Hamas accuses Israel of trying to evade int’l court over war crimes
Posted by alejandro on 02 Feb 2010 | 1 comment
Gaza Strip-ruling Islamic Hamas movement accused Israel on Monday of trying to evade from taking its leaders to international courts for committing war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that punishing two senior Israeli army officers for targeting civilians during the latest Israeli war on the Gaza Strip is “a pre-emptive action to escape from the international court.”
“The Israeli move came before the adjournment of the findings in the fact-finding Goldstone report to the (United Nations) Security Council, which will be later taken to the International Criminal Court,” said Barhoum.
He said the Israeli claim of punishing two senior Israeli army officers for committing war crimes against civilians in the Gaza Strip “is a clear evidence and official recognition of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli media earlier on Monday reported that the Israeli army commander of southern Israel had reprimanded two officers for attacking civilians’ areas in Gaza. The reports didn’t give what kind of punishment it was.
Israel waged last winter the 22-day military operation called ” Cast Lead” in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 1,440 Palestinians, 70 percent of them civilians, according to Palestinians.
Barhoum called on the international community and the human rights groups “to enhance taking the leaders of the enemy to International Criminal Court and sue them for committing awful war crimes against innocent civilians.”
Meanwhile, Ismail Radwan, a Gaza-based Hamas leader told Xinhua that “the leaders of the Israeli occupation must be taken to International Criminal Courts for committing awful war crimes against innocent civilians.”
“The Israeli punishment of the two officers is certifying what has been mentioned in the Goldstone report that massacres had been committed against women and children,” said Radwan.
In November, the UN General Assembly endorsed the UN fact- finding Goldstone report that accused both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes and asked the two sides to conduct independent probes of the charges before Feb. 5.
source: Xinhua
Hamas is embedded amongst the citizens of Gaza because they represent the aspirations of a significant group of voters. They are not nice people and they have worse friends. But does this piece mean that Israel is also going to be robust with its own extremists � not just a few high profile evacuations but denying presence in the political system where the parties are placed by the effects of proportional representation to block any moves towards the right of return and return to the borders of 1948?
The way forward is only one of two options the best of which is to desist in the creation of a neo apartheid state based on �religion� and follow the Balkans principle of federation within a single federal structure based on democracy and human rights. It was only after the holocaust that the Zionists were able to turn the tragedy to their advantage but we must now live with that by placing new decisions on modern principles that respect the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, when Israel asks; �what else can we do?�, the answer is clear but no has the courage to put it to those offering themselves for interview: �cease the blockade, stop state inspired murder by drones, snipers, and involving the young soldiers who are becoming dehumanised insofar as their approach to the Palestinians is concerned, restore human rights and the opportunities for dignity amongst the Palestinians, allow supplies by sea and respect the partners at the two borders � Jordan and Egypt.
Given some support Gaza could become a new Beirut as the talents and skills of the Palestinians are allowed to flower. The fact is that the War on Terror cannot even begin to be fought until we in the West recapture the high moral ground and our unthinking support of Israel � even allowing them to do just what Mugabe does � ban the press and imprison the opposition, even kidnap from EU countries � would never be allowed were it not for the old standby that to oppose Israeli brutal and human rights offences carries the automatic sobriquet of anti Semitism.
regards,
Matt John
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rings
05:51 AM on 17 February 2010