Russell Tribunal - Israeli officials appear to have been guilty of Incitement to Genocide

In a special session of the Russell Tribunal held in Brussels on September 24, Israel’s military operation “Protective Edge” was critically scrutinized from the perspective of international law, including the core allegation of genocide.

Israel’s contested military operations targeted many legally forbidden targets, including UN buildings used as shelters, residential neighborhoods, hospitals and clinics, and mosques.

«In defense of these tactics, Israel claimed that rockets and ammunition were stored in these buildings and that Hamas rocket launchers were deliberately placed in the structures that had been singled out for attack. The evidence presented did not confirm these Israeli claims.»

The jury had little difficulty concluding that the pattern of attack, as well as the targeting, amounted to a series of war crimes that were aggravated by the commission of crimes against humanity, most centrally the imposition of a multi-faceted regime of collective punishment upon the entire civilian population of Gaza in flagrant and sustained violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

«A further notable legal finding was the rejection of the central Israel claim of acting in self-defense against rocket attacks directed at Israel.»

There were several reasons given for reaching this conclusion:

1. the claim of self-defense does not exist in relation to resistance mounted by an occupied people, and Gaza from the perspective of international law remains occupied due to Israeli persisting effective control despite Israel’s purported disengagement in 2005 (more properly characterized as a military redeployment);
   
2. the rockets fired from Gaza were partly at least in response to prior Israeli unlawful provocations, including the mass detention of several hundred persons loosely associated with Hamas in the West Bank and incitement to violence against Palestinians as revenge for the murder of the three kidnapped Israeli settler children;
   
3. and finally, the minimal damage done by the rockets, seven civilian deaths over the entire period, is too small a security threat to qualify as “an armed attack” as is required by the UN Charter to uphold a claim of self-defense.
   

At the same time, despite these mitigating factors, the jury did not doubt the unlawfulness of firing of numerous rockets into Israel that were incapable of distinguishing between military and civilian targets. This form of unlawful resistance was attributed to both Hamas and independent Palestinian militias operating within the Gaza Strip.

- In my personal view: pretty much the same happened, with the difference of disproportionate larger scale, for those Israelis bombs.

(..) there was a genocidal atmosphere in Israel in which high officials made statements supporting the destruction, elimination, and subjugation of Gazans as a people, and such inflammatory assertions were at no time repudiated by the Netanyahu leadership or subject to criminal investigation, let alone any legal proceedings

Furthermore, the sustained bombardment of Gaza under circumstances where the population had no opportunity to leave or to seek sanctuary within the Gaza Strip lent further credibility to the charge of genocide. The fact that Protective Edge was the third large-scale, sustained military assault on this unlawfully blockaded, impoverished, and endangered population,also formed part of the larger genocidal context.

yet perhaps most relevant consideration of all, Israel failed to exhaust diplomatic remedies before its recourse to force, as required by international law and the UN Charter. Israel had the option of lifting the blockade and exploring the prospects for long-term arrangements for peaceful co-existence that Hamas had proposed numerous times in recent years. Such initiatives were spurned by Israel on the ground that it would not deal with a terrorist organization.

Despite the incriminating weight of these factors, there were legal doubts as to the crime of genocide.

What the jury did agree upon, however, was that Israeli citizens, including officials, appear to have been guilty in several instances of the separate crime of Incitement to Genocide that is specified in Article 3(c) of the Genocide Convention.

It should be acknowledged that the UN Human Rights Council has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of war crimes associated with Protective Edge, but its report is not due for several months, Israel has indicated its unwillingness to cooperate with this official UN initiative, and it is almost certain that any findings of criminality and related recommendations will not be implemented due to the exercise of a geopolitical veto by the United States, and perhaps, other members of the Security Council.

The major task of the American or the Palestinian or the Israeli intellectual of the left is to reveal the disparity between the so-called two sides, which appear to be rhetorically and ideologically to be in perfect balance, but are not in fact. To reveal that there is an oppressed and an oppressor, a victim and a victimizer, and unless we recognize that, we’re nowhere.

“Edward Said”, in an interview with Bruce Robbins, published in Social Text (1998)

Did Israel Commit Genocide in Gaza?
In my opinion it did and it will go on committing genocidal acts if we stay in silence. At some point, I hope, the world stands against these acts and formally and legally condemn them in the International Criminal Court.

All this means nothing because they are jews and any criticism is automatically anti Semitic.
On a darker note. isn't it incredible how you really DO become the monster you were hiding from.
I don't think anything will change in terms of Israel's attitude, especially as long as the US is giving them all that cash to tip the scale in their favor

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse
What you just said is so true! Look at this late thread:
US Restocks Israel's Ammunition Supplies Hours After Condemning Attack On A UN School In Gaza
wow... amazing!!

The vital thing is that no one will face a War Crimes Trial...

No matter how much we advocate, or protest for such actions...

At the end of the day, The State Of Israel is currently above the Law...
& I can't see anything changing that!

a reply to: voyger2
So, they bomb/shoot a school...and then turn to america and say "please give us more ammo?" and the us originally condemned the act? that's just...wow.
I had not read about this, so thank you for the heads up.
All of this for a vague connection to a tribe that once was walking around looking for their holy land?
You would think that if that actually was the promised land, God would have shown up to tell them so, just like he instructed them to look for it in the first place :/
As Tom waits said in his song "road to peace"

The fundamentalist killing on both sides is standing in the path of peace
But tell me why are we arming the Israeli army with guns and tanks and bullets?
And if God is great and God is good why can't he change the hearts of men?
Well maybe God himself is lost and needs help
Maybe God himself he needs all of our help
Maybe God himself is lost and needs help
He's out upon the road to peace

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse

But yet, Palestinians are Semitic - as are all middle easterners.

a reply to: hurdygurdy

Not in the deluded mind of a Zionist...

They're Goyim... Just like us!

a reply to: CharlieSpeirs

Your point, unfortunately, is not far from the truth.
We can clearly see who is the Abuser/Criminal/Terrorist and the Abused/Victim because of the following:

(..) the realities of the world are such that prosecution will be impossible as Israel is not a party to the treaty establishing the ICC-International Criminal Court and would certainly refuse to honor any arrest warrants issued in The Hague, and no trial could be held without the physical presence of those accused.
(..)
It is notable that Hamas has joined in urging recourse to the ICC despite facing the distinct possibility that allegations against its launch of rockets would also be investigated and its officials indicted for its alleged war crimes.

The above says a lot about who's got everything to loose/fear...

a reply to: voyger2

It is unfortunate my friend.

It's a heartbreaking situation in which Zionism is allowed to flourish without scrutiny...
One day we will see a change...
Probably not in my lifetime though & I'm only 27...

Israel is currently untouchable & that is wrong, immoral... & illegal!!!
But the UK & US are cowardly when it comes to criticising TSOI!!!

The US, the UK, and other Western powers do the same thing. When we went into Iraq in 2003 for no good reason at all millions died and were displaced but that's A-OK. When ISIS beheads a few journalists they are disgusting monsters. Apparently high tech weaponry and the authority of TPTB make you immune to being a murderer. America is learning that slowly through police brutality. They are learning far too slowly though.

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse




Two Types of Virulent Anti-Semitism

Jewish student caught painting Swastikas on her own door

Jewish man accused of writing “antisemitic” messages

Two Jewish Terrorists arrested


Five Jews Arrested for Painting Swastikas on Israel Consulate (even back in 1963):
www.jta.org...

Faking “antisemitism”

originally posted by: IShotMyLastMuse
All this means nothing because....

It means nothing because of the tribunal itself, what composes it, along with the complete and total lack of jurisdiction.

I would stick to the ICC / UN. At least there something could happen towards both, Israel and Hamas. Each time they have one of these back and forth both sides are investigated and both sides are observed to have broken international law.

a reply to: voyger2

Israel needs to open it's borders and when they start with the suicide bombers and rocket attacks then Israel just needs to decimate the entire gaza strip that would put an end to this nonsense.

a reply to: guitarplayer

Wait! Are you talking about these "old" israeli terrorists:
Lets revisit the birth of IDF and Likud government Who were the Haganah?

Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization (..) which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.(..)
In 1931, the more militant elements of the Haganah splintered off and formed the Irgun Tsva'i-Leumi, better known as "Irgun"

And the Irgun? Who were they?

The Irgun has been viewed as a terrorist organization or organization which carried out terrorist acts. In particular the Irgun was branded a terrorist organisation by Britain, the 1946 Zionist Congress[6] and the Jewish Agency. The Irgun believed that any means necessary to establish the Jewish State of Israel, including terrorism, was justifiable.

The Irgun was a political predecessor to Israel's right-wing Herut (or "Freedom") party, which led to today's Likud party. Likud has led or been part of most Israeli governments since 1977.

Now, let's see what the Moshe Sharett, Israeli's first Foreign Minister from 1948-1956, and Prime Minister from 1954-1956, thought at the time:

"The state of Israel must invent dangers, and to do this it must adopt the methods of provocation and revenge... And above all, let us hope for a new war with the Arab countries so that we may finally get rid of our troubles and acquire our space."

Or perhaps the "modern" israeli terrorists:
The anticipation of their plan on the Israeli Times

source
THE PLAN:
THE PLAN for Genocide from Moshe Feiglin, the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and a member of the governing Likud party. (there multiple verifiable sources here.

Don't forget the FIRING ZONE 918 (and many, many more)

“Israel has many different ways to make life very hard for Palestinians so that they will be driven off their land,” said Dror Etkes, an Israeli expert on the settlements. “But the firing zones are the number one method.”

you can read the detail about it:Zionist Harassment

originally posted by: guitarplayer
a reply to: voyger2
(..) Israel just needs to decimate the entire gaza strip that would put an end to this nonsense.

And what about the opposite, with you in it?

a reply to: voyger2

Israel should never have given back any territory they won in the 6 day war. They should of march right into Egypt and Jordan then this bs would of ended then.

originally posted by: guitarplayer
a reply to: voyger2

Israel needs to open it's borders and when they start with the suicide bombers and rocket attacks then Israel just needs to decimate the entire gaza strip that would put an end to this nonsense.

Seeing how Israel is acting like Nazi Germany they may as well go all the way huh? How dare an occupied people try to fight their occupiers.

originally posted by: guitarplayer

a reply to: voyger2

Israel should never have given back any territory they won in the 6 day war. They should of march right into Egypt and Jordan then this bs would of ended then.

They had to give it back because stealing land by force is against international law. I forgot Israel is above the law right?

a reply to: buster2010

Maybe they should have though first before trying to invade and wipe Israel off the map.. In case you forgot, and me thinks you have, Israel returned territory captured in exchange for recognition of Israel and a peace treaty.

That included the Golan heights, which Syria refused.
The Sinai was returned to Egypt in exchange for recognition and a peace treaty.
Jordan signed a peace treaty and recognized Israel. The West Bank was left under Israeli control with the caveat it be used as part of a Palestinian state.
Gaza was the same...

An independent state is not going to happen when the group controlling is Hamas, whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel.

There have been multiple times where Palestine could have been its own independent state. Several Arab nations who hate Israel saw to it that never occurred.

Has it ever occurred to you that there might be an independent Palestinian state had Hamas not been trying to kill every Israeli they come across?

You guys blame Israel while ignoring the other parties involved. It takes 2 to tango.

a reply to: Xcathdra

The very fundamental issue in dispute is theft of land by the israelis in 1948, with the support of US and UK. Before that, people (don't care if palestinians, monkeys or bananas) worked and lived their. Where they had roots, houses, propriety's/land. Something that didn't happen for "colonizers/occupiers" shipped from Europe at the time.

Palestinians/locals didn't participate in WW2 or even massacred any Jew in Europe. But yet, that didn't stop the THEFT OF LAND. It's on going even Now!

You could defend and claim all you want in favor of the Israelis! But never forget this: Those people ARE Thefts and Terrorists, it will be known for History. They used and abused from their "victim" status to occupy, steal, imprison and murder the natives making them victims of the victims. All of that with weapons, money and political support of "western" powers.

Israelis are a racist people, that applies different laws for the jews and non-jews in his own state.

Peace will be an illusion until justice has been maid with the return of stolen land, in agreement at least with UN-partition plan, in my opinion.

Everyone haves the right to defend themselves from any kind of abuser/occupier empowered by western countries, in money and weapons.

I don't blame any kind of resistance. I blame the occupiers and abusers with the power!!

The major task of the American or the Palestinian or the Israeli intellectual of the left is to reveal the disparity between the so-called two sides, which appear to be rhetorically and ideologically to be in perfect balance, but are not in fact. To reveal that there is an oppressed and an oppressor, a victim and a victimizer, and unless we recognize that, we’re nowhere.

“Edward Said”, in an interview with Bruce Robbins, published in Social Text (1998)

The Sabra and Shatila massacre was the slaughter of between 762 and 3,500 civilians, mostly Palestinians and Lebanese Shiites.

Massacre_of_palestinians_in_shatila

In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon with the intention of rooting out the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). By mid-1982, under the supervision of the Multinational Force the PLO withdrew from Lebanon following weeks of battles in West Beirut and shortly before the massacre took place.

Various forces — Israeli, Christian Phalangists and possibly also the South Lebanon Army (SLA) — were in the vicinity of Sabra and Shatila at the time of the slaughter, taking advantage of the fact that the Multinational Force had removed barracks and mines that had encircled Beirut's Muslim neighborhoods and kept the Israelis at bay during the Beirut siege.

The Israeli advance over West Beirut in the wake of the PLO withdrawal, which enabled the Phalangist raid, was considered a violation of the ceasefire agreement between the various forces. The Israel Defense Forces surrounded Sabra and Shatila and stationed troops at the exits of the area to prevent camp residents from leaving and, at the Phalangists' request, fired illuminating flares at night.

The direct perpetrators of the killings were the "Young Men", a gang recruited by Elie Hobeika, the Lebanese Forces intelligence chief and liaison officer with Mossad, from men who had been expelled from the Lebanese Forces for insubordination or criminal activities.

Robert Maroun Hatem, Elie Hobeika's bodyguard, stated in his book From Israel to Damascus that Hobeika ordered the massacre of civilians in defiance of Israeli instructions to behave like a "dignified" army.

Hobeika was assassinated by a car bomb in Beirut on 24 January 2002. Lebanese and Arab commentators blamed Israel for the murder of Hobeika, with alleged Israeli motive that Hobeika would be ‘apparently poised to testify before the Belgian court about Sharon’s role in the massacre. Prior to his assassination, Elie Hobeika had stated "I am very interested that the [Belgian] trial starts because my innocence is a core issue."

On 16 December 1982, the United Nations General Assembly condemned the massacre and declared it to be an act of genocide.