equally culpable. As long as we keep our collective heads in the sand, more will continue to die.

[shira]

19. And only Hamas enablers/defenders are trying to throw Israel under the bus...

Same thing happened with Goldstone back in 2008-09.

Goldstone ignored Hamas war crimes and made up accusations against Israel that Goldstone eventually rescinded. It's a political farce. No one from the Democratic Party takes any of these anti-Israel imposters seriously.

[GitRDun]

20. I cannot believe how blind you are to what's really going on.

You really need to get yourself out of this self confirming feedback loop you are in.

Governments and organizations like Hamas are committing actual crimes in the names of their people, for political or economic reasons. That means all of them, INCLUDING ISRAEL.

You don't just get to wall off Israel from scrutiny as if there is nothing going on because you like them better.

I love this country but I am not blind to our history. I am also not willing to blind myself to our wrongdoings.

You folks that blindly cheer lead for Israel are an important reason the killing will go on. You say it's OK.

I will not allow some delusional self confirming feedback loop to color my thinking. You would do yourself well to open your eyes.

[shira]

21. Take western friends of Hamas out of the picture WRT calling out Israel...

....for its alleged war crimes and who's left to carry the water? Who do you trust? Anyone? Bueller?

[GitRDun]

22. I am not naive enough to trust what any government says

There is ample evidence that the major powers fight these wars to obtain resources, or other economic reasons. None of these countries give a damn about people, including Israel. All of this "defending" puffery is a lot of hot air.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/jul/09/israel-war-gaza-palestine-natural-gas-energy-crisis

Hamas is loaded with a bunch of cooks who have responded badly to Israeli crimes on their families and ancestors, that's it...not complicated. You can change the year, the settlement location, it's all the same move 'em out strategy the US put on Native Americans centuries ago. Israel moves em out, more terrorists are created to respond.....and so on and so on.

If Israel thinks they wiped out more terrorists than they created they are bigger fools than even I think. How many new family members of the 400+ kids killed there will be future Hamas members. More than they killed I bet. Take a look at the attached video. One drone strike (5 dead) creates US enemies for a generation. Israel killed more than 2,000 people!

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/25/yemeni_activist_farea_al_muslimi_urges

What's really frightening to me is how so many, like yourself can spend so much energy defending what is obviously wrong.

Israel might as well get the reservations ready and put in the casinos for Palestinians like we did here....lol, that's where we are headed.

[shira]

24. So when you find a legit commission genuinely committed to human rights....

....who are not Hamas propagandists and apologists, lemme know.

I'd have no problem with such a commission.

[GitRDun]

25. Unfortunately the UN is not the answer

Run / controlled by the same people who cover up their own crimes.

IMO it has to be Israeli / Palestinian people and journalists who by a collective effort call out foolish policies for what they are.

Unfortunately, most just cheer lead for more blood.

[shira]

26. We agree! n/t

[GitRDun]

29. Yes except on one thing

Shira: Israel has to acknowledge and take its lumps for killing all those people.

Only acknowledgement and reconciliation will lead to peace.

Lincoln said this after the Civil War:

"I believe it is not only possible, but in fact, easier to do this, without deciding, or even considering, whether these States have ever been out of the Union, than with it. Finding themselves safely at home, it would be utterly immaterial whether they had ever been abroad. Let us all join in doing the acts necessary to restoring the proper practical relations between these States and the Union; and each forever after, innocently indulge his own opinion whether, in doing the acts, he brought the States from without, into the Union, or only gave them proper assistance, they never having been out of it."

There needs to be both acknowledgement by all parties of thier misdeeds and reconciliation.

Finger-pointing will lead to nothing but more bloodshed. I hope we can agree on that as well.

[MFM008]

2. so

its ok then to demolish schools and hospitals... ...sorry Israel ..talk to ICC.

[sabbat hunter]

3. actually yes

under international law Israel (or any other country that is in a state of war) is allowed to attack civilian buildings that are used to store military weapons. Actually once that happens they are no longer civilian targets, but military ones.

[azurnoir]

9. actually not quite; true it is a war crime to use civilian building as military bases however

that does not absolve attackers from responsibility for their actions in attacking civilian buildings

[shira]

14. Too bad those who want Israel to face "justice" are Hamas enablers/supporters....

The UN's William Schabas admitted on video that he doesn't know whether Hamas will be investigated. He couldn't admit they were a terror organization. There are Human Rights organizations out there STILL denying Hamas uses human shields and this latest admission by Hamas won't change that.

These sad sacks have no business judging Israel.

Progressives should know better than to back these sad sacks...

[Scootaloo]

11. First of all, "legal" does not mean "okay"

And no, it's not legal, by the way, as Israel is an occupying power over these people.

[shira]

15. You're saying it's not legal for Israel to defend its citizens against Hamas fascist attacks?

Since Israel still somehow occupies Gaza w/o a Jew on the ground there.

Yes?

[Scootaloo]

16. Yes, Gaza is occupied, shira

First, it is not divisible from the rest of Palestine. Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, all are occupied. Second, Israel controls the borders. it controls the water. It controls the airspace. It controls the economy. It clearly exerts military control over the territory. Gaza is occupied. The lack of Israelis in the territory itself doesn't actually change this, as they still exercise occupation over it as surely as Botha's regime exercised control over the bantustans.

As the territories are occupied, legally that means the war is over and the occupied people lost. Use of military force against them is therefor illegal, as the military conflict is over. Israel can't have it both ways, it can't claim to be at war and be an occupier, because the law doesn't work that way - I suspect that very suddenly international law will no longer matter!

This does not mean that Israel cannot defend itself. Just that it cannot use military force to do so. It can use police action, for example. Imagine; arresting terrorists and confiscating their weapons, rather than just blowing up entire apartment buildings and hoping you get a few of either in the blast.

[shira]

18. Using a police force means Israel would have to RE-occupy Gaza....

...and take over ALL local government institutions, including police. Currently, it is HAMAS that runs all government functions. A military occupation would REQUIRE Israel to do all this. So you're in favor of Israel knocking Hamas completely out of power, correct?

BTW, since Israel does NOT run or control things within Gaza (the very definition of occupied territory) that means Gaza isn't occupied. I know definitions suck to those who have their own agenda, but....

[Scootaloo]

23. Every nation on earth regards Gaza as occupied, except the one doing the occupying

And yes, Israel has very pointedly abandoned its responsibility to its occupied people. This does not make them unoccupied, it just means Israel is in violation of its obligations. In addition to everything else it's in violation of, in regard to Palestinians.

[shira]

5. So no outrage about Palestinian shields used by Hamas, nice. n/t

[King_David]

6. ICC ?

[Historic NY]

27. I don't have a dog in this fight but I can post...

pictures of the damage thats been done day in and day out of rockets landing in apt buildings in Israel. Some might say this is a "tit for tat" strategy but its not. I have a few business associates that live very near to Gaza Strip...imagine coming home and not finding it. The apt. towers make easy targets. Israel will respond in most cases. I do know they sometimes use restraint.

Hamas knows Israel will respond with counter-battery fire to destroy the launching site thats why they sneak around to build them. They don't give a "rats ass" when they embed the rockets where innocent population live.

[Scootaloo]

8. Interestingly, the title does not reflect the content.

But then, this is the Daily Mail, so I don't blame you for not actually reading it Shira.

[Aerows]

10. You nearly owed me a new keyboard

[Mao Shung]

12. If people here

are going to make claims about international law, they need to give a citation. The current discourse is going something like

"It violates international law."
"No it doesn't."
"Actually, yes it does."
"Actually, no it doesn't."
"Yes it does."

[Larkspur]

28. Hello! Hamas is not composed of Martians

They LIVE in Gaza, which is one of the most overpopulated places on this planet.

So it's not surprising that they would use civilian buildings as they do not have an official army because Palestine is not an official sovereign nation. I'm sure the I.R.A. used some civilian buildings in its fight against the British and extremist Protestant paramilitary groups. Yet the British, who were not angels in this fight, did not bomb Catholic neighborhoods into rubble and call it "mowing the lawn". Nor did they send MI6 to assassinate Americans donating to the I.R.A..

Gaza may not be currently occupied by Israel, but Israel still oppresses the Palestinians living there with their blockade.

[oberliner]

30. "one of the most overpopulated places on this planet. "

Another myth that gets repeated over and over.

Gaza City is overpopulated - the rest of Gaza, not so much.

There are plenty of open areas from which to launch attacks.

Though why anyone would think it was a productive idea to launch rockets at Israeli civilians is beyond me.