Israel expects army officers to be prosecuted for war crimes

[DogPoundPup]

The Israeli government is preparing defenses for a “wave of international lawsuits” expected over its offensive in Gaza.

The government believes Israeli army officers and soldiers will be sued over actions in the 21-day old offensive which began on December 27.

A number of human rights organizations, and the International Red Cross, have already indicated they are looking at breaches of international law. The whole question of the legality of the Gaza War is also being examined.

Amnesty International has written to the United Nations Security Council calling for the establishment of full accountability for crimes committed in the Gaza conflict and for deployment of human rights monitors.

In the letter, Amnesty says it wants the Security Council to “take firm action to ensure full accountability for war crimes and other serious abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law.”

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the Israeli army to establish a task force comprising operational, intelligence, and legal experts, to assemble information, documentation, and footage of military operations during the offensive, which will assist in the defence of officers against legal actions expected to be filed by a number of international bodies.

The task forced named “Incrimination Team” is presently examining all footage taken by the Israeli army of the Gaza operation since it began.

more: http://story.irishsun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/454694/cs/1/

[razors edge]

1. "I was only following orders."

Might as well stick with the game plan.

[Idealism]

2. Then you prosecute those who gave the orders. n/t

[razors edge]

3. It's a good start.

But I'm sure every Commander can read the Geneva Conventions and understand them.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Not as if they were not already prepared for this

After Lebanon, its a safe bet that the IDF will have justification of some sort for at least the initial targeting. It also assumes the IDF will offer up names.

[shira]

13. apparently the IDF has lots of video taken during their ground ops that makes their case

That video should open a lot of eyes. People will finally learn what Hamas is truly about.

Of course, with the hardcore who are impervious to evidence that counters the propaganda they've been indoctrinated with, not even video evidence of detailed confessions by Hamas leadership will make an iota of difference.

Speaking of Hamas leadership, I wonder if Human Rights orgs are as motivated to investigate and prosecute Hamas as they are Israel. For some reason, I'm not sure what, I'm betting not. :eyes: If I'm not mistaken, there was also a very recent Russia/Georgia war just months ago but for some reason Human Rights orgs and certain media don't seem quite as motivated to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed there either. :eyes: I'd call it bias, but in order for it to be bias there would have to be some measure of fairness already on display and in effect. It's downright hostility, and the powers that be hardly care that it's so obvious. They know they can get away with it.

[drmeow]

4. The US will find a way to block it.

[coruscate]

6. I don't expect the US under Obama to stop it

If it does I will seriously lose respect for that man.

Crimes against humanity are crimes against humanity, claiming a race or religion or a supposed claim to a piece of land justifies genocide makes it no less prosecuteable than any other villain who has been sent to the Hague and found guilty.

I expect Obama to do more for the humanity in this conflict than cynically expected, and I'm very much a cynic myself.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. I do

Israel will have affirmative defenses and the US will not allow a full fledged war crimes tribunal for its own self interest. Obama will not really have a choice.

[azurnoir]

9. Obama will not have a choice?

How is protecting Israeli army officers from prosecution in Americas best interest?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. It will be postured that if he allows it to go through, US personnel would face the same issue

and possibly other inducements as well

[azurnoir]

11. If that is the case then

US personnel could face charges regardless, however in the case of the US it could the former commander in chief.
BTW i have wondered but have not read anything about whether or nor Obama will move for the US to once again be part of the ICJ

[azurnoir]

5. Wonder if they've hired Dershowitz for the defense team n/t

[bemildred]

12. Israel readies post-war battle for public opinion

Edit: some interesting bits if you read through.

---

With Israel keeping Gaza closed to foreign media during the war and Hamas preventing access to combat areas to local journalists, coverage of the Jewish state's deadliest ever offensive on the Gaza Strip has been limited.

With the fighting over, foreign journalists and non-governmental organisations are expected to flood into the impoverished Palestinian territory to assess the damage from 22 days of massive bombing and shelling.

Even before the increased scrutiny, the picture from the war is grim -- more than 1,200 people killed, including 410 children and 108 women, with medics expecting to find more bodies in the mountains of rubble left by the fighting.

To counter the criticism, the government has begun assembling "incriminating" information on the many buildings hit during the offensive to prove they were legitimate targets used by Hamas militants.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090117/twl-israel-readies-post-war-battle-for-p-3cd7efd.html

[DogPoundPup]

14. Too late, the public has had a look at 'them' with their mask off...

no amount of pulling it back on will help people forget what they've seen.

Re: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1117144/Brown-broadside-Shelling-UN-Gaza-indefensible-PM-tells-Israelis.html

[shira]

16. not too late......Israel's most hostile critics have been proven wrong over and over again

How many more hysterically bogus accounts of Jenin Massacres, Muhammad al-Duras, Gaza beach, etc...do we need until we start doubting the wild-eyed accusers? Israel's most hostile criticisms are full of obfuscations, myths, half-baked conspiracy stories, and outright lies. It's quite telling how much you'd love to believe that any of those lame, half-ass stories are true.

Sadly, you're not much different than the worst Islamophobics.

Nice spamming BTW.

Question for you: When nearly all the stories about Israel's alleged crimes are proven false, or are just too questionable - what kind of impression will that make on you? I'd say you're so intractable and closed-minded, no impression will be made. You'll just look to spam the next lame conspiracy theory or outright lie. Whaddayathink, Sherlock?

[Scurrilous]

15. Israel accused of war crimes over 12-hour assault on Gaza village

White flags ignored and houses bulldozed with families inside, claim residents

<snip>

"Israel stands accused of perpetrating a series of war crimes during a sustained 12-hour assault on a village in southern Gaza last week in which 14 people died.

In testimony collected from residents of the village of Khuza'a by the Observer, it is claimed that Israeli soldiers entering the village:

• attempted to bulldoze houses with civilians inside;

• killed civilians trying to escape under the protection of white flags;

• opened fire on an ambulance attempting to reach the wounded;

• used indiscriminate force in a civilian area and fired white phosphorus shells.

If the allegations are upheld, all the incidents would constitute breaches of the Geneva conventions.

The denunciations over what happened in Khuza'a follow repeated claims of possible human rights violations from the Red Cross, the UN and human rights organisations."

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