Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
Добавлено: Вторник, 15 Сентябрь 2009, 21:26:22 Заголовок сообщения: Слушания в ООН
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1114780.html UN probe: Israel, Palestinians both guilty of Gaza war crimes
By Shlomo Shamir and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel news, United Nations
Both Israel and Palestinian militant groups committed war crimes and acts that were likely crimes against humanity during the fighting in the Gaza Strip earlier this year, a United Nations fact-finding mission concluded Tuesday.
In a 547-page report, the mission said both Israeli and Palestinian authorities must engage in "good faith, independent
roceedings" to investigate their own sides within six months, or the UN Security Council should refer the case to the International Criminal Court's prosecutor in The Hague.
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The mission was headed by the former chief prosecutor of the international courts for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Richard Goldstone,
and comprised three other experts in various fields, including international law and weapons.
"We live in a world today were there is accountability for war crimes," Goldstone said. "This is a very new situation."
Israel refused to cooperate with the mission because it regarded it as having biased instructions from the UN Human Rights Council, which it says has a track record of repeatedly singling out Israel for criticism and turning a blind eye to any Palestinian wrongdoing.
The foreign ministry in Jerusalem said it would "read the report carefully," and added that the military had already carried out investigations into over 100 cases of alleged abuse.
Goldstone said at a press conference that the Palestinians have not looked into their actions at all, and the report concluded that Israel to date "has not carried out any credible investigations into alleged violations."
The former South African justice cited longstanding ties to Israel and his Jewish background, calling allegations he was anti-Israel "ridiculous." He said the parties to the conflict stand to benefit from impartial investigations.
While the report - based on nearly 200 interviews and over 20,000 pages of documents and photos - determined that violations of international law had been committed, Goldstone declined to name individuals on either side, saying that was for a prosecutor to decide.
Israel, the mission wrote, should pay compensation to Palestinians who suffered losses or damages as a result of any unlawful actions by the military.
During the conflict, which started on 27 December 2008 and lasted three weeks, human-rights groups say approximately 1,400 Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians, along with Israeli fatalities of three civilians and 10 soldiers.
The mission believed the Israeli military operation was "directed at the people of Gaza as a whole" to "punish" the population. It cited incidents where food productions facilities, drinking water installations and other such sites were attacked, saying these might be "crimes against humanity."
The report also condemned the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which it deemed "collective punishment" that was part of a "systematic policy" to isolate the coastal territory.
Investigations, the report said, led the team to believe human shields were used in certain cases, hospitals were attacked and civilians were shot while carrying white flags.
On the other side, Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel constituted "war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity" as the militants failed to distinguish between civilians and soldiers, causing "terror."
In an aside, the report said Israel failed to protect its Arab citizens against the rocket fire in the same way that it protected its Jewish residents.
Israel has said the rocket fire from Gaza into its territory was the reason it launched the military operation and that it was not
aimed against the Palestinian population.
The report also noted internecine Palestinian violence during the war, including extra-judicial executions and arbitrary arrests.
Goldstone called on the militants to release Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured in 2006, and said Israel should cease holding Palestinian political prisoners.
The mission would present its report to the UN Human Rights Council later this month in Geneva, where a heated debate is expected.
The Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor earlier this month casted doubt as to the neutrality of the Goldstone Commission on Gaza.
Goldstone said in July he regards the mandate of the fact-finding mission as requiring an independent investigation into all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law during the IDF's 22-day offensive.
"The testimonies we have heard from victims and witnesses... have been very difficult to hear, but I believe it is important that we listen to these stories," said Goldstone.
In response to the report released on Tuesday, Israel's Foreign Ministry said it was "appalled and disappointed," particularly by the comparison of Hamas to Israel.
"The UN body has dealt a huge blow to governments seeking to defend their citizens from terror," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
Israel has opened an international campaign to protest a United Nations report which ruled it committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during its offensive on the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
The report, compiled by a commission headed by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accuses both Israel and the Palestinians of actions amounting to war crimes during the December 27-January 18 battle in the Hamas-ruled territory.
The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Israel was "appalled and disappointed" by the damning report. "The UN body has dealt a huge blow to governments seeking to defend their citizens from terror," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.
In particular, said Palmor, the commission's equation of Hamas to Israel in its 600 page report was "appalling and disappointing."
The Israeli campaign is aimed at preventing a discussion on the report in the United Nations Security Council.
Palmor said the report's conclusions were "so disconnected with realities on ground that one cannot but wonder on which planet was the Gaza Strip they visited."
President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are expected to appeal to foreign leaders starting on Wednesday for support on the matter.
"This is going to be a long legal and diplomatic operation," said a senior Israel official familiar with the report. "We'll get our friends across the world active, especially the United States, to prevent the isolation of Israel."
Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Gabriela Shalev, on Tuesday called the commission's findings even "harsher" than Israel could have imagined.
"We did not want to cooperate with the commission from the beginning, because its mandate has always been one-sided," said Shalev. "The Human Rights Council is known as a body constantly critical of Israel.
"We knew the report would be biased and one-sided, but did not anticipate that it would be so harsh," she added.
Shalev, a professor of law, said that Israel was committed to international law. She added that the Israel Defense Forces has already investigated more than 100 complaints of misconduct during Operation Cast Lead.
The Foreign Ministry reiterated Shalev's stance, saying: "Israel knew it could not cooperate with the committion, due to the one-sided mandate, which ignores the thousands of rockets Hamas fired at civilians in southern Israel - that which made the offensive on Gaza necessary.
"Israel is completely committed to acting in accordance with international law and investigate every claim of misconduct perpetrated by its forces," add the Foreign Ministry.
Following the report, nine Israeli human rights groups called on the government to conduct its own probe of the war.
"Human rights organizations in Israel believe that the State of Israel must conduct an independent and impartial investigation into these suspicions and to cooperate with an international monitoring mechanism that would guarantee both the independence of that investigation and the implementation of its conclusions," said the groups in a statement.
"The groups expect the Government of Israel to respond to the substance of the report?s findings and to desist from its current policy of casting doubt upon the credibility of anyone who does not adhere to the establishment's narrative."
The signatories included the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Adalah, Bimkom, B?Tselem, Gisha, HaMoked, Physicians for Human Rights ? Israel, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and Yesh Din. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1114807.html
Israel to fight UN report on Gaza war crimes
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Gaza war crimes, Hamas, IDF
Israel has opened an international campaign to protest a United Nations report which ruled it committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during its offensive on the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
....
Бу-га-га! А сам отчёт будет обнародован только завтра, его ещё никто не читал, кроме составителей, даже в ООН.
Это называется: я его произведений не читал, но осуждаю.
Может стоить хотя бы почитать этот отчёт, а потом, со знанием дела, с фактами и цифрами в руках этот отчёт опровергнуть? Если удастся конечно.... _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1114807.html Israel girds for diplomatic war over 'biased' UN Gaza report
By Barak Ravid, Anshel Pfeffer, Jack Khoury and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies
Israel began fighting the diplomatic battle Tuesday to prevent the Goldstone Commission report on Israel's Cast Lead Operation in the Gaza Strip from being brought before the United Nations Security Council and from there to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where charges could be brought against Israeli officials involved in the military campaign. The report, compiled by a commission headed by former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, accuses both Israel and the Palestinians of actions amounting to war crimes during the December 27 to January 18 battle in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Tuesday night a team lead by Foreign Ministry legal advisor Ehud Keinan, and which included representatives from the Justice Ministry and the military prosecutor's office, delivered a preliminary analysis of the Goldstone Commission report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman. Netanyahu also held consultations Tuesday night on the commission's findings. "The goal is to avoid a slippery slope which would lead Israel to the International Criminal Court in The Hague," a senior Israeli staffer said.
On the day after Yom Kippur, the UN Human Rights Council, which appointed Goldstone, will be convening in Geneva for a special session on the report. Foreign Ministry sources said Tuesday that they expect Arab states will begin to prepare a draft resolution which will call for the report to be transferred to the UN Security Council. In a worst-case scenario, the Security Council could decide to transfer the matter to the International Criminal Court. Under such circumstances, the ICC could issue international arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials who were involved in Cast Lead.
On the diplomatic front, following the report's release, Netanyahu, Lieberman, President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak will telephone many of their counterparts around the world. They will stress that the Goldstone report is one-sided, that it rewards terrorism and that it sets a precedent which will make it difficult for any country in the world to defend itself against terror. Israel's diplomatic efforts will focus on the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - but will also give priority to members of the European Union, because of their influence in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The senior Israeli leaders will ask their counterparts to express disagreement with the report and to oppose any use of it as the basis for anti-Israel resolutions at other international institutions. "It will be a long diplomatic and legal campaign," said a senior Israeli staffer handling the Goldstone report. "We will involve our friends around the world, especially the United States, to prevent Israel's isolation," he said.
The report, which is 574 pages long, and which was released Tuesday at a news conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York at which Goldstone participated, contains harsh criticism of Israel of a nature and scope that surprised senior diplomats, including Israelis, who had anticipated condemnation of Israel but were astounded by the sweeping and unrestrained character of the criticism.
"Exactly what we feared occurred," Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev told Haaretz Tuesday. "The mandate of the Goldstone Commission," she said, "was one-sided from the beginning and the initiative to establish the commission came from the UN Human Rights Council, which is known for regularly and routinely condemning Israel."
"We anticipated that the contents of the report would be slanted and one-sided, but we didn't imagine that it would be so harsh and blunt," she added.
The Foreign Ministry will respond
The Israel Defense Forces refused to respond Tuesday to the Goldstone Commission report. The army has decided that the Foreign Ministry will respond to international criticism of the IDF's conduct during Operation Cast Lead. Nonetheless, representatives from the IDF prosecutor's office are participating in the ministry's examination of the report, which details 36 specific incidents in which the army allegedly violated international law. Most of the incidents have already been examined by the IDF - within particular units which took part in the fighting, by the army prosecutor's office, and through the five commissions set up on the instructions of the IDF Chief of Staff.
Most of the investigations concluded that IDF forces followed orders and acted in accordance with international law, but it has not yet been determined if the IDF material gathered over the course of these investigations would be used to attempt to refute the Goldstone report. If the UN decides to transfer the Goldstone Commission finding to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, IDF officers could be summoned by the international court and even charged. Such a prospect would also affect their ability to travel abroad.
Balad party chairman, Jamal Zahalka, sharply condemned Barak in light of the Goldstone Commission findings. "Ehud Barak [should be sent] to The Hague immediately," he said. "The conclusion from the report," he added, "is that [there should be] an international trial for those responsible for war crimes in Gaza starting with the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, down to operational commanders, and those who gave them orders and instructions to hit civilian populations and essential infrastructure to make political gains, as the report said."
"It is not possible that someone who causes the death of more than 1,000 civilians will not pay the price," Zahalka added. "The report proves the barbarity of the Israeli death machine, which is headed by a classical music aficionado who gives orders to kill civilians in cold blood. Behind war crimes are criminals who must be punished."
Hamas Tuesday rejected the Goldstone report, which accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesmen said the report was not fair. A representative of the extremist organization, Ismail Radwan, told Haaretz Tuesday night that the report was unbalanced and completely misrepresented reality.
Radwan said the report should have called unequivocally for an international war crimes trial for senior Israeli officials. He added that Hamas does not accept attempts to downplay the responsibility of the "Zionist entity," as he called Israel, or attempts to accuse Hamas. He claimed that Hamas had no intention of hurting civilians, but said the organization had the right to defend Palestinian civilians and oppose occupation. The group has denied using civilians to fire Qassam rockets or to provide cover from IDF forces. Hamas also adamantly denied allegations by human rights organizations that it had improperly used ambulances as a cover during the operation, or that it deliberately targeted civilians. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
The head of a United Nations commission that charged Israel with committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip during its offensive there earlier last winter wrote Thursday that soldiers and commanders must be held accountable for serious violations during the fighting.
In a New York Times op-ed, Richard Goldstone wrote that "Israel must investigate, and Hamas is obliged to do the same. They must examine what happened and appropriately punish any soldier or commander found to have violated the law."
Goldstone accused both Israel and Hamas of conducting biased and ineffectual investigations, if at all, saying that "unfortunately, both Israel and Hamas have dismal records of investigating their own forces."
Also Thursday, Goldstone denied allegations that his investigative team had set out on a biased mission.
"I deny that completely," Goldstone said in remarks broadcast on public radio Thursday, following Israeli accusations.
"I was completely independent, nobody dictated any outcome, and the outcome was a result of the independent inquiries that our mission made," he said.
Goldstone told interviewers that he stood behind his commission's findings and regretted only Israel's refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
"If there is any difference that I would have preferred, [it] would have been that we could have got cooperation from Israel and in particular, I would have liked the Israeli government to assist us and decide what we should investigate because that's what I asked them to do," he said.
The nearly 600 page report also accused Palestinian militants of committing war crimes by firing rockets on civilians populations.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday called the Goldstone Commission's conclusion that Israel committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip "pre-determined."
"The Goldstone Commission was formed to find Israel of war crimes determined in advance," said Lieberman. "Members of the panel did give the facts a chance to confuse them."
"The Goldstone report is seeking to bring the UN back to the dark days in which it decided, under the guidance of states with interests, that Zionism is racism," added Lieberman in a statement sent to journalists.
The report, he continued, "has no legal, factual or ethical validity whatsoever."
"The state of Israel will continue to defend its citizens from the attacks of terrorists and terrorist organizations, and will continue
to defend its soldiers against attacks of hypocrisy and distortion," he added.
Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Avichai Mendelblit on Wednesday denounced the United Nations report as "biased" and said it blatantly overstepped the commission's mandate.
The Goldstone report is "biased, extremely radical, and has no basis in reality," Mendelblit said.
Israel has meanwhile asked a number of senior members of the Obama administration to assist in curbing the international fallout from the Goldstone Commission report released this week, which accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead.
The Foreign Ministry decided Wednesday to focus their efforts to combat the report's accusations on the United States, Russia and a few other members of the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council that are involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Israeli message is that the Goldstone report threatens those countries because it makes the war on terror very difficult, and therefore efforts must be made to prevent it from being brought before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue Wednesday with U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell, while Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon discussed it with U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and other senior officials.
Israel has also asked a number of senior members of the Obama administration to assist in curbing the international fallout from the Goldstone Commission report. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
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Добавлено: Суббота, 3 Октябрь 2009, 14:02:20 Заголовок сообщения:
The four person United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict
2 October 2009 – The Human Rights Council today decided to defer action on a draft resolution concerning the report of the recent United Nations fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict at the start of this year.
The Council had been expected to vote on the resolution today but will now consider the text at its next session, scheduled to take place in March 2010 in Geneva.
Zamir Akram, a representative of Pakistan, told the 47-member Council that the co-sponsors of the resolution – the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Arab group, the African group and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) – had requested that discussion of the resolution be deferred until the next session to allow more time for members to consider the contents of the fact-finding probe.
That investigation, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, found evidence that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants committed serious war crimes and breaches of humanitarian law, which may amount to crimes against humanity, during the conflict in December 2008 and January 2009.
Presenting his report to the Council at the start of this week, Justice Goldstone called for an end to impunity for those found to have committed human rights violations.
“It is accountability above all that is called for in the aftermath of the regrettable violence that has caused so much misery for so many,” he said.
Justice Goldstone urged the Council to implement a number of measures, including a referral of the mission’s report to the Security Council, since neither the Government of Israel nor the responsible Palestinian authorities have so far carried out any credible investigations into alleged violations.
Apart from Justice Goldstone, a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the other members of the fact-finding team are: Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London; Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders; and retired Colonel Desmond Travers, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI).
Today the Council wrapped up its current session by adopting another six resolutions and one decisions on issues ranging from the situation in Myanmar and the adverse effects of the dumping of toxic wastes.
During this session the Council also appointed Pakistan’s Farida Shaheed as Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights and Tanzania’s Mohamed Chande Othman as Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan. The mandates of the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia and the Independent Expert on Somalia were extended by one year. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
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Добавлено: Суббота, 3 Октябрь 2009, 14:04:49 Заголовок сообщения:
A section of Gaza damaged by aerial bombardment [File Photo]
29 September 2009 – The head of the United Nations fact finding mission into the Gaza conflict today urged an end to impunity for human rights violations committed there earlier this year, given evidence that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants are guilty of serious war crimes and breaches of humanitarian law, which may amount to crimes against humanity.
“It is accountability above all that is called for in the aftermath of the regrettable violence that has caused so much misery for so many,” Justice Richard Goldstone said as he presented the mission’s report to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, which mandated the probe.
Following its three-month investigation, the mission concluded that serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel in the context of its military operations in Gaza from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity.
The four-member team, whose 575-page report was released earlier this month, also found that Palestinian armed groups had committed war crimes, as well as possibly crimes against humanity.
Justice Goldstone urged the 47-member Council to implement a number of measures, including referral of the mission’s report to the Security Council, since neither the Government of Israel nor the responsible Palestinian authorities have so far carried out any credible investigations into alleged violations.
“The lack of accountability for war crimes and possible crimes against humanity has reached a crisis point; the ongoing lack of justice is undermining any hope for a successful peace process and reinforcing an environment that fosters violence,” he stated.
The report recommends that the Security Council require Israel and the authorities in Gaza to report to it, within six months, on investigations and prosecutions it should carry out with regard to the violations identified by the mission.
It also recommends that the Security Council set up a body of independent experts to report to it on the progress of the Israeli and Palestinian investigations and prosecutions.
If the experts’ reports do not indicate within six months that independent proceedings are taking place, the mission says the Security Council should refer the situation in Gaza to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
“Now is the time for action,” said Justice Goldstone, a former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. “A culture of impunity in the region has existed for too long.”
The other members of the team are Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London; Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders; and retired Colonel Desmond Travers, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI).
Also briefing today was High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who presented her first periodic report, as requested by the Council, on key concerns and observations regarding the occupied Palestinian territory, including during the period of the Gaza conflict.
She said her report notes significant prima facie evidence of gross violations of international human rights law and serious breaches of international humanitarian law by both Israel and Hamas during the military operations.
It recommends that all allegations of breaches – whether through attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza or indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israel – be thoroughly investigated by credible, independent and transparent accountability mechanisms.
The High Commissioner added that conditions on the ground in Gaza continue to deteriorate. “With very few exceptions, Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants are trapped. They cannot exit the 45-kilometre long strip.”
Specifically, she referred to “the almost unbearable curtailment of Gazans’ right to work, their right to access to water, food, adequate housing and education, and their entitlement to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. These conditions impair the life and dignity of the people of Gaza.” _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
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Добавлено: Воскресенье, 4 Октябрь 2009, 18:43:49 Заголовок сообщения:
Judge Richard Goldstone, who wrote damning report on Israel's 2009 offensive in the Gaza Strip, told the mayor of Sderot in a letter on Sunday that he would have liked to visit the rocket-battered town during his investigation but was unable to do so due to objections by the Israeli government.
Click here for more on the Goldstone commission report on the Gaza conflict
Goldstone's report awakened criticism of a one-sided investigation, as he accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the January conflict. He wrote the letter in response to a missive received on the first of the month from Sderot Mayor David Buskila.
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Buskila, whose city of Sderot has been bombarded by Qassam rockets fired from Gaza for eight years, accused Goldstone in his own letter of remaining silent while "8,000 rockets pounded us."
In response, Goldstone wrote:
"Dear Mayor Buskila,
I acknowledge with thanks your letter of 1 October 2009. If you have read our report you will see that:
1. We set out the details and an analysis of the terror that the firing of rockets and mortars from the Gaza Strip caused to the people of Southern Israel including Sderot and especially to the children.
2. We stated that the firing of rockets and mortars at civilian targets in Southern Israel constituted serious war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity.
3. The members of the Mission wished to visit Southern Israel and especially Sderot but permission for such a visit was not agreed to by the Government of Israel.
I fully share you hope that peace will come your region and when I next visit Israel I would like to accept your invitation to visit Sderot.
With my best wishes for the New Year,
Richard Goldstone"
In his letter on October 1, Buskila wrote that his city had suffered from Hamas' aggression more than any other Israeli city, with death and destruction that left an indelible mark on the residents of the city.
"The world, and you in it, was silent. You were silent in the face of the dead bodies of our children, in the face of our children's frightened eyes, you were silent in the face of every one of the 8,000 Qassam rockets that hit our city," Buskila wrote.
"Your silence was frightening, and reminiscent of things forgotten," he added.
The letter began with the mention of three Sderot children who were killed in rocket attacks. "The blood of the children whose lives were cut short is screaming out from the earth, there is no redemption and no forgiveness for the blood of a little child whose short existence had not yet taught him that there is evil and that there are wars," Buskila wrote, attaching pictures of the three children "who will never grow up" to the letter.
The Sderot mayor also expressed his identification with the Palestinian people, writing that "I regret and am sorry for the death of every Palestinian child, I feel the pain of the Palestinian civilians, but let's not ignore the facts - the leaders of Hamas and other fundamental Islamic terror organizations are to blame for the suffering of Sderot residents and their children, as well as the suffering of Gaza's residents. These people, whose sole purpose in life are war crimes, and to whom the norms of the West do not apply, are to blame."
Buskila concluded his letter by expressing hope that "peace will prevail in our region, and I invite you to personally examine the suffering of the residents of Sderot, who represent the other part of the equation, the part you didn't bother understanding." _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
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Добавлено: Четверг, 15 Октябрь 2009, 22:53:30 Заголовок сообщения:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1121406.html 'Responsible countries will reject Goldstone Gaza report'
By Barak Ravid and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondents, and News Agencies
Tags: israel news
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called on members of the UN's Human Rights Council to reject a resolution endorsing a report accusing Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the fighting in Gaza last winter.
The 575-page report concluded that Israel used disproportionate force, deliberately targeted civilians, used Palestinians as human shields, and destroyed civilian infrastructure during its Dec. 27-Jan. 18 incursion into the Gaza Strip to root out Palestinian rocket squads.
"Israel's only real crime is that it does not have an automatic majority in the UN," Netanyahu said at a joint press conference with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
"We hope that all responsible countries will tomorrow vote against that decision, which aids and encourages terror and strikes at peace," Netanyahu said.
The Geneva-based council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would ask the Security Council in New York to determine within six months whether both sides are carrying out credible investigations into alleged abuses or to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands.
Netanyahu argues that the resolution, if adopted, would hamper Israel's ability to defend itself and therefore discourage it from making possibly risky concessions for peace with the Palestinians.
The UN's top human rights official backed the report Thursday accusing Israeli forces and Palestinian militants of war crimes during their conflict in Gaza last winter.
Navi Pillay's endorsement of the report by an expert group led by Judge Richard Goldstone came as Israel warned the UN Human Rights Council that approving the document risked undermining Middle East peace.
Pillay told the 47-member council that she supported the report's recommendations, including its call for urgent action to counter impunity - meaning that Israel and Hamas must investigate and prosecute those who committed war crimes.
President Shimon Peres earlier on Thursday met Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero and discussed the Goldstone report, the Iranian nuclear issue and advancing the Middle East peace process.
Referring to the Goldstone report, Peres said, "Israel has investigated every war and action which it was compelled to undertake. We do not need outside judges. We will not allow a majority that is hostile to Israel to judge us."
Peres continued, "If the Human Rights Council wants to be fair, I suggest that it consider Iran's call for Israel's destruction.... There is a limit to hypocrisy. Why isn't Iran being investigated? Why does everyone remain silent?"
Peres added that "Hamas fired missiles at homes, operated in the heart of the population and used children as human shields. No investigative committee, including Goldstone's, has provided an answer as to how to prevent Hamas's despicable terrorist acts against Israeli citizens." _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
Добавлено: Пятница, 16 Октябрь 2009, 22:00:59 Заголовок сообщения:
Несмотря на все усилия израильских дипломатов, Совет ООН по правам человека принял решение передать отчет комиссии Голдстона, обвинившей Израиль в военных преступлениях, на рассмотрение Совета безопасности ООН.
- МИД Израиля разочарован голосованием России по "отчету Голдстона"
В поддержку этого решения проголосовали представители 25 государств, против – представители 6 государств. Представители 11 государств при голосовании воздержались. Пять стран не принимали участия в голосовании.
В защиту Израиля отдали голоса США, Италия, Нидерланды, Венгрия, Словакия и Украина. Босния и Герцеговина, Буркина-Фасо, Габон, Камерун, Япония, Бельгия, Южная Корея, Мексика, Норвегия, Уругвай, Словения – воздержались. Представители Великобритании, Франции и Анголы отказались принимать участие в голосовании, а представители Киргизии и Мадагаскара отсутствовали в зале в ходе голосования.
За передачу отчета Голдстона на рассмотрение Совбеза ООН помимо исламского блока проголосовали Россия, Китай, Аргентина, Боливия, Куба, Гана, Индия, Либерия, Филиппины, Бразилия, Южная Африка, Маврикий и Никарагуа.
Инициировавшие обсуждение отчета Голдстона арабские страны отказались вносить в текст резолюции какие-либо изменения за исключением абстрактного осуждения обстрелов мирных граждан любой стороной конфликта. Помимо отчета Голдстона в резолюцию включено требование прекратить проведение раскопок на Храмовой горе и осуждение действий Израиля в Восточном Иерусалиме.
Помимо послов Израиля и США, выступивших в самом начале заседания, в защиту Израиля высказался бывший командующий британского контингента в Афганистане Ричард Кемп. По словам британского военного, участвовавшего в войне в Персидском заливе, миротворческих миссиях в Боснии и Македонии, а до того командовавший различными подразделениями в Северной Ирландии, в ходе операции "Литой свинец" Израиль сделал все, чтобы свести к минимуму потери среди гражданского населения.
"На основании своего обширного опыта я могу свидетельствовать, что ЦАХАЛ сделал для защиты мирных граждан сектора Газы больше, чем любая армия в истории", - заявил Кемп, добавив, что при этом израильским солдатам противостоял враг, использовавший мирное население в качестве щита.
Отчет Голдстона передан на рассмотрение Совбеза ООН. Россия голосовала за, Украина - против
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Отчет Голдстона передан на рассмотрение Совбеза ООН. Россия голосовала за, Украина - против
Судья Ричард Голдстон, председатель комиссии, расследовавшей военные преступления в секторе Газы
Голдстон на заседании комиссии ООН по правам человека
Несмотря на все усилия израильских дипломатов, Совет ООН по правам человека принял решение передать отчет комиссии Голдстона, обвинившей Израиль в военных преступлениях, на рассмотрение Совета безопасности ООН.
- МИД Израиля разочарован голосованием России по "отчету Голдстона"
В поддержку этого решения проголосовали представители 25 государств, против – представители 6 государств. Представители 11 государств при голосовании воздержались. Пять стран не принимали участия в голосовании.
В защиту Израиля отдали голоса США, Италия, Нидерланды, Венгрия, Словакия и Украина. Босния и Герцеговина, Буркина-Фасо, Габон, Камерун, Япония, Бельгия, Южная Корея, Мексика, Норвегия, Уругвай, Словения – воздержались. Представители Великобритании, Франции и Анголы отказались принимать участие в голосовании, а представители Киргизии и Мадагаскара отсутствовали в зале в ходе голосования.
За передачу отчета Голдстона на рассмотрение Совбеза ООН помимо исламского блока проголосовали Россия, Китай, Аргентина, Боливия, Куба, Гана, Индия, Либерия, Филиппины, Бразилия, Южная Африка, Маврикий и Никарагуа.
Инициировавшие обсуждение отчета Голдстона арабские страны отказались вносить в текст резолюции какие-либо изменения за исключением абстрактного осуждения обстрелов мирных граждан любой стороной конфликта. Помимо отчета Голдстона в резолюцию включено требование прекратить проведение раскопок на Храмовой горе и осуждение действий Израиля в Восточном Иерусалиме.
Помимо послов Израиля и США, выступивших в самом начале заседания, в защиту Израиля высказался бывший командующий британского контингента в Афганистане Ричард Кемп. По словам британского военного, участвовавшего в войне в Персидском заливе, миротворческих миссиях в Боснии и Македонии, а до того командовавший различными подразделениями в Северной Ирландии, в ходе операции "Литой свинец" Израиль сделал все, чтобы свести к минимуму потери среди гражданского населения.
"На основании своего обширного опыта я могу свидетельствовать, что ЦАХАЛ сделал для защиты мирных граждан сектора Газы больше, чем любая армия в истории", - заявил Кемп, добавив, что при этом израильским солдатам противостоял враг, использовавший мирное население в качестве щита. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
Добавлено: Пятница, 16 Октябрь 2009, 22:04:40 Заголовок сообщения:
Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected on Friday the United Nations Human Rights Council decision to endorse a Gaza report that accused Israel of committing war crimes, calling the decision "unjust."
During the UN Human Rights Council session Friday, several countries condemned Israel over the findings stated in the 575-page long report on the conduct of Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas during Israel's offensive in Gaza last winter.
The Palestinian UN delegate said during the session that "Israel denies Palestinians basic human rights and this issue cannot be compromised."
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The Foreign Ministry issued an official response to the UN vote, saying that "Israel will continue to exercise its right to self defense and to preserve the security of its citizens."
"Israel believes," the statement continued, "that the decision harms efforts to protect human rights in accordance with international law and hinders efforts to promote the peace process as well as encouraging terror organizations around the world."
Jerusalem sources maintain that there a marked improvement can be seen in Friday's UN Human Rights Council, in comparison to the initial vote to establish the Goldstone commission, which investigated Israel's and Hamas' conduct during the war, and subsequently compiled the damning report.
"However," the ministry statement said, "Israel still feels that the UNHRC decision was one-sided."
"Israel thanks the countries that supported our position, and those who, with their vote, voiced their opposition to the unjust decision which ignores the murderous Hamas attacks against Israeli citizens," the statement continued. "The decision ignores the fact that the Israel Defense Forces took unprecedented measures to avoid harming innocent civilians, and the fact that terror organizations used civilians as human shields in Gaza."
Former foreign minister and opposition leader Tzipi Livni also issued a response to the vote, saying that "since the inception of the Human Rights Council, it has viewed Israel in a distorted fashion, just as the report itself does. Today's vote was political and cynical. Israel will continue to do the right thing and to protect its citizens, and will continue the international battle against the report to ensure the legal protection of IDF officers, wherever they may be."
Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi welcomed the council's decision and said that the adoption of the report's findings was an important ethical and legal decision.
"It is wrong to leave an entire population without the protection of the UN and the international community, who have now regained their honor," Tibi said.
Shas Chairman Eli Yishai condemned the UN council's decision calling it an anti-Israel decision based on an anti-Israel report.
Meanwhile Friday, Hamas welcomed the UN vote, saying that the organization hoped the vote would lead to "the beginning of the prosecution of the leaders of the occupation."
"The Palestinian government welcomes the endorsement on the Goldstone report and thanks the friendly countries which voted in favor of the report," Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nono said.
Nabil Abu Rudeinah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, added that what was needed was a follow-up on implementation of the recommandations in the report, "to protect the Palestinian people from Israeli aggression."
"The most important thing now is to continue with steps to make sure that the Zionist criminals are brought to trial," said another Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.
Following the vote, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote a joint letter to Netanyahu, The Press Association reported.
The letter acknowledged the sensitivity of the Goldstone report in Israel and encouraged Israel to handle it in a way that supports progress in the Middle East.
Israel's right to defend itself was stressed in the letter, which included an invitation to Netanyahu to visit Europe for talks.
Brown and Sarkozy laid out steps to move the peace process forward, including an independent and transparent investigation into accusations made against Israel in relation to alleged war crimes in Gaza; improved humanitarian access to Gaza; and a complete freeze on Israeli settlements in the West Bank _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
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Добавлено: Пятница, 16 Октябрь 2009, 22:10:26 Заголовок сообщения:
16 October 2009 – The Human Rights Council today strongly condemned a host of Israeli measures in the occupied Palestinian territory and called on both sides to implement the recommendations of a United Nations commission that found evidence that Israel and the Palestinians committed serious war crimes in the three-week Gaza war nine months ago.
The commission, led by Justice Richard Goldstone, recommended that the Security Council require Israel and the relevant Palestinian authorities to launch appropriate independent probes into the alleged crimes, monitor their compliance, and refer the matter to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) if these did not take place.
In a resolution, adopted by 25 votes in favour, six against, and 11 abstentions, the Council recommended that the General Assembly consider the Goldstone report during the main part of its current session, requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to submit a report on the implementation of its recommendations to the Council in March, and condemned Israel’s refusal to cooperate with the commission.
The Goldstone report concluded that, while the Israeli Government sought to portray its operations as a response to rocket attacks in the exercise of its right to self defence, the Israeli plan had been directed, at least in part, at the people of Gaza as a whole.
It highlighted the treatment of many civilians detained or killed while trying to surrender as one manifestation of the way in which the effective rules of engagement, standard operating procedures and instructions to the troops on the ground appeared to have been framed to create an environment in which due regard for civilian lives and basic human dignity was replaced with a disregard for basic international humanitarian law.
The destruction of food supply installations, water sanitation systems, concrete factories and residential houses had been the result of a deliberate and systematic policy by the Israeli armed forces and not because those objects had presented a military threat, it said.
It also found that Palestinian armed groups caused terror within Israel’s civilian population through the launch of thousands of rockets and mortars into Israel since April 2001, determining that both sides may thus have committed serious war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
Much of today’s resolution was devoted to other Israeli activities, particularly in Jerusalem, including condemnation of limits to Palestinian access to properties and holy sites based on national origin, religion, sex, age or other grounds, calling this a grave violation of the Palestinian people's civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
It condemned recent Israeli violations of human rights in occupied East Jerusalem, particularly the confiscation of lands and properties, the demolishing of houses, the construction and expansion of settlements, the continuing construction of the separation Wall built in part on land Israel occupied in the 1967 war, and the continuous digging and excavation works in and around Al-Aqsa mosque and its vicinity.
The Council demanded that Israel allow Palestinian citizens and worshippers unhindered access to their properties and religious sites in the occupied Palestinian territory, cease immediately all digging and excavations beneath and around the mosque, and refrain from any acts may endanger the structure or change the nature of Christian and Islamic holy sites.
It requested that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay report periodically on Israel’s implementation of its human rights obligations in and around East Jerusalem. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
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Добавлено: Пятница, 16 Октябрь 2009, 22:15:16 Заголовок сообщения:
15 October 2009 – Strong evidence indicates that all parties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in different ways and with different effects, have committed and continue to commit serious violations of international human rights, a top United Nations official said today.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told a special session of the Human Rights Council on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory that the situation in East Jerusalem and Gaza were matters of concern, with numerous clashes in and around the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in recent weeks.
The stringent restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinians wishing to enter the mosque must be lifted for Palestinians to exercise their right to worship, she said, adding that home demolitions in East Jerusalem continued in violation of international humanitarian law and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Turning to Gaza, Ms. Pillay reiterated her support for the UN fact-finding mission into the fighting at the start of the year. That probe, led by Justice Richard Goldstone, found evidence that both sides committed serious war crimes and possible crimes against humanity and called for urgent action to counter impunity, with all parties carrying out impartial, independent, prompt, and effective investigations into reported violations.
Ms. Pillay said she was dismayed by Israel’s continued blockade of Gaza that severely undermined the Palestinians’ rights and welfare, with living conditions deteriorating ever further due to restrictions on the import of goods and services, including basic food, fuel and essential building materials for reconstruction of homes and infrastructure destroyed during the Israeli attacks nine months ago.
The 47-member Council earlier this month deferred action until March on a draft resolution endorsing the Goldstone report and condemning organized discrimination and human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territory and East Jerusalem, but it brought forward the debate after a request from Palestine, co-sponsored by 18 countries.
The reactions from victims, concerned people and organizations to the postponement are compelling evidence that addressing impunity for human rights violations is essential to preventing further violence and shoring up the peace process, Ms Pillay said.
Israeli representative Aharon Leshno-Yaar called the Goldstone report biased and flawed in accusing Israel of war crimes for fighting Hamas, dubbing them war criminals who had openly called for Israel’s destruction and had fired thousands of rockets against it.
Relevant Israeli authorities were investigating mistakes that had been made but regrettably, the report saw no problems with Hamas’ actions in using mosques, homes and hospitals for military purposes, he said, adding that the proposed resolution would be a reward for terror and send a clear message to terrorists everywhere.
Palestinian representative Ibrahim Khraishi said Israel had had imposed a blockade on East Jerusalem, preventing inhabitants from going to their houses and places of worship, arrested and killed scores of people, and continued to Judaize the holy city, altering its cultural identity. It continued to destroy homes and public property, to build the wall, and to hinder movement of the Palestinian people, he added.
The Gaza Strip is still under an unjust blockade in violation of international law, with its residents subject to numerous human rights violations, including the right to life, he declared, adding that Israel as an occupying power constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
Dozens of members are participating in the debate, which continues tomorrow in Geneva.
Meanwhile, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with representatives of Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia and Sudan and with the Permanent Observers of Palestine and the League of Arab States (LAS) to discuss the Goldstone report.
The representatives also relayed “their grave concern with the situation in Jerusalem,” according to information released by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.
“The Secretary-General expressed his concern regarding the sensitive situation in Jerusalem and reiterated his call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint.
“He also reiterated his belief as Secretary-General that all violations of human rights and international humanitarian law should be addressed whenever and wherever they occur, expressed his support for the work of the Goldstone fact-finding mission, and said he awaited the outcome of the Human Rights Council’s deliberations.” _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre или вторая редакция Забугорнова
Зарегистрирован: 06.03.2005 Сообщения: 12000 Откуда: Обер-группен-доцент, ст. руководитель группы скоростных свингеров, он же Забашлевич Оцаат Поэлевич
Добавлено: Суббота, 17 Октябрь 2009, 21:42:52 Заголовок сообщения:
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