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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
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March 27th,
2009 - Did Israel Use White Phosphorous in Gaza Not as a Smokescreen […]? |
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Did Israel Use
White Phosphorous in Gaza Not as a Smokescreen But as an Incendiary Weapon? By Marian Houk American Chronicle March 27, 2009 Israel’s recent use of white
phosphorus bombs in densely populated areas of Gaza violated the rules of
war, according to a leading human rights organization. Human Rights Watch
said that even before its researchers were able to enter Gaza, they had
watched from adjacent perimeter areas in Israel as white phosphorus bombs
exploded in the air over densely-packed residential areas in the Gaza Strip. Human Rights Watch said that
Israeli troops began using white phosphorus in Gaza after the ground phase of
the military offensive started on January 3rd, a week into Operation Cast
Lead, and continued until the cease-fire two weeks later. The IDF was well aware of
the effects of white phosphorus and the extreme danger it poses to civilians,
Human Rights Watch said. According to the human rights group, if the IDF
actually intended to use white phosphorus for its obscurant effect, it could
only have done so lawfully in open areas, and not in downtown Gaza City, or
downtown Beit Lahiya. HRW said that far safer
alternatives are available - such as the very effective smoke artillery
manufactured in Israel, that does not burn. Ground-exploded white
phosphorous creates a much thicker and more effective smokescreen than shells
detonated in the air, the group said, but that was not the tactic Israeli
troops employed. Moreover, in the cases
documented by Human Rights Watch, there was no military necessity to create
smokescreens because there were no Israeli troops on the ground in those areas
at the time. Fred Abrahams, senior
emergencies researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in a press conference in
Jerusalem on Thursday that the evidence suggests the IDF intentionally used
white phosphorus in Gaza for its incendiary properties. "To us, the evidence
suggests that the purpose in some of these cases may have been not to create
a smokescreen, but to use white phosphorus specifically for its incendiary
effect. Do we know that for sure? No, we don’t. But, the evidence is
suggestive that they used it for incendiary purposes", Abrahams told
journalists. The HRW report stated that
"the repeated use of air-burst white phosphorus in populated areas …
reveals a pattern or policy of conduct rather than incidental or accidental
usage". These circumstances demand independent investigation, HRW said,
and - if warranted - the prosecution of all those responsible for war crimes. "The Israeli military
and government is repeatedly blaming Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza. Now,
do we have something to say about Hamas’ behavior in Gaza? Yes, we do… This
is the first in a series of reports we will be issuing. Its rocket attacks in
Israel which are a war crime. In the cases of this report, Hamas human
shielding we did not find, in these cases - in the six cases - we did not
find evidence of Hamas using civilians as human shields. Now, were they in
the area at the time of these attacks? In some cases, we believe they were,
and that is documented in the report. We state very clearly where we believe
Hamas was, and where it was not. The bottom line, and the crucial point, is
even if enemy forces - from the Israeli perspective, Hamas fighters - are in
the area, white phosphorus should not be used in civilian neighborhoods. And
that’s the bottom line”, Abrahams stated. The IDF issued a statement
after the release of HRW report, saying that it was nearing the completion of
its own investigation. It added that its use of white phosphorus had been
fully consistent with international humanitarian law. But, Abrams said, this shows
that the Israeli military has already drawn its conclusions before the
investigation was finished. "The IDF at first
denied repeatedly that white phosphorous was being used. Publicly and to the
media, they denied that it was being used. Then, faced with incontrovertible
evidence, photographs, that white phosphorus was being used, they
back-tracked, and they said, well all the weapons that we use in Gaza are in
compliance with international humanitarian law. And now, they tell us that
they’re opening an investigation. Well, quite frankly, we have a hard time
accepting that at face value". Abrahams also said that the
IDF "refused to give any details about the investigation, and these are
the questions we want answered about the investigation: Who’s leading it?
When will it be completed? What is the scope of the investigation? And, will
its findings be made public? We don’t have answers to any of those questions
... But, in fact, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t even matter, because the
statement yesterday concluded that the investigation already determined that
the white phosphorus use was ‘consistent with international humanitarian law’.
So the findings have already been made public". Israel continues to deny HRW
researchers access to Gaza through Israeli crossings, Abrahams said,
"and we can only conclude that this in an attempt to prevent us from
conducting our investigations". According to Abrahams,
"In our view, the Israeli military has been infected by a climate of
impunity, going back over since 2005, the Disengagement. There is an attitude
that soldiers can do what and how they want in Gaza, and this has had a
direct impact on civilian lives. It has caused civilians to die. That’s
because soldiers believe they can get away with what they want - no one is
watching. And that’s why investigations are so important, to break this
climate of impunity". External link: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/96192 |