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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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March 16th,
2009 - International Justice Experts Call for War Crimes Inquiry of Israel |
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International Justice
Experts Call for War Crimes Inquiry of Israel By Luis Ramirez Voice of America March 16, 2009 A group of prominent
international war crimes experts is calling for an inquiry into the behavior
of Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups during the Jewish state's
recent offensive in Gaza. The group signing the open
letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N. Security Council
includes Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Richard Goldstone, a
former chief prosecutor in Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The letter urges the
establishment of a U.N. commission to look into allegations that
international humanitarian law was violated, by both sides, during the 23-day
offensive. It calls for a prompt, impartial investigation that would set the
record straight and make public any violation of international laws. The attack, in which Israel
targeted militants who have been firing rockets at civilian areas in Israel,
killed an estimated 1,300 people, many of them civilians, in Gaza. The 16 judges and
investigators include others who have led investigations in East Timor,
Lebanon, Sierra Leone, and Darfur. The letter said they were "shocked to
the core" by events in Gaza. Israeli forces have come
under criticism for their use of white phosphorus during their campaign in
the densely-populated enclave. When asked about the open
letter, Israeli Prime Minister's office spokesman Mark Regev repeated
Israel's assertions that its military followed all the international rules of
conflict. "We made every effort
not to target innocent civilians," said Regev. "On the contrary, we
tried to be as surgical as is humanly possible in a difficult combat
situation targeting those Hamas extremists who are shooting rockets into
Israel, trying to kill our citizens." The letter came as Israel
steps up indirect negotiations with Hamas to reopen Gaza's Israeli-controlled
borders and reach a formal truce. The militant Islamist group that controls
Gaza wants Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange
for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was seized by Palestinian militants
and taken to Gaza in 2006. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
Cabinet has rescheduled a meeting to discuss the matter on Tuesday. Mr. Olmert is due to leave
office soon. Members of his centrist government have warned Hamas it may be
the group's last chance to secure concessions before a harder-line government
under hawkish former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to power. Officials with Mr.
Netanyahu's Likud party say it has initialed a deal for the ultranationalist
Israel Beitenu Party to join a Likud-led coalition - putting them one step
closer to forming a new government. External link: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-16-voa20.cfm |