Human Rights, Israel, Gaza

[dreamer_easy]

Past time I did an update on Gaza. The fact is, I've bookmarked dozens of links - about the damage done in the recent conflict, the recent Israeli election, etc. Rather than spend all day spamming you with links, what I'd like to do here is focus on the issue that involved me in the first place: war crimes and violations of human rights before, during, and after Operation Cast Lead.

In recent days, Israeli newspapers have published the testimony of IDF soldiers of the wanton killing of non-combatants and other abuses. The UN has also reported evidence of the killing of civilians and their use of human shields, and Physicians for Human Rights Israel has called for an investigation into attacks on medics and denial of emergency medical care during the conflict.

I often see claims that international human rights groups criticise Israel while ignoring abuses by Palestinians. These claims are, well, lies. Amnesty International wants all participants held accountable, as do Human Rights Watch.

All of this is placing pressure on Israel to investigate the behaviour of its troops and officers. Israeli human rights group Yesh Din notes that the soldiers' testimonies were made public, no investigations had been started.

An editorial comment. I'm still new to this issue, but to me, the conflict seems to be powerfully fuelled by an attitude of "We're not talking to you, you're beyond the pale". Parties on all sides uninterested in ending the killing misuse the moral high ground as an excuse to dodge negotiation and compromise. I've got my fingers crossed that the change in the US administration may affect that unwillingness to talk.

Comments

[ashamel.livejournal.com]

This may interest you: Israeli army T-shirts. The original poster (that I saw anyway), had an interesting take on it: I bet you I could find a lot more stories along these lines on behalf of virtually every nation and political persuasion on Earth, sadly. It seems like a rich vein to tap given how amenable T-shirts are to sloganeering of the most vile variety.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Christ!

The soldiers' testimonies talk about an attitude of complete contempt towards the Gazans, their property, and their lives. Those tees are an extreme manifestation of that attitude.

[ashamel.livejournal.com]

The delicate art of training people to kill, sensitively...

[alawston.livejournal.com]

I assumed the Gaza masssacre was prompted by the opportunity to have one last really good pop at the Palestinians before the new US administration came in, to be honest.