Crimes of Israel

[Plato]

Israel's assault on the Gaza strip may be self-defense, but it is more than that. It involves serious violations of international law, including war crimes. The UN has a right to retaliate against an armed attack from another state. Israel had not suffered a large "armed attack" to be able to retaliate against the Hamas. The Palestinians have loosed thousands of bombs and other explosives into Israel, causing two dozen Israeli deaths. But is this enough of a reason to "retaliate"? They have caused 2,700 palestinian deaths, most of them innocent civilians, and have not given a single thought about what they were doing. In June 19, 2008, Israel and the Hamas signed a treaty of peace. Neither side has compiled perfectly. Israel refused to substantially ease the suffocating siege of Gaza imposed in June 2007. Hamas permitted sporadic rocket fire -- typically after Israel killed or seized Hamas members in the West Bank, where the truce did not apply. The rockets killed one Israeli. Israel broke that truce on November fourth, raiding the Gaza strip and killing a Palestinian. The Hamas continued the rocket barrage, but no one died. Israel cannot claim than their actions have been in self-defense, because it was provoked by them.





According to the Wall Street Journal:

An armed attack that is not justified by self-defense is a war of aggression. Under the Nuremberg Principles affirmed by U.N. Resolution 95, aggression is a crime against peace.

Israel seems to not know the difference between a military and non-military location or place. They have destroyed or attempted to destroy vital government buildings, police stations, and even a university. It is unknown to me at what scale they attacked these places. All I know is that they did. When non-military locations are targeted, civilians die. Killing innocents, even if they hate you but haven't made a move against you, is a crime that is almost unspeakable. Deliberate attacks on civilians that lack strict military necessity are war crimes. Israel's current international law violations come from a long path of abuse to the people of the Gaza strip. Even though Israel removed its troops from Gaza in 2005, they still patrolled and guarded the closest places to Gaza that is not Gaza. They denied the people of Gaza their rights, so we should deny them the long friendship the world has given them. We must pressure them to change their ways. We should give the Palestinians their rights if Israel will not. We should stand by the old but twisted friend. We will stand beside the one who protects our values and our ideals. Not doing so is contradicting ourselves in entirety.

Originally Posted by BBC.com News

Israel wants to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel and to stop Hamas smuggling weapons into Gaza via Egypt, while Hamas says any
ceasefire deal must include an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. More than 600 Palestinians are now believed to have been killed
since Israel began its offensive 11 days ago. Palestinian health ministry officials say at least 195 children are among those
killed.An Israeli attack on Tuesday on a UN-run school building, being used to shelter people who had fled their homes, killed 40 people,
UN officials say.

Killing children and innocent people is homicide. It must be stopped. Israel does not want reporters inside Gaza because they do not want the world to see what they are doing. By the time they are done, half of the Palestinians will be dead. We cannot and must not make this happen. They need to let reporters into Gaza so we can see what they are doing, but they won't. Why? I don't think many people know, but it is probably because they don't want the world siding with the people of Gaza until their dastardly deed is done, that is if they are doing things that terrible. Nothing coming from Gaza has been verified by anyone except the Israelis and United Nations officials. If it comes to the tipping point, Israel should be officially charged for serious violations of international law and war crimes.

Originally Posted by BBC.com News

However, if Israel continues to control the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and can choose to stop it at any time this seems unlikely to command the support of Hamas, our correspondent notes. Andrew Whitley of the UN relief agency Unwra told the BBC that any relief in the conditions of the people of Gaza could only be a good thing. "People have been weakened by 18 months of blockade and siege. They've been getting very little food, electricity or heat for a long time, and so they are in a very weakened condition," he said. Casualty claims in Gaza cannot be independently verified. Israel is refusing to let international journalists into Gaza, despite a supreme court ruling to allow a limited number of reporters to enter the territory.

[Patrick Henry]

Very nice thread, Plato. I would give you rep, but I must "spread it around". Very true. No one really likes to believe that humanity is destined to destroy itself, but when looking at examples like these, it really sets doubt into your mind, doesn't it?

[imb4u]

Yes-- all agree that the defense of their life as a country is a war crime. The next time someone robs you, rapes your wife & daughter steals your son and sells him into slavery, beats you till you need a new liver and bombs your home, as you recover in hospital you can lay in bed thinking how pleased you are with yourself because, thru not protecting your family (of, in the case at hand, your country Israel) you have a clear conscience and have turned the other cheek and did not debase yourself by acting aggressively towards the people who were attacking you.