Israel To Be Investigated For War Crimes.

The UN have called for an investigation into some actions taken by the IDF.After decades of breaching human rights of the Palestinian people on a large scale,will these calls come to fruition or will Israel get away with it once again?

Israel is facing growing demands from senior UN officials and human rights groups for an international war crimes investigation in Gaza over allegations such as the "reckless and indiscriminate" shelling of residential areas and use of Palestinian families as human shields by soldiers....

The UN's senior human rights body approved a resolution yesterday condemning the Israeli offensive for "massive violations of human rights". A senior UN source said the body's humanitarian agencies were compiling evidence of war crimes and passing it on to the "highest levels" to be used as seen fit.

Some human rights activists allege that the Israeli leadership gave an order to keep military casualties low no matter what cost to civilians. That strategy has directly contributed to one of the bloodiest Israeli assaults on the Palestinian territories, they say.

www.guardian.co.uk...

The Israeli military may have committed war crimes in Gaza, the UN's most senior human rights official said tonight, as Israeli troops pressed on with their increasingly deadly offensive in defiance of a UN security council resolution demanding a ceasefire.

Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, singled out the killing this week of up to 30 Palestinians in Zeitoun, south-east of Gaza City, when Israel shelled a house where its troops had told about 110 civilians to take shelter.

Pillay, a former international criminal court judge from South Africa, told the BBC the incident "appears to have all the elements of war crimes". She called for "credible, independent and transparent" investigations into possible violations of humanitarian law.

www.guardian.co.uk...


Related links.
www.guardian.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk...
www.antiwar.com...
www.truthout.org...


For those who will immediately jump to conclusions about my opinion.
Yes,I agree Hamas are guilty of war crimes too,and yes they too should be investigated/made to stand trial.

I hope they get what they deserve. Their actions are purely criminal! Who does that? Not even Saddam did such actions to the Kirds and he was a "tyrant".

I feel so sorry for the innocents imagine how they must fell with no where to go. Its truly shooting fish in a barrel!...

I love America! Even though we have our political criminal at least I don't have to worry about my sons school get bombed.

reply to post by DantesLost


How does Israel get away with it? Does anyone really think the UN has any power or ability to do anything? That place is nothing but small groups all biased over the other groups and it sits in a quagmire of ineffectiveness. The UN is a total joke, and we see this around the world where the UN does nothing in situations that are 1000x worst than Israel and Gaza. Anything the UN even tries to do they look to America to pay for it and execute it, so basically if America doesn’t do it ALL it does not get done even if by chance in a blue moon the UN actually agrees on some action.

It will certainly be interesting to see where this "investigation" goes.

The UN have faced obstruction from Israel again and again in their efforts to supply aid and safety.

In my view it's pretty obvious.

Israel did not allow a safe refuge for civilians, and that is a war crime.
The UN have stated over and over that Israel was not allowing civilians a place to shelter, and they would know, because the UN would be the ones to supply it with the help of Israel.

There is no question that an investigation would be a "formality" in this instance. But there is everything to suggest that nothing will happen, Israel will be allowed to murder unchallenged.

We'll see.

Originally posted by Xtrozero
reply to post by DantesLost

 

How does Israel get away with it? Does anyone really think the UN has any power or ability to do anything?

Of course they are getting away with it. Although we'd welcome them happily here in The Hague, as long as the US is as powerful as it is, Israel will be allowed to be above the law. From no other country, this behavior would be accepted. It's not gonna take many more years for the US economy to collapse. Then Israel will lose its only friend and we might hope, they will start abiding to the law.

Moreover, America is full of evangelists or Christian extremists who want the temple to be rebuild. They have more power then some think. Not to speak of the Israeli lobby that successfully controls the mainstream media of America and hence, the public opinion. One Israeli soldier rightfully said: Israel's most important weapon is the American public opinion.

The second most important weapon is the Holocaust. Europe doesn't pressure Israel because of the Holocaust. Ever seen Germans speaking on this issue? If they already do, they support Israel since they are too frightened to be named Nazi's again. That doesn't apply for Germany, but for the whole of Europe.

This guy is very right:

Source

All is compared to the Shoah, dwarfed by the Shoah and therefore all is allowed – be it fences , sieges ... curfews, food and water deprivation or unexplained killings. All is permitted because we have been through the Shoah and you will not tell us how to behave."

And don't dear calling him a Zionist hater, he's been the head of the World Zionist Organization and a much respected politician in Israel.

reply to post by Xtrozero


The UN does so much more than people realize,and in areas where they are needed they always try to do something.

The problem is,the successes they have do not get the attention they deserve,which is why so many say they are a waste of time.

And instead of looking to see if it truly is a waste of time most people just believe what they are told.I believe the term for such people is,sheeple.


Some of their many successes can be found here.
www.un.org...


[edit on 17-1-2009 by DantesLost]

Is this a joke?

We have more human rights violations in a few African countries that have been performed in the past five years, than Israel could pull off in the next fifty - if they concentrated on that task full time.

A lot of wishful thinking by Muslims.

Who will continue to stir the pot against Israel, and yet again, to no avail.

Maybe they need to line up and all attack Israel at one time . . .

dooper.

That's true,but the conflicts in Africa do not come with the threat of another world war,troubles in the Middle East do and therefore need to be the priority.

The UN should be investigating the crimes that Hamas pulls on Israel every stink'n day - 8,000 rockets rained down upon Israel with the intent to mass murder civilians.

While they are at it - the UN can go investigate and expose the fact that slavery is still rampent in the world. In Africa and in S.E. Asia especially.

Heck ... maybe we could even get them to actually admit that China is up to it's eyeballs in human rights abuses - especially of Christians.

Perhaps they could go after IRAN for having a gov't policy to stone to death homosexuals - just for being homosexual.

Maybe they will actually do something for once.... nah!

The UN ... a political corrupt nightmare ... BAH!

Much of what they try to do is blocked by the US veto . It is more than apparent that the US is not an unbiased arbitrator, it's so called role of world's policeman is an outdated and dangerous misconception . It actually represents only a fringe zionist agenda , but by virtue of the power these people wield over the US , we see that agenda manifest itself on to the world stage out of all proportion to the tiny minority of people it represents.

I doubt the usa will be free of any such control in the near future , so hopefully , with a new world equilibrium in which we see a diminishing role for the US , we in Europe may forge new alliances with Russia and Asia that somehow offsets this unrepresentative zionist dictate foistered upon us by the US and it's controlling partner , Israel.

The UN is simply a stage for yapping dogs to bark. Impotent, the UN originates from a noble idea. And like all noble ideas, it doesn't work.

You can bet your last coin that each and every country in the UN will follow its own selfish interests, each and every time.

As an American, I wish the US would get out of the UN and let everyone go home. It's a waste of money, a waste of time, and a waste of breath.

Normally when you sit at the head of the table in your own house, the porch dogs must remain under the porch, and the pot-licking dogs must remain quiet, and under the table.

But not with the UN. Every dog present is on the table barking in our faces, slurping our food, stepping in our plates, knocking over glasses, crapping on the tablecloth, or pissing on our legs.

UN determinations are as impotent as the League of Nations. They are meaningless. They are highly selective in the "troublesome" situations that they elect to address.

Like a cop who ignores a brutal beating and gang rape occurring across the street, and instead, electing to chase after a guy who was guilty of dropping a gum wrapper on the street.

FlyersFan.

The UN is tackling some of the things you mentioned

China is no longer in the top 10 countries of human rights violations.Which means they are going in the right direction.There are still major problems,but complete change doesn't happen over night.

They are also doing their best to fight the slave trade,which is a daunting task indeed.www.tiraspoltimes.com...

Just because you don't read about it in the press doesn't mean it isn't happening.

I think now that Bush is out of the picture, they might actually have to face some of these charges. In the past the US backed Israel on most of the war crimes so the UN was powerless. Lets hope Obama is a much better president, who actually has ethics and morals.

Here's where O'buma stands....

reply to post by FlyersFan

It is probably very foolish of me to get personal, and I apologise if I have over-stepped my bounds, but despite greatly differing from you on some very basic and fundemental points, I had tremendous respect for you before this situation in Gaza brought up a very different side of you. Is your only response to the atrocities being committed against innocent civilians "Yeah, but these other civilians here on the other side of the world aren't being treated that great, either"? If there is a shooting somewhere in Virginia, should we ignore it because people get shot at in Maryland everyday?


reply to post by dooper

Hey dooper!
How've you been? You never did get back to me about the source for the yellow-turbaned arabs! Anyhow, I'm somewhat awed and disturbed how you've categorised most of the world into "Sitting at the head" (which I assume is the US), and "porch dogs under the porch" and "pot-licking dogs under the table". You even got someone starring you for it. Hurrah!

reply to post by Obliterated


Ethics and morals have no place in the United States of America Corp. The Government of the USAC will continue to back Israel as long as it is within her best interests regardless of how it effects her own citizens and the citizens of the world.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
The UN should be investigating the crimes that Hamas pulls on Israel every stink'n day - 8,000 rockets rained down upon Israel with the intent to mass murder civilians.

What Hamas has been sending rockets?
I never heard of that?

I heard of this though
3.bp.blogspot.com...


Interesting eh?

8,000 little rockets sounds rather insignificant in comparison to the 100,000 cluster bombs which didn't detonate in Lebanon after Israels attack in 2006. I won't bother mentioning the rest of them. I think this pretty much says it all.