Wednesday 16 September 2009

International Criminal Court Beckons For Israel

Anyone who knows me, knows also that i don't think much of Israel. Not the country but the people who run it and the way they conduct their affairs. To some with no real argument, that makes me an anti-Semite, that handy, overly used catch-all phrase bandied about with abandon to try and dampen any criticism of Israel.
Of course that's a woefully weak argument but it doesn't stop it being thrown around. So be it, when a country acts badly, whoever it is, it should be condemned. When a country continually acts badly, it should be continually condemned and the International Community should act with the United Nations leading the way.
At long last, they have held up Israel for what it is, a country run by bullying, murderous leaders willfully conducting war crimes against its neighbour.
A damning UN inquiry into January's war in Gaza has found evidence that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both Israel and Hamas but the most scathing remarks were reserved for the Israeli Government.
The inquiry looked not only at the war but at the months before and after the conflict and accuses Israel of many violations of international law. It says Israel is guilty of a crime against humanity in its policies towards the Palestinian people.
It has invited the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for human rights and war crimes violations and urged countries to prosecute those responsible on both sides if they set foot in any country signed up to the Geneva conventions.
It recommended that the UN security council should require Israel to investigate the allegations raised, including the use of Palestinians as human shields, deliberate bombing of civilian houses and UN buildings and targeting innocent civilians and if it failed to do so within six months the case passed to the prosecutor of the international criminal court. Each country that is a signatory of the Geneva conventions had a duty to prosecute those responsible, it said.
The inquiry rejected Israel's argument that the war was a response to Palestinian rocket fire and therefore an act of self-defence. Instead, it found the war was "a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population". Israeli actions depriving Gazans of means of subsistence, employment, housing and water, and denying their freedom of movement "could lead a competent court to find that crimes against humanity, had been committed", it said.
The inquiry also condemned Hamas, saying that Palestinian rocket attacks did not distinguish between civilian and military targets, caused terror among Israeli civilians and "would constitute war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity".
Israel refused to cooperate in the inquiry and responded to the accusations by issuing a statement that read: "The mandate was biased from the beginning and it would have been a mistake to give credibility to a mission that has more in common with a kangaroo court than it does with a serious investigation".
The UN have presented the evidence and found Israel to be on a par with Hamas in its behaviour.
The same Hamas that are widely condemned, shunned and boycotted. A fate that would befall any country with such a scathing UN report against its name and hopefully, now that Israel have been called out as run by war criminals and human right abusers, the World will wake up to and treat them the same as it does to the war criminals and human right abusers that run Gaza.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lucy,

the same logic that is used to label you anti-Semite is used in the USA to label people racist.

the democrats (including former president jimmy carter) label all crtitics of obama racist.

further, in the USA if you are critical of policies or legislation proposed by the dems you are labeled racist.

further yet, the dems say that calling their policies and obama socialist is over the top and unheard of in america - they must have the memory of a goldfish (3 seconds) - remember all the comments from dems comparing W and chaney to hitler? remember the dems calling W a racist after huricane katrina? i do...

now, i happen to think you are an anti-semite, because you can't be against the leaders and be for the people unless the people are subjugated by the government. the people of israel and they have picked their leaders with their votes... just like in the USA when W said to invade iraq and 434 of 435 congresspeople and all 100 senators voted to approve...

q

Falling on a bruise said...

Following your logic Q, anyone who critizes India is attacking Hinduism.
All those shouting at Tony Blair were actually anti church of England. Sound silly doesn't it but that's exactly what you are saying.
It wouldn't matter if Israel is a Jewish, Muslim or Shinto country,
when it is in the wrong it deserves to be condemned same as everywhere else. To try and
cover up its wrongdoings by shouting anti-semite loudly at everyone just damages itself further amd dilutes it for when a real one comes along.

Cheezy said...

Is that you, Mark? Great to see you again! :)

Falling on a bruise said...

Can't be Mark, he would of ranted on for 500 words at least.