90 organizations, mainly French, to prosecute Israel for War Crimes

[DogPoundPup]

Ninety organizations, mainly French, decided to prosecute Israel in the International Court of Justice, in the Hague, for committing War Crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, after the Israeli offensive has thus far left more than 1,033 Palestinians dead, and over 4,580 wounded after 20 days of.

Mohammad Al Araby – Brussels

The French Lamond Newspaper reported that the organizations prosecuting Israel in the International Court are pro-Palestinian, and that this step comes as several Arab and international organizations are also moving towards filing lawsuits against Israel for war crimes against the unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, especially since Israel is using internationally banned weapons in its war such as White Phosphorus.

A French lawyer working for the lawsuit said that the eighth article of the Rome Conventions specifies a war crime as “a deliberate act that aims at harming civilians and causing great suffering, harming them physically, destroying their property in a way that cannot be justified”.

The lawyer, Jill Devier, said that a country cannot justify its war crimes by saying that it was subjected to missile fire, “even if the Palestinian homemade shells fired into Israel also constitute a war crime”.

He added that the lawsuit against Israel is well supported by two main legal basis;

1. The inequivalent Israel attack against Gaza, as it includes shelling heavily populated areas. He said that this issue was also raised at the Security Council on December 31.

2. The targets of the Israeli shelling were mainly civilian, as most of the casualties are children and women, and the army also shelled governmental facilities, mosques, sports clubs, and a building which had journalists on its rooftop.

Responding to a question regarding the chances of winning the lawsuit, especially since it is prosecuting figures in a country that does not recognize the international court, Devier said that this issue makes the case more difficult, but added that several Israeli officials have dual citizenships, and could be prosecuted in the countries of their second citizenship.

Another possibility, he added, is that the United Nations can form special courts, or the security council can call for a lawsuit against Israel, yet he said that the two options are hard to achieve under the current international situation, most likely referring to the biased US government's support for Israel.

http://www.imemc.org/article/58478

[Arrowhead2k1]

1. It's a start...

[Idealism]

2. Hopefully they can move on to Bush Co afterwards n/t

[DogPoundPup]

4. 'bombing for peace' never has and never will bring peace

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36443215@N00/2332682551/

[LakeSamish706]

3. Now thats what I want to hear..... This is great news, now I hope someone can come up with....

a plan to stop these maniacs from anymore killing in the meantime.

[DonCoquixote]

5. There is only one problem

Yes, Israel is being scum here, but the problem with French agencies pursuing this is that the French have a long, long history of hating Jews. How do you keep this from looking like yet another French swipe at Jews?

[Idealism]

6. It is time Israel stops justifying oppressing others because of their troubled past n/t

[Name removed]

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[azurnoir]

8. French israeli relations have been on and off

prior to the 1967 war it was France not the US that was Israel's main military supplier in fact it was mainly Mirage jets that were used in that war. I have even seen it opined here that Israel got its nukes from France prior to 1967, relations between France and Israel cooled to it mildly in part over Frances objection to Israels occupation of the conquered territories and the Palestinians living there

[azurnoir]

9. It is a start but there are indeed problems in enforcing any

verdict as pointed out in the article and there is an article from the BBC concerning Avi Dichters canceling a trip to the UK over arrest concerns

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7130594.stm

[The Magistrate]

10. It Is Hard To Know What The Article Refers To, Ma'am

When someone transcribes 'LeMonde' as 'Lamond' it can be safely presumed a good deal of clarity has been lost.

The International Court of Justice referred to proceeds only on actions brought by states or the United Nations. The lawyer quoted refers to the Rome Statute, which involves a different court entirely, the International Criminal Court. This does not admit 'lawsuits' by private parties either, although a private party can petition its Prosecutor to look into a matter. It is up to the Prosecutor of the Court to decide whether the Court has jurisdiction, and whether there is sufficient actual evidence of a crime to justify proceeding further; the private party complaining has no say, and is not further involved.

[azurnoir]

11. I was addressing in part the IMO overly optimistic reception

of this article on the rest of the thread as at the moment as I have recently read them Israel has done nothing that legally constitutes a "war crime" as such, or in short I was trying to leaven without being a total "buzz kill"

[DogPoundPup]

12. Israel's hardliners have defied International law again and again.

It's time for them to pay the price in whatever way that can be reached.

[azurnoir]

13. there are technicalities to the law and one is that

and I may be wrong is that the offense has to be proven to be state policy other wise you get the piece meal stuff that is going on now that will at the most change some these guys vacation plans although I am betting NYC or any other American local will remain a safe places

[DogPoundPup]

14. remarks like these ...

Treat Hamas like Japan in WWII: Israeli nationalist leader
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQcI9FHWxEsA6tc4jY_geH7HvqQw

Israeli politician calls for nuclear strike on Gaza (Lieberman, leader of the Israel Beitanu party)
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=34924

takes the mask off of their sad story routine...when in fact we now know they do have the nukes to go through with such an act. Is this what the world is waiting for to act appropriately towards the Israeli govt.?

[The Magistrate]

15. Lieberman, Ma'am, Is Not the Israeli Government

You might as well, from the other direction, cite statements by Rep. Kucinich as indicating the true policies of the government of the United States. Both those figures speak for a portion of their societies, but not for the government of their state. Neither is in the chain of command for actions of military forces. No statement by either would be viewed as evidentiary for the actions of the government of the state in which they reside by any court.

[DogPoundPup]

17. "Enough of blood and tears. Enough. The time for peace has come."

.....Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

And since his assassination, not one Israeli Prime Minister has truly worked for a solution for peace as Rabin intended to do had he lived.

And you suggest to me that these comments aren't the mindset of those in the Israeli govt.? uh-huh

[The Magistrate]

18. Facts Are Facts, Ma'am

Lieberman is a mere politico in opposition; he has nothing to do with setting government policy, nothing to do with directing military actions. His statements are evidence of nothing but his own state of mind, and indicate nothing of evidentiary value concerning the present military actions of the Israeli government.

"The only good indians I ever saw were dead."

[DogPoundPup]

19. govt. policy of Israel looks much like a global pariah, so what are you defending

really?

Bombing the U.N. building, defying U.N. resolutions etc., etc., etc.,...yes I said global pariah

[The Magistrate]

21. My Allegiance, Ma'am, Is To Unvarnished Fact....

"Once you have gilded it, it no longer is a lilly."

[DogPoundPup]

22. there are no 'facts' in this world today...any lie can be hair-split and twisted enough

to be presented as unequivocal truth.

[The Magistrate]

23. There Are Certainly People Who Do That, Ma'am....

[DogPoundPup]

26. Question and Answer on Gaza Jan. 16, 2009 By Stephen Shalom

http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/20269

[The Magistrate]

27. A Comedic Exercise, Ma'am, No More....

[DogPoundPup]

28. The comedic exercise would be your arrogance.

[The Magistrate]

30. No, Ma'am, The Comedy Is Provided By The Ignorance Of History And Law Displayed

But then, you knew that....

[DogPoundPup]

31. you believe you are god, so you know the 'facts' and the 'law' better THAN ANYONE

"it is difficult to identify the 4 dead the chemical material turned their bodies into white bone"

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/17/content_10675178.htm

[The Magistrate]

32. An Odd Accusation, Ma'am, To Level Against A Hard Old Irreligious Infidel

Particularly coming from someone who has claimed lately there are no facts....

[DogPoundPup]

33. Oh? you present your facts... you "have" all the facts...no one else but you

know the facts.

"it is difficult to identify the four dead because the chemical material turned their bodies into white bones. "
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/17/content_10675178.htm

[The Magistrate]

34. You May Find Some Examples Here, Ma'am

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=236763&mesg_id=236763

There is neither time enough nor energy in sufficient excess in me to devote to producing pocket histories this morning. It would do no good anyway, at least in regards to you. You are here to vent spleen and attempt to gain wide circulation for emotional appeals.

[Name removed]

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[The Magistrate]

37. Both Sides, Ma'am, Are Engaged In A War They Have Pressed For Many Decades

Nigh on ninety years by the most sensible reckoning.....

[DogPoundPup]

38. well, as much as you would like, I am not leaving 'here'

Nigh on ninety years...

July 1920


Zionist Aspirations in Palestine

http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/bookauth/zionism/mackay.htm

[The Magistrate]

40. An Interesting Period Piece, Ma'am

It rather dates itself, and exposes some of the author's real interests, in the final paragraph:

"The question of Bolshevism is outside the scope of this article, but it remains to be said that the European Jewish population of Palestine is already tainted with the tenets of that faith. The Jews of Southeastern Europe are, almost to a man, Bolsheviki. Europe and America cannot allow the possibility of a homogeneous Bolshevist state in Palestine, whence the propagandists would be in an excellent position to preach their doctrines throughout Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean coasts."

One of the great delusions of the day among the political classes in the West was that the Bolshevik Communism was a Jewish movement, and one of the great fears of the same element as that Bolshevism would soon sweep the colonial empires of European powers and the United States. This author is writing in hopes of fending off that possibility in the Near east, which he considers would surely follow from the introduction of a sizeable community of Jews to the region.

It is unclear whether the author had to hand when writing this any report of the Nebi Musa riots in Jerusalem early in April of 1920....

[Name removed]

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[DogPoundPup]

39. "Political Zionism"

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/192102/zionism

[The Magistrate]

41. And Your Point, Ma'am, Is...?

There was opposition to the Zionist endeavor, some of it in the United States: do you expect this to come as a surprise to anyone?

[DogPoundPup]

29. "it is difficult to identify the 4 dead the chemical material turned their bodies into white bone"

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/17/content_10675178.htm

Now that's really funny too, isn't it?

[bdamomma]

16. good, I wonder if they will look at the Bush administration too regarding

illegally for going into Iraq.

Thanks France, at least someone is stepping up.

[cali]

20. This isn't the French Government. It's simply organizations based in France

And no, the ICC will not look at the bush admin or Israel's attack on Gaza.

[bdamomma]

24. I stand corrected that it isn't the French Government.

what the ICC has no jurisdiction over the US too bad they couldn't change that.

[Name removed]

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