quote:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has accused Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas of committing war crimes during the conflict in Gaza in January that killed more than 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

In a 117-page report Amnesty charges Israeli forces with killing hundreds of unarmed Palestinian civilians and of wanton destruction of thousands of homes.

It found no evidence of Palestinian militants using human shields but accused the Israel Defence Forces of launching attacks from buildings in which Palestinian civilians were sheltering. Amnesty also accused Israel of failing properly to investigate its actions during the conflict.

Israel launched the three-week offensive, Operation Cast Lead, to weaken Hamas and end the almost-daily rocket attacks on southern Israel.

Since 2003 more than 10,000 rockets have been fired at Israeli civilian targets, killing more than 20 people.

Donatella Rovera, who headed Amnesty's investigation, said Israel's failure to have a proper investigation and its continuing refusal to co-operate with the United Nations' fact-finding mission was evidence of its intention to avoid public accountability.

The report documented Israel's use of battlefield weapons against civilians who had no escape and described the scale and intensity of the attacks as unprecedented. "The deaths of so many children and other civilians cannot be dismissed simply as 'collateral damage', as argued by Israel," Ms Rovera said.

"For its part, Hamas has continued to justify the rocket attacks launched daily by its fighters and other Palestinian armed groups into towns and villages in southern Israel … Though less lethal, these attacks, using unguided rockets which cannot be directed at specific targets, violated international humanitarian law and cannot be justified under any circumstance."

The IDF responded that the report was unbalanced and displayed a twisted interpretation of the laws of war. It ignored efforts to limit harm to those who were not involved in the fighting.

quote:

Amnesty International places blame on both sides in Gaza conflict
Amnesty International, a London-based human rights group, released a report today accusing Israel of "wanton destruction" and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas of "war crimes," each committed during the 22 violent days last December in the Gaza Strip.

But both Israel and Hamas deny the claims and are shouting, yet again, about why the other side didn't receive more of a rebuke for the atrocities committed.

Said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, "Things presented as facts are untrue and have no connection to reality." He was most likely referring to the high death toll the report cited and the judgment that Israel's attacks could not "be justified on grounds of military necessity."

On the other side, Hamas rejected the report because it did not chastise the Israeli military enough for the actions it committed against Palestine.

The report, as with the United Nations' inquiry that is currently gathering evidence on the conflict, sought to dispel the myths and rumors that have added to already high tensions in the region, particularly the assertion that Hamas used Palestinian civilians as human shields (a claim the report said had no basis in fact). Instead, the report said Israeli soldiers effectively turned Palestinians into human shields by forcing them to stay in the homes that soldiers used as makeshift military bases.

As with any dispute between Palestinians and Israelis, there was no admission of shared fault, no statement that "we both committed war crimes, killed civilians and launched rockets across borders." That seems hard to contest, yet each side tried its best to do so -- as it always does. A microcosm of the larger conflict, the reactions to the report show why no progress is being made, and why this event will leave a scar on the relationship for years to come.

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ORIGINAL: viewingthesite11

Why do you liberals persist on siding with the enemy? Who gives a shit what isreal does to the palistanians. They are not our friends (palistine); they are our enemy. Sometimes I wonder if the average American truly understand war and politics for what it is. Let me explain it to you in short; IT'S ALL ABOUT UPLIFTING AND MAINTAINING YOUR OWN POSESSION AND TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL(S). IF THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO SACRAFICE A FEW THAN SO BE IT. Quote from Napolean Bonaparte "poltics has no heart."   

end of rat

quote:

ORIGINAL: viewingthesite11

Why do you liberals persist on siding with the enemy? Who gives a shit what isreal does to the palistanians. They are not our friends (palistine); they are our enemy. Sometimes I wonder if the average American truly understand war and politics for what it is. Let me explain it to you in short; IT'S ALL ABOUT UPLIFTING AND MAINTAINING YOUR OWN POSESSION AND TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL(S). IF THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO SACRAFICE A FEW THAN SO BE IT. Quote from Napolean Bonaparte "poltics has no heart."   

end of rat

quote:

ORIGINAL: KaineD
People will continue to baselessly claim that the Palestinians used human shields and therefore have little regard for human life and therefore Israel is justified in doing whatever it takes to stop them.

quote:

The patterns of attacks and statements by members and leaders of Palestinian groups also indicate that they have no qualms about launching attacks against civilians and that they in fact carry out such attacks intending to kill and injure Israeli civilians. Such attacks
constitute war crimes.

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: KaineD
People will continue to baselessly claim that the Palestinians used human shields and therefore have little regard for human life and therefore Israel is justified in doing whatever it takes to stop them.

From the AI report (about the events that lead up to Cast Lead):

quote:

The patterns of attacks and statements by members and leaders of Palestinian groups also indicate that they have no qualms about launching attacks against civilians and that they in fact carry out such attacks intending to kill and injure Israeli civilians. Such attacks
constitute war crimes.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf
So not baseless.

Furthermore after reading the relevant sections of the report I'm troubled by the double standard applied. The IDF is condemned for launching attacks from buildings still occupied by civilians while Hamas is excused for doing the same thing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: KaineD

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: KaineD
People will continue to baselessly claim that the Palestinians used human shields and therefore have little regard for human life and therefore Israel is justified in doing whatever it takes to stop them.

From the AI report (about the events that lead up to Cast Lead):

quote:

The patterns of attacks and statements by members and leaders of Palestinian groups also indicate that they have no qualms about launching attacks against civilians and that they in fact carry out such attacks intending to kill and injure Israeli civilians. Such attacks
constitute war crimes.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf
So not baseless.

Furthermore after reading the relevant sections of the report I'm troubled by the double standard applied. The IDF is condemned for launching attacks from buildings still occupied by civilians while Hamas is excused for doing the same thing.

Sorry, where in the report does it say that Hamas used human shields?

We know that Hamas have attacked Israeli civilians, that's never been in dispute. But the report does not state that Hamas has used human shields.

quote:

ORIGINAL: viewingthesite11

Why do you liberals persist on siding with the enemy? Who gives a shit what isreal does to the palistanians. They are not our friends (palistine); they are our enemy. Sometimes I wonder if the average American truly understand war and politics for what it is. Let me explain it to you in short; IT'S ALL ABOUT UPLIFTING AND MAINTAINING YOUR OWN POSESSION AND TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL(S). IF THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO SACRAFICE A FEW THAN SO BE IT. Quote from Napolean Bonaparte "poltics has no heart."   

end of rat

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: viewingthesite11

Why do you liberals persist on siding with the enemy? Who gives a shit what isreal does to the palistanians. They are not our friends (palistine); they are our enemy. Sometimes I wonder if the average American truly understand war and politics for what it is. Let me explain it to you in short; IT'S ALL ABOUT UPLIFTING AND MAINTAINING YOUR OWN POSESSION AND TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL(S). IF THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO SACRAFICE A FEW THAN SO BE IT. Quote from Napolean Bonaparte "poltics has no heart."   

end of rat

Good to see the unending lies of conservatives goes on.

You won't find many Americans more liberal than I and I support the Israelis and have very little sympathy for the Palestinians.

quote:

ORIGINAL: viewingthesite11

end of rat

quote:

ORIGINAL: KaineD

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: KaineD
People will continue to baselessly claim that the Palestinians used human shields and therefore have little regard for human life and therefore Israel is justified in doing whatever it takes to stop them.

From the AI report (about the events that lead up to Cast Lead):

quote:

The patterns of attacks and statements by members and leaders of Palestinian groups also indicate that they have no qualms about launching attacks against civilians and that they in fact carry out such attacks intending to kill and injure Israeli civilians. Such attacks
constitute war crimes.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/015/2009/en/8f299083-9a74-4853-860f-0563725e633a/mde150152009en.pdf
So not baseless.

Furthermore after reading the relevant sections of the report I'm troubled by the double standard applied. The IDF is condemned for launching attacks from buildings still occupied by civilians while Hamas is excused for doing the same thing.

Sorry, where in the report does it say that Hamas used human shields?

We know that Hamas have attacked Israeli civilians, that's never been in dispute. But the report does not state that Hamas has used human shields.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MissSepphora1

Not trying to excuse the palestinians, because i hate them, but aren't all israelis, even the chicks, required to serve in the army?

quote:

Wiki

Israel is unique among nations in conscripting women, and assigns some drafted women to infantry combatant service which places them directly in the line of enemy fire. However, approximately one third of female conscripts (more than double the figure for men) are exempted, mainly for religious and nuptial reasons.
Following their active service, women, like men, are in theory required to serve up to one month annually in reserve duty. However, in practice only some women in combat roles get called for active reserve, and only for a few years following their active service, with many exit points (e.g., pregnancy).

quote:

ORIGINAL: kittinSol

quote:

Wiki

Israel is unique among nations in conscripting women, and assigns some drafted women to infantry combatant service which places them directly in the line of enemy fire. However, approximately one third of female conscripts (more than double the figure for men) are exempted, mainly for religious and nuptial reasons.
Following their active service, women, like men, are in theory required to serve up to one month annually in reserve duty. However, in practice only some women in combat roles get called for active reserve, and only for a few years following their active service, with many exit points (e.g., pregnancy).

Is that a problem for you ?