Analysis of NGO Agendas and Distortions on the Gaza Conflict
Introduction
As in previous rounds of the Arab-Israeli conflict, political NGOs have issued numerous unfound statements condemning Israel.
These statements make unverifiable claims, distort international law, and in at least one of the cases (see below) include language of blood libel. They are repeated by journalists, diplomats, and UN officials.
(See below for a more extensive compilation of NGO statements.)
Table of Contents
Main themes
1) Narrow ideological agendas vs. universal principles
NGOs exploit universal human rights and international legal rhetoric to promote narrow ideologies and agendas. Their allegations and condemnations are driven by political concerns, not human rights values or objective, factual analysis.
[Funded by the European Union, Spain (via AECID), the Netherlands (via ICCO), Belgium (via Broederlijk Delen), UK (via Christian Aid), Denmark (via DanChurchAid), Germany (via Medico International), Norway, the Open Society Institute and the New Israel Fund)]
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “… the precondition for long-awaited peace and quiet in the region is ending the occupation. …Behind both operation ‘Protective Edge’ and ‘Brother’s Keeper’ there is a steady continuous existence of fear, oppression and injustice. This is the occupation, and millions of people live under the burden of its weight day after day.” (emphasis added)
[Funded by the Netherlands (via Cordaid), UK (via the Sigrid Rausing Trust), EU (via EMHRF), France (via CCFD), American Friends Service Committee, Foundation for Middle East Peace, and the New Israel Fund]
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “How do you turn blood into money? Like every military operation, ‘Protective Edge’ is fertile ground for testing new weapons and improving the killing mechanisms. For there is a need to maintain Israel’s place in exporting unmanned aerial vehicles, and there is no better place for that than bombing the Middle East’s densest area.” (emphasis added; translated from the original Hebrew by NGO Monitor)
[Funded by the Netherlands (via Kerk in Actie), Sweden(via Diakonia), Mennonite Central Committee (U.S. and Canada), Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church USA, Presbyterian Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, and Friends of Sabeel chapters in North America, UK, Norway, and others]
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “The rockets from Gaza will not end the occupation. ..the military might of Israel will not defeat our people…in few days or a couple of weeks a cease fire will occur but only after many mothers will weep and bury their dead…may God’s power silence the violence and bring an end to the occupation the source of all evil.”
Press Release: “Israel/Gaza: All sides must protect civilians as conflict escalates,” July 8, 2014: “…in light of the continuing failure by both sides to provide accountability, Amnesty International is again calling for an international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.” (This demand repeatedly appears in Amnesty statements on Israel.)
[Funded by the European Union, the Netherlands (via ICCO and Kerk in Actie), Secretariat (joint governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands), Germany (EED), Save the Children International, Belgium (via Broederlijk Delen), UNDP, World Vision, The United Methodist Church, The United Church of Canada, and others]
Statement: “Seven children killed in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza,” July 9, 2014 “The death and injury to children caused by Israel’s military offensive on Gaza demonstrates serious and extensive disregard of fundamental principles of international law.” (There is no mention of Israeli children in this statement.)
2) Unverifiable allegations
NGO statements are unverified, unsupported, and non-credible, primarily based on unreliable “eyewitnesses” and pseudo-investigations. The following illustrative examples violate norms of due diligence.
(Click here to read NGO Monitor’s report: B’Tselem’s Expanding Credibility Gap)
[Funded by the European Union, Norway, Germany (via EED), Ireland (via Trocaire), UK, Sweden (via Diakonia), the Netherlands (via ICCO), the NDC (currently the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat; joint funding from Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands), UNDP, and the Ford Foundation]
Press Release: “Protect civilians from the impact of hostilities,” July 8, 2014: “B’Tselem’s initial investigation found that since the operation began, approximately 10 people were killed in several attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. Of these, to the best of B’Tselem’s knowledge at this point, seven persons – most of them minors – were killed when the home of alleged Hamas activist ‘Odeh al-Kaware’ah was bombed.” (emphasis added)
Statement: “Oxfam calls for urgent ceasefire as Gaza-Israel violence escalates,” July 9, 2014: “Continued escalation will have a particularly severe impact on civilians in Gaza, who are already impoverished by the ongoing Israeli blockade and account for the vast majority of those injured and killed in the violence.” (emphasis added)
3) Distortions and inventions of international law
NGOs often make legal claims relating to military matters requiring expertise or factual information that they do not possess. In some cases, the legal principle invoked is grossly distorted, inapplicable, or simply made up so that NGOs can allege a violation by Israel.
Press Release: “Israel/Gaza: All sides must protect civilians as conflict escalates,” July 8, 2014: “Both sides have an abysmal track record of violating international human rights and humanitarian law during armed conflict….Amid the renewed hostilities and in light of the continuing failure by both sides to provide accountability, Amnesty International is again calling for an international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.”
Press release: “Bombing family homes of activists in armed Palestinian groups violates international humanitarian law,” July 9, 2014
Since the Israeli military launched Operation Protective Edge in the early hours of 8 July 2014, the IDF Spokesperson and media sources have reported deliberate attacks against the homes of senior activists in armed Palestinian groups. The IDF Spokesperson reported that 11 such homes were attacked… Even if uninvolved civilians are not injured, these houses are not legitimate military targets, and attacking them is a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The gravity of the violation is compounded when uninvolved civilians are injured.” (emphasis added)
[Funded by the European Union, the Netherlands (via ICCO and Kerk in Actie), Secretariat (joint governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands), Germany (EED), Save the Children International, Belgium (via Broederlijk Delen), UNDP, World Vision, The United Methodist Church, The United Church of Canada, and others]
Statement: “Seven children killed in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza,” July 9, 2014 “The death and injury to children caused by Israel’s military offensive on Gaza demonstrates serious and extensive disregard of fundamental principles of international law…Israeli forces must not carry out indiscriminate airstrikes in densely populated areas that fail to distinguish between military targets, civilians and civilian objects.”
Press release: “Palestine/Israel: Indiscriminate Palestinian Rocket Attacks,” July 9, 2014
Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel appear to be indiscriminate or targeted at civilian population centers, which are war crimes, while Israeli attacks targeting homes may amount to prohibited collective punishment… Attacks on the homes of fighters that do not serve an immediate military purpose- as, again, some of these seem to be- are acts of collective punishment, which the laws of war prohibit.” (emphasis added)
[Funded by Ireland, UK, Network for Social Change, Methodist relief and development, and others]
Facebook post, July 5, 2014: “Strong protest outside Israel’s embassy in London today! Thanks to everyone who attended, chanted and spoke out against Israel’s collective punishment measures and human rights violations.”
Facebook post, July 8, 2014: “Join us for an emergency protest on Friday 11 July (5:30-7:30pm) outside the Israeli embassy. We need your support to stop Israel’s latest military aggression against the Palestinian people.”
4) Calls for international investigations, war crimes, arms embargoes, and BDS campaigns
- Adalah, ACRI, B’Tselem, Gisha, Hamoked, Machsom Watch, PHR-I, PCATI, Rabbis for Human Rights, and Yesh Din
10 Human Rights Organizations in an Urgent Letter to Attorney General: Concerns Regarding Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law in the IDF’s Operations in Gaza, press release, July 21, 2014
Public letter to Attorney General: “Offensive policy in Gaza in Operation Protective Edge,” July 21, 2014
“The reports and data which have accumulated thus far regarding the nature of the strikes and the level of injury to noncombatant civilians as a result of these strikes raise serious concern of severe violations of international humanitarian law, and specifically the laws of war….…All of the incidents listed in this letter, and others not mentioned, require detailed and separate examinations to determine whether they violated the laws of war. However, the aggregate picture of the incidents, in our opinion, requires an urgent examination of the suspected violations of the laws of war at the level of offensive policy and the rules of engagement.
Adalah demands investigations into suspected war crimes in the Gaza Strip, press release, July 18, 2014
“This past week, Adalah sent a series of urgent letters to Israeli military and legal authorities, including the Minister of Defense, the Military Advocate General (MAG) and the Attorney General, urging them to immediately open investigations into alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.”
Palestinian civil society in Israel demands urgent action on Gaza (together with Mossawa, Kayan, I’lam, Baladna, Mada al Carmel, and others), July 14, 2014
“We, the undersigned organizations, express extreme concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation within the Gaza Strip and urge the international community to take immediate action to halt the deadly aggression being waged against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We also urge the UN to initiate a fact-finding mission to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. …. We, the undersigned organizations, strongly condemn Israel’s unlawful targeting of civilians, civilian areas, and civilian property, which is illegal under international law and amounts to collective punishment…. We call on the international community to monitor closely the recent escalation of attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip, and to raise concerns of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity based on the Rome Statute. We also urge the UN to initiate a fact-finding mission to investigate these events.”
Adalah to Defense Ministry: Israeli military should immediately stop targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza and open investigations into alleged war crimes (press release, July 11, 2014)
Yesterday, on 10 July 2014, Adalah sent an urgent and detailed letter to the Minister of Defense, the Military Advocate General and the Attorney General demanding that they immediately act to stop the killing of and injury to the civilian population in Gaza, and to open investigations into cases of serious violations of international humanitarian law which may constitute war crimes.
Palestinian civil society in Israel demands urgent action on Gaza (Signed by Adalah, Mada al-Carmel, Baladna, I’lam, Mossawa, and others, July 14, 2014)
We, the undersigned organizations, express extreme concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation within the Gaza Strip and urge the international community to take immediate action to halt the deadly aggression being waged against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We also urge the UN to initiate a fact-finding mission to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- Al Haq, Addameer, Aldameer, Al Mezan, Badil, Defence for Children International- Palestine Section, Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and others.
Palestinian Human Rights Groups to European Union: Practice What You Peace (Travel Impact Newswire, July 15, 2014)
The Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council (PHROC),a coalition of twelve Palestinian human rights organisations, are gravely concerned about Israel’s indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against, already vulnerable, Palestinian civilians and civilian objects. The population of the Gaza Strip has been living under an Israeli imposed closure for the past seven years, constituting a form of collective punishment…
In view of the upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting and the continued political dialogue between the EU and Israel, PHROC calls on the EU and its member states to:
Immediately and unequivocally deplore Israel’s indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against Palestinian civilians and civilian objects;
Refrain from condoning Israel’s misuse of the notion of self-defence Take the position that the root cause of the ongoing hostilities is Israel’s belligerent occupation and accompanied violations of international law, including the Palestinian inherent right to self-determination;
Ensure that perpetrators of violations of international law are held to account, including through the exercise of universal jurisdiction; Unequivocally support Palestinian accession of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in order to ensure that an international forum will be accessible to address the crimes committed during the course of ongoing hostilities in the OPT as well as previously committed and continuing crimes.
UN must impose arms embargo and mandate an international investigation as civilian death toll rises (press release; July 11, 2014)
Since Israel launched Operation “Protective Edge” in the early morning of 8 July, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, most of them civilians who were not directly participating in hostilities… “As the violence intensifies there is an urgent need for the UN to mandate an international independent fact-finding mission to Gaza and Israel to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict. This is the first crucial step towards ensuring that those who have committed war crimes or other serious violations can be held accountable,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International…
Amnesty International is also calling on the UN to immediately impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups with the aim of preventing further serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by the parties to the conflict.
Appendix
Adalah demands independent investigation into Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical staff in Gaza (press release; July 28, 2014)
On 24 July 2014, Adalah and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Defense, Attorney General and Military Advocate General, demanding an immediate investigation into the Israeli military’s attacks on hospitals and medical workers in the Gaza Strip, including bombings against Al-Aqsa hospital, Beit Hanoun hospital, and ambulances. These assaults have led to suspicions of serious violations of international humanitarian law, which may constitute war crimes. Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher sent the letter based on information collected by Al Mezan field workers located at the sites of the incident in question.
About 40 protesters arrested in Haifa during weekend of demonstrations against Israeli military offensive in Gaza (press release; July 20, 2014)
Last night, Saturday, 19 July 2014, Adalah represented 29 Palestinian citizens of Israel before the Haifa Magistrates’ Court, following their arrests during a demonstration in Haifa the night before in protest of Israel’s military offensives in the Gaza Strip. Large squads of police forces, including undercover officers and mounted police, brutally attacked the protestors without provocation. Three protestors were taken to hospital with injuries, and two protestors, who were detained by police, were later transferred to the hospital.
Adalah demands investigations into suspected Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip (press release; July 18, 2014)
This past week, Adalah sent a series of urgent letters to Israeli military and legal authorities, including the Minister of Defense, the Military Advocate General (MAG) and the Attorney General, urging them to immediately open investigations into alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
Joint letter: Grave concern regarding Israeli calls to vacate northern Gaza Strip (press release, July 14, 2014)
…Under international humanitarian law, the argument that combatants from Hamas or other organizations are operating from within the civilian population does not, in itself, render civilians and civilian sites military objectives that may be attacked. Israel cannot absolve itself of responsibility for the grave harm to civilians that we have witnessed since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge (and in the past) by claiming that Hamas and other organizations are operating from within the civilian population or are using residents as human shields.
Israeli bears sole responsibility for its strikes on the Gaza Strip, even if Palestinian organizations are operating unlawfully. Deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian property are a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
Open Letter: Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the Gaza Strip: Establish an Independent Commission of Inquiry into Violations of International Law Committed During Israeli ‘Operation Protective Edge’ and Ensuring Accountability (July 22, 2014; signed by FIDH, Al Haq, Al Mezan, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), and Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies)
The undersigned national, regional and international human rights organisations call upon the UN Human Rights Council, which will convene a Special Session on 23 July 2014, to establish an international independent commission of inquiry to investigate violations of international law, including international crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity, which may have taken place in the context of the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
As IOF Ground Invasion Ensues, Numbers of Palestinians Killed Climbs to 330 including 76 Children and 36 Women, 20 Children Killed since Yesterday and over 50,000 People Displaced (press release; July 19, 2014)
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have continued its military operation; including a ground invasion into, the Gaza Strip. Direct attacks on civilians continued to harvest civilians’ lives. Attacks on houses and apartment buildings continued as civilians were inside them; including an attack on an apartment building in the center of Khan Younis city. In the Al Zanna area, the IOF prevented emergency crews from reaching a group of injured civilians and let them bleed for hours to death. In several incidents the IOF directed attacks on civilians as they tried to flee from areas under IOF’s attack; mostly women and children. Moreover, IOF warnings to hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes continued; although warnings lacked specificity or safe routes or areas civilians might resort to; especially as houses and buildings continued to be under attack.
Al Mezan Condemns IOF Attacks on Health Facilities and Humanitarian Crews; Calls on the International Community to Protect Civilians in Gaza (July 14, 2014)
Since the start of the on-going Israeli military operation codenamed, Protective Edge, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have targeted hundreds of civilian objects in the Gaza Strip. In addition to directly attacking homes – frequently with inhabitants inside them – the IOF has directed attacks on municipality crews, including the Costal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) crews, and health facilities and health workers… These attacks weaken the ability of these facilities to operate and the workers to deliver services that are considered essential for the survival and wellbeing of the civilian population. The attacks are unlawful under international law.
Gaza Diaries5: “All that is left is my sister, who is married and lives elsewhere. No one in the house survived,” (July 15, 2014)
IOF Airstrike on a Disabled NGO Kills 2, Injures 4, 128 Killed, over 780 Injured and 635 Houses Destroyed as IOF Military Attacks Continue (press release; July 12, 2014)
IOF’s airstrikes continued to target houses and other civilian objects with heavy bombs and missiles… Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns the IOF’s attacks on civilians and civilian objects and calls on international community to act swiftly to stop them.
…Al Mezan calls on international community to act to stop attacks on civilians. International community must intervene to ensure that the attacks on houses, mosques, and especially the disabled NGO building, are investigated and prosecuted as per the standards provided by international law.
Al Mezan also urges international community; especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to act swiftly and resolutely to provide effective protection for the civilian population under Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip.
IOF Attacks on Gaza Continue: 103 Killed, over 600 Injured and 409 Houses Destroyed, Shameful Silence of International Community Must Stop (press release; July 11, 2014)
…During this period the IOF targeted more houses and other civilian objects. IOF ‘warning missiles’ fired at inhabited houses caused deaths and injuries to civilians.
Al Mezan deplores the inaction of international community as serious violations of international law continue to claim civilian lives in Gaza. Al Mezan strongly condemns IOF’s attacks on civilians, which are unlawful and must be investigated and prosecuted. International community must act swiftly to ensure that attacks are not directed at civilians and the aggression on the Gaza Strip is put to a halt…
Al Mezan condemns IOF’s unlawful, deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian property in the Gaza Strip. Al Mezan reiterates that armed attacks that are deliberately directed at civilians contravene the basic principles of distinction or proportionality and represent war crimes that must be investigated and prosecuted. Al Mezan stresses that warning civilians by firing missiles on their houses represent direct attacks on civilians that have claimed civilian lives; including children, and must be stopped…
As these violations of international law continue, more attacks that fail to observe international law are expected to occur in the Gaza Strip, which urges international community; especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to act swiftly and resolutely to provide the due protection for the civilian population that are being victimized by these violations.
In Criminal Attacks, IOF Bombard Two Houses Killing 11 and Wounding 23, Raising Toll to 35 Killed and 297 Wounded. Al Mezan: Perpetrators Must Be Prosecuted and Civilians Protected (press release; July 9, 2014)
In a serious escalation, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) deliberately bombarded two houses where dozens of civilians were present, including children, in addition to bombarding other civilian objects in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mezan strongly condemns the criminal attacks on civilians and civilian property and calls for prosecuting those who ordered and perpetrated the serious violations of international law. The international community must intervene swiftly and effectively to protect the civilian population from such serious violations.
…Al Mezan condemns these criminal attacks with the strongest terms. Armed attacks that are deliberately directed at civilians in a way that does not ensure compliance with the principles of distinction or proportionality represent war crimes that must be investigated and prosecuted. The acts of killing of civilians, including children, are being committed under the disgraceful silence of the international community, which has failed thus far to intervene to stop attacks against civilians or to protect them. As serious violations of international law continue by the IOF, mounting attacks that fail to observe international law are expected to occur in the Gaza Strip, which demand that the international community, especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, act swiftly and resolutely to provide due protection for the civilian population that are being victimized by these violations.
Human Rights Organizations Calls on the International Community to Immediately Act to Stop and the Israeli Offensive and Protect Palestinian Civilians (Joint press release; July 9, 2014)
Israeli occupation forces have continued to escalate their offensive against Palestinian civilians and their property. Israeli forces had launched daily attacks in the form of indiscriminate airstrikes aimed to terrify Palestinian civilians before officially declaring launching a military offensive codenamed ‘Operation Protective Edge.’ Since the initiation of this offensive, Israel has unbridled its war machines bombing and destroying civilian facilities using excessive force. As a result, 36 Palestinians have been killed and more than 350 others have been wounded, most of them are woman children.
…The human rights organizations strongly condemns the escalating Israeli offensive, and stresses that the international community’s neglect of their legal obligations towards the civilian population, including ignoring the Advisory Opinion issued ten years ago by the International Court of Justice concerning the Wall in the West Bank and the report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza Conflict (the Goldstone Report), has enhanced impunity in committing grave breaches of the international law, which encourages Israeli forces to commit more crimes against the Palestinian civilian population.
As the situation worsens by the hour in the Gaza Strip, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights reiterates its strong condemnation of the IOF escalating aggression on the Gaza Strip. IOF’s targeting of houses, mosques and other civilian objects represents a serious escalation of the hostilities. Such escalation recalls previous wide-scaled military operations in which such attacks that fail to comply with the rules of international law claimed hundreds of civilians.
Eight martyrs and wounded eight, in the bombing of Israeli aircraft to areas of the Gaza Strip today, Al Mezan condemns escalation and calls for the international community to intervene and protect civilians (July 7, 2014; Arabic)
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights as it expresses its strong condemnation of the continued Israeli escalation against the Gaza Strip, especially the deliberate targeting or disproportionate use of civilians and civilian objects in a grave breach of international law, it is seen severe escalation of the seriousness of these violations and the pace of Israeli attacks.
Accordingly, we calls upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, for urgent action to protect civilians. The center emphasizes that the international community’s silence and failure to meet its legal obligations to protect civilians and stop the abuses encouraged not still on the occupation authorities continue to violate the serious rules of international humanitarian law.
(English title differs; says seven have been wounded)
Alternative Information Center (AIC)
ACT! Support Palestine’s complaint against Israel with ICC (August 11, 2014)
…Humanity has no future if a State, because it wields military power, can with total impunity commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, and deny the fundamental rights of a sovereign people.
Israel has chosen war, whose only aim is to spread terror among the Palestinian population and impose its presence in the whole of Palestine. Palestine’s response is to choose the law, knowing that, in the eyes of the world, right is might.
…We, citizens of the world, condemn the manoeuvres of our leaders and support Palestine’s complaint lodged with the International Criminal Court, the only court with competence to judge the most serious war crimes, those that have been committed in Palestine in general and in Gaza in particular.
Renewed slaughter in Gaza ghetto (Eli Aminov, July 28, 2014)
It once again becomes apparent that the sole factor threatening the citizens of Israel and endangering the lives of its residents and the surroundings is not Iran, not Islam and not the Arab world, but the insane leadership of this country.
Following a campaign of punishment and revenge in the West Bank, Israel commenced one of terror in Gaza with the goal of harming, destroying and also killing Gaza residents, as well as the Palestinian attempt at unity between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Instead of exploiting the unity agreement as a lever for conducting negotiations with a united government that recognises its existence, Israel – as is its custom – turned to an additional war.
Another chapter in an ongoing war, the goal of which is to continue transferring historical Palestine into the hands of the Zionists and to get rid of the unnecessary indigenous population. In Israel war is not a continuation of policy using other means, but politics is a continuation of war using other tools.
The cynicism of Israel’s government can compete only with its cruelty…
Israel’s expedition of punishment and revenge gave birth to furious reactions amongst the Palestinian citizens of Israel…
The Hamas government in Gaza did not aspire to a head-on collision, and the Israeli terrorist government contends that it did not either. However, the expected Palestinian response was answered with shelling by the Israeli air force, extra-judicial killings – which are nothing more than the public execution of those sentenced to death without a trial – and the killing of fighters and civilians in Gaza.
…This situation requires a revolutionary change. The national question in Palestine cannot be solved by wars, continued ethnic cleansing, a worsening of the apartheid situation, war crimes and being bogged down again and again in a swamp of blood. The completely opposite policy must be taken, as only it can allow the Jews of Israel to live in peace in this country. In the first stage Israel must get out of Gaza; stop the ethnic cleansing and killing sprees against the Palestinian people; to end the siege on the Gaza ghetto; and to release all political prisoners…
In the historical recounting of the Palestinian war of liberation war, Gaza will be remembered as the parallel to Stalingrad.
Urgent call from Gaza civil society- act now! (“Written by Multiple groups from the Gaza Strip,” published July 15, 2014; also published in Electronic Intifada and International Solidarity Movement)
We Palestinians, trapped inside the bloodied and besieged Gaza Strip, call on conscientious people all over the world, to act, protest, and intensify the boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel until it ends this murderous attack on our people and is held to account.
With the world turning their backs on us once again, for the last four days we have in Gaza been left to face massacre after massacre. As you read these words, over 120 Palestinians are dead now, including 25 children. Over 1000 have been injured, including countless horrifying injuries that will limit lives forever – more than two thirds of the injured are women and children. We know for a fact that many more will not make it through the next day. Which of us will be next, as we lie awake from the sound of the carnage in our beds tonight? Will we be the next photo left in an unrecognizable state from Israel’s state of the art flesh tearing, limb stripping machinery of destruction?
We call for a final end to the crimes and oppression against us. We call for:
– Arms embargos on Israel, sanctions that would cut off the supply of weapons and military aid from Europe and the United States on which Israel depends to commit such war crimes;
– Suspension of all free trade and bilateral agreements with Israel such as the EU-Israel Association agreement;
– Boycott, divestment and sanctions, as called for by the overwhelming majority of Palestinian Civil Society in 2005
Without pressure and isolation, the Israeli regime has proven time and time again that it will continue such massacres as we see around us now, and continue the decades of systematic ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid policies.
We are writing this on Saturday night, again paralyzed in our homes as the bombs fall on us in Gaza. Who knows when the current attacks will end? For anyone over seven years old, permanently etched on our minds are the rivers of blood that ran through the Gaza streets when for over 3 weeks in 2009 over 1400 Palestinians were killed including over 330 children. White phosphorous and other chemical weapons were used in civilian areas and contaminating our land with a rise in cancers as a result. More recently 180 more were killed in the week-long attacks in late November 2012…
As more news comes in, as Israeli leaders’ give promises of moving onto a next stage in brutality, we know there are more horrors yet to come…
We insist on international action:
– Severance of diplomatic ties with Israel
– Trials for war crimes
– Immediate international protection of the civilians of Gaza
We call on you to join the growing international boycott, divestment and sanction campaign to hold this rogue state to account that is proving once again to be so violent and yet so unchallenged. Join the growing critical mass around the world with a commitment to the day when Palestinians do not have to grow up amidst this relentless murder and destruction by the Israeli regime…
[Signed by the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, University Teachers’ Association in Palestine, Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (Umbrella for 133 orgs), General Union of Palestinian Women, Medical Democratic Assembly, General Union of Palestine Workers, General Union for Health Services Workers, General Union for Public Services Workers, General Union for Petrochemical and Gas Workers, General Union for Agricultural Workers, Union of Women’s Work Committees, Pal-Cinema (Palestine Cinema Forum), Youth Herak Movement, Union of Women’s Struggle Committees, Union of Synergies—Women Unit, Union of Palestinian Women Committees, Women’s Studies Society, Working Woman’s Society, Press House, Palestinian Students’ Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel, Gaza BDS Working Group, One Democratic State Group]
Israel begins military operation against Gaza (Edmund Russell, June 8, 2014)
“Last night, the Israeli cabinet ordered a ‘phased escalation’ in Gaza and commenced this new offensive, codenamed Operation Protective Edge. This continues the ruthless airstrikes on the Gazan enclave, taking Israel near to its third major operation in the isolated Palestinian Strip in six years.”
Evidence of medical workers and facilities being targeted by Israeli forces in Gaza (August 7, 2014)
Testimonies from doctors, nurses, and ambulence workers who have spoken to Amnesty International paint a disturbing picture of hospitals and health professions coming under attack by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, where at least six medics have been killed. There is growing evidence that health facilities or professionals have been targeted in some cases.
Israel/Gaza conflict: Questions and Answers (July 25, 2014)
Amnesty International welcomes resolution S-21/1 to establish a commission of inquiry and notes that the wording allows the commission to investigate violations of international law by all parties to the current conflict. The commission of inquiry represents an important opportunity to break the cycle of persistent impunity for crimes under international law in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). In order to be effective the commission of inquiry must be thorough, independent and impartial, and look into violations by any party to the conflict. It must be adequately resourced and have unrestricted access to all relevant areas. Amnesty International urges all states – including all EU member states, who abstained on the resolution – to co-operate with the commission as required.
…All states (particularly key suppliers, for example USA for Israel) must suspend all transfers of weapons, munitions and other military equipment and technology to all sides until there is no longer a substantial risk that such items will be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law or serious human rights abuses. The suspension should include all indirect exports via other countries, the transfer of military components and technologies and any brokering, financial or logistical activities that would facilitate such transfers.
States should use the 2009 report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict and the upcoming report of the commission of inquiry mandated this week by the Human Rights Council as a basis to exercise universal jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes under international law before their national courts.
Israel/Gaza: Attacks on medical facilities and civilians add to war crimes allegations (July 21, 2014)
The continuing bombardment of civilian homes in several areas of the Gaza Strip, as well as the Israeli shelling of a hospital, add to the list of possible war crimes that demand an urgent independent international investigation, said Amnesty International.
Further War Crimes Must Be Prevented After Israeli Ground Assault (July 18, 2014)
Israel’s ground assault on the Gaza Strip, which began last night after 10 days of attacks by Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, accentuates the need for urgent international action to protect civilians in Gaza and Israel from further war crimes by both sides, Amnesty International said today.
“Israel’s relentless air assault on Gaza has seen its forces flagrantly disregard civilian life and property, which must be protected under international humanitarian law,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
Some 240 Palestinians had already been killed before the ground operation began, at least 171 of them civilians, including 48 children and 31 women, up to 3pm on 17 July, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. One Israeli civilian was killed by mortar fire from Gaza on 15 July.
At least 30 more Palestinians have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip since the ground assault was launched.
“Targeting civilians and direct attacks on civilian property cannot be justified. Both sides, which have repeatedly violated international law with impunity, must be held accountable, and the first step towards that is a UN-mandated international investigation,” said Philip Luther.
More than 1,780 homes have also been completely destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by Israeli attacks, leaving at least 10,600 Gazan residents homeless. Israeli civilian property has also been damaged by indiscriminate rockets fired from Gaza.
“Deliberately attacking a civilian home is a war crime, and the overwhelming scale of destruction of civilian homes, in some cases with entire families inside them, points to a distressing pattern of repeated violations of the laws of war,” said Philip Luther.
The Israeli authorities have not provided information on specific cases to justify such attacks. Unless they can do so, any such attacks constitute war crimes and amount to collective punishment.
Even if someone in the house is a member of a Palestinian armed group, a strike on a civilian home in which an entire family is present is likely to be a disproportionate attack.
In some cases Israeli forces have launched air strikes on civilian homes without any type of warning whatsoever or not leaving residents enough time to evacuate. In other cases, civilians were struck and killed by Israeli missiles outdoors and when there had been no apparent activity by Palestinian armed groups in the area…
Israel/Gaza: UN must impose arms embargo and mandate an international investigation as civilian death toll rises (press release, July 11, 2014)
Amnesty International is calling for a UN-mandated international investigation into violations committed on all sides amidst ongoing Israeli air strikes across the Gaza Strip and continuing volleys of indiscriminate rocket fire from Palestinian armed groups into Israel.
“As the violence intensifies there is an urgent need for the UN to mandate an international independent fact-finding mission to Gaza and Israel to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict. This is the first crucial step towards ensuring that those who have committed war crimes or other serious violations can be held accountable,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.
“The international community must not repeat previous mistakes, standing by and watching the devastating consequences for civilians of both sides failing to abide by and enforce the laws of war. Swift UN action is needed as lives hang in the balance.”
Amnesty International is also calling on the UN to immediately impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups with the aim of preventing further serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by the parties to the conflict. Pending such an embargo, all states must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to the parties, which have failed to properly investigate violations committed in previous conflicts or bring those responsible to justice.
Israel/Gaza: All sides must protect civilians as conflict escalates (press release; July 8, 2014)
“As of the morning of Tuesday 8 July, more than 240 indiscriminate rockets had been fired from Gaza into southern Israel since 12 June, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Amnesty International has repeatedly condemned the firing of indiscriminate rockets, which cannot be aimed accurately at military targets. Hamas’ military wing claimed responsibility for firing dozens of indiscriminate rockets on Tuesday. ‘The firing of indiscriminate rockets by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza is a war crime that endangers civilians on both sides of the Gaza/Israel border. All indiscriminate rocket fire by these groups must cease immediately,” said Philip Luther….Both sides have an abysmal track record of violating international human rights and humanitarian law during armed conflict.’
The Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups have repeatedly failed to hold perpetrators accountable for war crimes and other serious violations of international law committed during previous rounds of fighting, in particular during the Israeli military operations “Pillar of Defense” in November 2012 and “Cast Lead” in December 2008 until January 2009.
Amid the renewed hostilities and in light of the continuing failure by both sides to provide accountability, Amnesty International is again calling for an international arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.”
Letter to U.S. Congress (June 26, 2014)
Dear Member of Congress:
Following last month’s killing of two Palestinian teenagers by Israeli soldiers, Amnesty International is calling for major reforms to Israel’s system for investigating alleged violations by its military and security forces. Until the Government of Israel enacts serious mechanisms to ensure accountability for human rights violations, the U.S. Congress should suspend all arms transfers to Israel.
Israeli forces have repeatedly responded with extreme violence to Palestinian protests against Israel’s occupation, as well as in response to Palestinian protests against Israel’s discriminatory policies, confiscation of land, and construction of unlawful settlements. Peaceful protesters, civilian bystanders, human rights activists, and journalists are among those who have been killed or injured. In some of the cases that Amnesty International has examined and documented, it appears that Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers were victims of willful killings. If so, such killings would amount to war crimes.
For these reasons, we call on the U.S. government to suspend transfers of munitions, weapons, crowd control devices, and military training to Israel. Such a suspension of U.S. arms transfers to Israel must be maintained until Israel puts in place effective mechanisms to ensure that these transfers will not be used to commit or facilitate violations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Human Rights NGOs: Concern for Safety of Civilians in the Northern Gaza Strip (July 15, 2014)
Nine human rights organizations – The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, B’tselem, Adalah, Amnesty International – Israel, Gisha, Physicians for Human Rights, The Public Committee Against Torture, Yesh Din and the Center for the Defence of the Individual – sent a letter today to the Minister of Defence, the Chief Military Advocate General and the Attorney General. The letter explains that calling on civilian residents of the Northern Gaza Strip to evacuate the area raises serious concerns that planned army operations are likely to bring about civilian deaths and widespread destruction to property. The organizations emphasized in the letter that the IDF must operate according to international humanitarian law that prohibits causing intentional harm to a civilian population, including civilian property, and that providing advance notice does not enable the army to refer to the entire area as though it was sterile and attack civilian institutions.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) denounces the Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip that target residential buildings (Statement; July 10, 2014)
“According to the laws of war, armed forces are required to adopt measures to avoid civilian casualties even when attacking legitimate military targets, and certainly when the legitimacy of the target is questionable. Generally, residential buildings, both in the Gaza Strip and in Israel, are considered civilian sites and do not constitute a legitimate military objective. When there is concern about the possibility of civilian casualties, or when there are clear indications that civilian casualties will eventuate, a military attack must be avoided.”
Facebook; July 28, 2014
Last night, we stood with thousands of people in Rabin sq. and called together for an end to the violence in Gaza and the end of the occupation. We will not stop doing everything in our power to end the prolonged occupation and the ongoing operation in Gaza.
Facebook; July 17, 2014
Tonight we will take to the streets and call – We Refuse to look away! Tonight at 8PM we will meet at Habima Square in Tel Aviv to read testimonies from soldiers in Gaza: Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense, and other operations we were told were meant to protect Israeli national security, but instead led us into another round of combat. Each wave of violence was at the expense of innocent civilians in Gaza, Israeli residents – in Southern Israel in particular, and at the expense of Israeli soldiers – us.
Join us in the face of those trying to silence criticism, to provide a place for soldiers’ testimonies to be heard, and to call for an end to violence and occupation in Gaza together.
How an army of defense became an army of vengeance (article written by member of Breaking the Silence, published in +972 Magazine, July 16, 2014)
The Israeli leadership responded to the demands for revenge by mobilizing the Israeli military as an army of vengeance, and Hamas responded in kind. The military operation that commenced in the West Bank as a result of the kidnapping included collective punishment of thousands of Palestinian civilians…
I will never forget that evening, the evening when my friends and I were transformed from soldiers of an army of defense to soldiers of an army of vengeance. We changed from soldiers sent to defend our families into murderers of innocent people.
A few years after that night, I broke my silence because I believed that the Israeli public needed to know what takes place, in its name, on a daily in the occupied Palestinian territories. I am breaking my silence again today because I believe that the Israeli public and its leadership need to know what they are asking for when they call for revenge. They need to know that when they seek revenge they are actually asking us to turn today’s soldiers – our friends, siblings, and children – into murderers. It is the same bloody transition my friends and I underwent back in 2002.
With respect to the victims of vengeance on both sides, and for the sake of the youths sent to be turned into murderers, the time has come to stop this cycle of revenge.
As an ex-soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces, I’ve seen how shockingly we treat Palestinians (Avner Gvaryahu, The Independent, July 15, 2014)
What happened to me is happening to the IDF and to Israeli society at large. During Operation Cast Lead I had been a civilian active with Breaking the Silence for over a year, but I was still shocked by the incidents I heard had occurred there. I remember a friend who had taken part in Cast Lead. He returned shaken by the fact that homes of “Hamas members” were deemed legitimate targets for bombing without any relation to the risk they posed to our soldiers in the field. That was the first time he had encountered such orders during his military service… The same red line that was crossed during Operation Cast Lead has become the starting line for Operation Protective Edge. Homes of “Hamas members” were added to the IDF’s long list of potential targets in the Gaza Strip.
Facebook; July 8, 2014 (Also see Hebrew version)
“Today Haaretz’s Israel Conference on Peace is taking place. We’re here to remind everyone that the precondition for long-awaited peace and quiet in the region is ending the occupation. We have to remind ourselves daily – and especially during charged days such as these – that behind the fear and fervor, the barrage of missiles and demonstrations of both unity and hate, there is an unspoken forgotten existence. Behind both operation “Protective Edge” and “Brother’s Keeper” there is a steady continuous existence of fear, oppression and injustice. This is the occupation, and millions of people live under the burden of its weight day after day.”
Facebook; July 8, 2014
Today Haaretz’s Israel Conference on Peace is taking place. We’re here to remind everyone that the precondition for long-awaited peace and quiet in the region is ending the occupation.
We have to remind ourselves daily – and especially during charged days such as these – that behind the fear and fervor, the barrage of missiles and demonstrations of both unity and hate, there is an unspoken forgotten existence. Behind both operation “Protective Edge” and “Brother’s Keeper” there is a steady continuous existence of fear, oppression and injustice. This is the occupation, and millions of people live under the burden of its weight day after day.
B’tselem (See NGO Monitor’s report: B’Tselem’s Expanding Credibility Gap)
Death Foretold: The inevitable outcome of bombing homes and inhabited aread in Gaza (August 12, 2014)
…Hamas is not – and cannot be – responsible for the extreme damage that Israel caused civilians in Gaza. Holding Hamas responsible for Israel’s actions is tantamount to freeing Israel of any restrictions in its response, no matter how horrendous, to violations of the law by Hamas. This position is unjustifiable, either morally or legally: the responsibility for the harsh consequences of Israel’s policy in the last month lies with Israel’s government and top military commanders who authorized it, despite the foreseeable horrific results.
Call for the immediate arrangement of a channel for civilians to escape the battle zone (press release; July 24, 2014)
The offensive in the Gaza Strip has resulted in widespread injury to the civilian population. At the time of writing, and since the fighting began, at least 718 people have been killed, with most sources and estimates indicating that at least 70% of those killed were civilians who were not involved in the hostilities. Over 140,000 people have abandoned their homes and taken shelter in UNWRA buildings. In addition to serious damage to the water and electricity infrastructure, there has been serious damage to hospitals and medical institutions and destruction of residential buildings.
This appeal is concerned with the absence of any secure area in the Gaza Strip to which civilians can escape to protect their lives and ensure their safety and that of their families. We demand the immediate opening of an escape route for civilians to escape the battle zone.
Joint letter to Defense Minister: Gaza Strip civilian infrastructure is collapsing (July 23, 2014)
In an urgent letter to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, 12 human rights organizations demand today that Israel fulfil its obligations and ensure that the humanitarian needs of the civilian population of Gaza are met, particularly with respect to the dwindling supply of water and electricity…
The letter notes that due to Israel’s closure policy, Gaza’s infrastructure was fragile even before the current fighting. The organizations also noted that Israel has repeatedly cited its humanitarian obligations to the civilian population in Gaza during hostilities, obligations rooted in international humanitarian law and affirmed by the Israeli High Court of Justice.
The organizations demanded that at the end of the hostilities, Israel remove all restrictions on movement to and from Gaza beyond those necessary for addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns, and allow the entrance of spare parts, fuel and construction materials needed for the repair and maintenance of the infrastructure.
10 Human Rights Organizations in an Urgent Letter to Attorney General: Concerns Regarding Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law in the IDF’s Operations in Gaza (including Gisha, ACRI, PCATI, Hamoked, Yesh Din, Adalah, Machsom Watch, Rabbis for Human Rights, PHR-I)
Ten human rights organizations urgently contacted Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein today following the release of reports on the nature of attacks within the Gaza Strip and the high rate of civilian casualties. This information raises concerns about grave violations of international humanitarian law.
The organizations demanded that the Attorney General instruct the government to refrain from violating the laws of war and re-evaluate its aggressive policy and rules of engagement. The organizations seek to clarify whether the Attorney General critically evaluated the legal advice supplied to the Military Advocate General that underpins ‘Operation Protective Edge’, and calls on him to establish an external, independent and effective investigatory mechanism to examine the decision making of the political and operational establishment as required by international law and supported by the rulings of the High Court of Justice.
B’Tselem calls on the Government of Israel to immediately cease the bombardment of inhabited homes, neighborhoods and areas in the Gaza Strip (July 21, 2014)
The horrific developments in Gaza have reached intolerable heights: Israel is bombing houses with people in them, entire families have been buried under rubble, and streets lie in ruins. Hundreds have been killed so far, dozens in the last 24 hours only, many of them women and children. The number of refugees is rising: tens of thousands of people have nowhere to go and no safe haven, as the besieged Gaza Strip is bombarded.
Israel considers any perceived link to Hamas justification for attack. Hamas considers any place in Israel a target. One party fires at civilians, more often than not missing the target thanks to the Iron Dome defense system. The other party fires at densely populated civilian areas, with deadly results on a shocking scale.
…Israel may proclaim its actions in Gaza to be moral and lawful, but the horrifying reality on the ground makes it impossible to further countenance Israel’s cynical use of legal terms such as “proportionality”, “distinction” and “due caution”. Israel is exploiting these words to justify the death and destruction it is wreaking on the Gaza Strip.
In view of all this, B’Tselem calls on the Government of Israel to immediately cease the bombardment of inhabited homes, neighborhoods and areas in the Gaza Strip.
Facebook; July 21, 2014
The horrific developments in Gaza have reached intolerable heights: Israel is bombing houses with people in them, entire families have been buried under rubble, and streets lie in ruins. Hundreds have been killed so far, dozens in the last 24 hours only, many of them women and children. The number of refugees is rising: tens of thousands of people have nowhere to go and no safe haven, as the besieged Gaza Strip is bombarded.
Israel considers any perceived link to Hamas justification for attack. Hamas considers any place in Israel a target. One party fires at civilians, more often than not missing the target thanks to the Iron Dome defense system. The other party fires at densely populated civilian areas, with deadly results on a shocking scale.
Hamas makes no pretense to follow the laws of war. Israel does, but holds Hamas responsible for its own actions – the dead, the refugees, the destroyed homes. Yet unlawful actions by one party cannot justify unlawful actions by the other, and regardless, each party bears sole responsibility for the outcome of its actions. Israel may proclaim its actions in Gaza to be moral and lawful, but the horrifying reality on the ground makes it impossible to further countenance Israel’s cynical use of legal terms such as “proportionality”, “discriminate [attacks]” and “duty of care”. Israel is exploiting these words to justify the death and destruction it is wreaking on the Gaza Strip.
In view of all this, B’Tselem calls on the Government of Israel to immediately cease the bombardment of inhabited homes, neighborhoods and areas in the Gaza Strip.
Military demand to evacuate rehabilitative hospital in Gaza unlawful (July 16, 2014)
The military’s demand to evacuate the hospital is unlawful. A hospital is not a military target and the military may not target it even after it is evacuated. The information B’Tselem has indicates that the hospital was ordered to evacuate as part of the sweeping demand to evacuate the entire neighborhood, in blatant disregard for the fact that evacuating a rehabilitation institution is a complicated task which may put lives at risk. There is no other rehabilitative institute in the area where patients can be transferred. These patients require special conditions that cannot be recreated. Transferring hospital patients is complicated and dangerous at the best of times. Under the current conditions in Gaza, the danger is mortal.
Gaza Strip, July 2014: A constant state of emergency (July 15, 2014)
According to B’Tselem’s initial inquiries, by yesterday evening (14 July 2014) at least 172 Palestinians had been killed in Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. This number includes 34 minors (eight younger than 6 years old), 20 women (under 60) and 10 senior citizens. Our field researchers in Gaza have been working ceaselessly, night and day, to document events. Our field researchers in the West Bank have been lending a hand by collecting testimonies over the phone. Our office staff has been processing and verifying information, and trying to convey the incomprehensible scope of the infringement on human rights.
Initial Figures: 172 People killed in Gaza Strip (to evening of 14 July 2014) (July 15, 2014)
According to B’Tselem’s initial figures, 172 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the time between early Tuesday 8 July 2014, when Operation Protective Edge airstrikes on Gaza began until the evening of 14 July.
Everyone has the right to life (Hagai El-Ad, July 14, 2014)
The past few weeks have been appalling for all who cherish human life. The simple words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – everyone has the right to life – embody a fundamental moral principle that is being repeatedly violated these days.
At present, B’Tselem staff is concentrating on documenting the situation, analyzing it – and issuing unequivocal public statements according to the information we have gathered. As missiles “knock on the roof”, little room is left among the Israeli public to allow for criticism of government policy. Yet the missiles don’t merely “knock” on the roofs; they bring death and destruction. This means that now, more than ever, is the time for us to document, analyze and voice dissent. The room still left in Israeli public discourse for reporting the truth about current reality in Gaza is largely through the efforts of the human rights community here, B’Tselem amongst it.
Our two field researchers in the Gaza Strip are courageously continuing to collect testimonies, despite the difficult circumstances and their own concern over loved ones. Several of our field researchers in the West Bank are helping from afar by collecting testimonies from Gaza over the phone. The staff in our Jerusalem office is working day and night to process the incoming information, analyze it, and produce effective material to be circulated to the public. On social media and in TV interviews, we repeat the information we have gathered and the positions we have formulated in their wake: Civilians – from both sides – must be kept out of the hostilities; for people who live in southern Israel, close to Gaza and beyond, personal safety and normal routine have become empty words; in Gaza, the dreadful number of fatalities is rising, most of them uninvolved civilians; firsthand accounts of particular attacks are bloodcurdling. We are unequivocally opposed to the illegal attacks on homes of the families of operatives in Palestinian armed organizations, since euphemisms like “surgical strikes” on “operational infrastructure” cannot mask the facts: dozens of homes have been unlawfully attacked in what in fact are punitive home demolition in the form of air strikes – that come at a terrible cost to human life.
B’Tselem info sheet: 52 Palestinians killed in bombings of homes in Gaza Strip, which are unlawful (statement; July 13, 2014)
According to B’Tselem’s initial findings, from the start of Operation Protective Shield there were ten incidents in which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were killed when the Israeli military bombed homes. 52 people were killed in these incidents, of them 19 minors and 12 women. An additional incident, in which six members of the same family were killed was defined by the military as a targeted killing, and was therefore not included in this figure.
Initial figures: 114 People killed in Gaza Strip to date (12 July 2014, noon)
According to B’Tselem’s initial figures, 114 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the time between early Tuesday, 8 July 2014, when Operation Protective Edge airstrikes on Gaza began until 12 July at noon.
Initial Investigation: At least 38 Palestinian civilians, incl. 23 minors, killed in Gaza Strip in first 3 days of Operation Protective Edge (press release; July 11, 2014)
According to B’Tselem’s initial figures, 83 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip from the early hours of 8 July 2014, when the Israeli military launched Operation Protective Edge, to the evening of 10 July. Our initial findings indicate there were at least 38 civilian fatalities, including 23 minors, 15 women and four persons over the age of 60.
B’Tselem will continue to investigate these incidents of civilian fatalities as well as handle new reports being received of civilian casualties.
Bombing family homes of activists in armed Palestinian groups violates international humanitarian law (press release; July 9, 2014)
Since the Israeli military launched Operation Protective Edge in the early hours of 8 July 2014, the IDF Spokesperson and media sources have reported deliberate attacks against the homes of senior activists in armed Palestinian groups… The reports state that the bombings are being carried out with the “knock on the roof” procedure, whereby the military fires a small missile at the house it intends to bomb as warning, expecting inhabitants to leave the premises, and then bombs the house to destruction. In some cases, military representative call the family and instruct them to evacuate the house.
Even if uninvolved civilians are not injured, these houses are not legitimate military targets, and attacking them is a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The gravity of the violation is compounded when uninvolved civilians are injured. Until now, B’Tselem has documented one case in which civilians were in a house bombed after a prior warning missile was fired…
B’Tselem will continue to investigate these incidents and other instances of harm to civilians and property in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the operation. Thus far, at least 30 fatalities have been reported in the Gaza Strip, many of them civilians.B’Tselem reiterates that intentional targeting of civilians is a war crime.
Protect civilians from the impact of hostilities (press release; July 8, 2014)
“…. B’Tselem’s initial investigation found that since the operation began, approximately 10 people were killed in several attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. Of these, to the best of B’Tselem’s knowledge at this point, seven persons – most of them minors – were killed when the home of alleged Hamas activist ‘Odeh al-Kaware’ah was bombed… B’Tselem reiterates its demand that all parties to the hostilities take all possible measures to prevent harm to civilians. The rules of war obligate all parties to a conflict to do their utmost to defend the civilian population. Deliberate targeting of civilians is expressly prohibited.” Link to Hebrew
Facebook; July 7, 2014
היום החל מבצע “צוק איתן”. רצינו להזכיר את המחיר הכבד שמשלמים האזרחים – משני הצדדים – על מבצעים כאלה.למבצעים בעזה יש מחיר כבד. ב”עופרת יצוקה” ו”עמוד ענן” נהרגו 846 אזרחים פלסטינים ו-7 אזרחים ישראלים. כמה קורבנות יגבה “צוק איתן”? ההתקפות ההדדיות מטילות אימה בלתי פוסקת על 1,800,000 פלסטינים בעזה, ועל כ-800,000 ישראלים בדרום הארץ. השקט, אחרי שני המבצעים, הושג רק באופן זמני.
Facebook (July 24, 2014)
No end to war, no hope for cease fire – the international community remains paralyzed. CWP urges it to act now to stop the war!
The situation in Gaza is deteriorating, more than 650 people were killed in 18 days, thousands of houses were bombed, in many areas people are still buried under the rubbles. Coalition of Women for Peace calls for a vigorous response of the international community to stop the Israeli military operation in Gaza and put an end to the violence.
…All over the world, people take to the streets in large demonstrations to demand a halt to the violence.
Citizens of the world are not staying silent – are you, their governments, willing to let this criminal war go on? Stopping it is in your power.
Many in Israel believe that the ground invasion is necessary to remove the threat of rockets. Israeli citizens are misinformed by biased media and swayed by increasingly violent militaristic atmosphere…
We call upon the UN to apply sanctions, resolutions, and any other means in its disposal to force Israel to stop the military operation and accept conditions for a truce
We call upon the EU to stop the aggression and freeze normal trade relations with Israel
We call upon the European diplomatic community to mobilize urgently and assert itself as an alternative broker for a ceasefire
We call upon the US to force Israel to stop the military operation immediately
We wish to extend our gratitude to and solidarity with citizens of the world appalled by the current round of violence. With you we will continue to take to the street to keep the hope to end the Israeli occupation and the hope for a just peace alive
Facebook; July 8, 2014
מחר ב 18:00 ברחבת תיאטרון הבימה
ממשלת ישראל לא עוצרת לרגע- הורסת בחברון, מפקיעה אדמות בנגב, מדכאת באלימות הפגנות מחאה עממיות, תוקפת בעזה. ישראל שוב יוצאת לעוד תקיפה מיותרת וחסרת אחריות. לתושבי הדרום ולתושבות עזה מגיע לחיות בכבוד, ללא איום תמידי וללא סכנה יומיומית הפצצות והרוגים לא מובילים לביטחון. הם רק מובילים לעוד הפצצות ועוד טילים ועוד דם
Facebook; July 8, 2014
At 11:00 international activists in gaza will hold a press conference in order to break the silence and deliver a message to the international community regarding the ongoing escalation in the west bank, and Israeli attack on gaza.
Defence for Children International- Palestine Section (DCI-PS)
July 17 Update: Death toll of children rises as Israel pummels Gaza (July 17, 2014)
Eight children in Gaza were killed on Wednesday, including four boys who died as they were playing on the beach in Gaza City when they were directly targeted by the Israeli navy. Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 45 children according to DCI-Palestine documentation.
“Israeli forces continue to target and kill children and civilians on a daily basis, making Israeli military statements claiming that these deaths are tragic mistakes simply meaningless,” said Rifat Kassis, executive director of DCI-Palestine. “The death toll among children now stands at its highest point in five years.”
Seven children killed in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza (July 9, 2014)
International humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and requires that all parties to an armed conflict distinguish between military targets, civilians and civilian objects. Israel as the occupying power in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the Gaza Strip, is required to protect the Palestinian civilian population from violence.
While Israel relies on the principle of self defense to justify military offensives on Gaza, Israeli forces are bound to customary international law rules of proportionality and necessity.
Facebook; July 9, 2014: “The death and injury to children caused by #Israel’s military offensive on #Gaza demonstrates serious disregard of fundamental principles of international law,” said Rifat Kassis, executive director of DCI-Palestine. “Israeli forces must stop indiscriminate #airstrikes in densely populated areas that fail to distinguish between military targets and civilians.”
Twitter:
July 8, 2014: Israeli offensives on #Gaza have been characterized by war crimes against children
Ending Zionism is a feminist issue (Nadia Elia; July 24, 2014)
Zionism is a prime example of that; it is a racist ideology grounded in the privileging of one ethno-religious group over all others…Ending Zionism is a feminist and a reproductive justice issue…Of course, gendered violence as a tool for settler-colonialism is not a new strategy; settler-colonialism, patriarchy and official hypocrisy usually go hand in hand…Any Jewish citizen of Israel can and must serve in the Israeli occupation forces, but these are the murderous forces engaging in the genocide of the Palestinian people…War — militarism — is a hyper-masculinist activity that glorifies and rewards all violence, including gendered violence, and a soldier trained in violence cannot put that violence aside when he or she gets home.
All of Israeli society is trained in violence. And violence is not a pair of combat boots one can leave at the door; violence becomes second nature (unless it was first nature, in which case it is further aggravated) and the entire community that engages in warfare is a more violent community — not just at the war front…
We understand that in situations of settler-colonialism, indigenous women, trans people and gender non-conforming people bear the brunt of a nexus of racism and sexism. We are engaging in a joint struggle, from India to the Arab world to South West Asia, to Africa and the Americas, for the dignity and full sovereignty of indigenous people.
Urgent Call from Gaza Civil Society: Act now! (Juky 12, 2014)
We Palestinians trapped inside the bloodied and besieged Gaza Strip call on conscientious people all over the world to act, protest and intensify the boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel until it ends this murderous attack on our people and is held to account. We call for a final end to the crimes and oppression against us. (See Alternative Information Center)
The Palestinian Authority stands in the way of the Palestinian struggle (Jalal Abukhater, July 12, 2014)
As protests have erupted in 1948 Palestine (present-day Israel), the Gaza Strip, occupied Jerusalem and in villages across the rest of the occupied West Bank against the injustices and massacres committed by the Israeli state, the major West Bank cities under Palestinian Authority remain largely quiet…
The PA could do many things, including showing support for the globally successful boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, as well as calling for the isolation of Israel until it adheres to international law.
However, PA leaders are doing the exact opposite by calling to normalize relations with Israel instead. Abbas openly rejects the boycott movement, damaging its international standing.
The PA is able to seek access to the International Criminal Court, and has been encouraged to do so by at least 17 Palestinian and international human rights groups, but it refuses to do so as to not anger Israel and the United States.
The UN-commissioned Goldstone report provided a genuine opportunity to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes committed in its 2008-2009 invasion of Gaza, which left 1,400 people, the vast majority civilians, dead. This was a serious chance to put an end to Israel’s ability to commit further war crimes with impunity. But answering to the demands of Israel, the United States and businessmen closely linked to Abbas, the PA ignored the interests of the Palestinian people and helped to bury the report…
With Israel’s ongoing massive bombardment of Gaza, there is a responsibility on all of us to do what we can to put a stop to Israeli war crimes. Solidarity activists around the world must intensify BDS efforts. Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank will likely escalate their protests too. We will save innocent lives when we increase the pressure on Israel on all fronts… The PA is not weak or helpless, however its interests lie in being an extended arm for the Israeli occupation.
The PA is also complicit in prioritizing the interests of businessmen and corrupt politicians wishing to make a profit while the vast majority of Palestinians suffer.
For the occupied Palestinian people, there is no positive in the PA’s existence, it only furthers the unjust status quo and entrenches the Israeli occupation without any sort of resistance.
It does not represent the Palestinian people and its president’s mandate officially expired five years ago… It is scary to think what could happen if this continues; the vehicle will inevitably become the human and the cost could be dear. For the PA, the reality is shifting, the mask is falling, and its true nature is out in the open.
Eight children killed as Israeli warplanes relentlessly bomb Gaza – photos (Maureen Clare Murphy, July 9, 2014)
Rocket sirens heard in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as armed groups in Gaza retaliate.
Twenty-five lives have been claimed by Israel in Gaza since Monday, including at least eight children, as warplanes bombed areas across Gaza, whose 1.7 million Palestinian residents live under a tightly-enforced siege and are unable to flee and have nowhere to seek shelter.
Attack on Gaza: Mohammed Omer, Ali Abunimah and Miko Peled on Democracy Now! (Ali Abunimah, July 8, 2014)
Israel massively escalated its bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Monday evening which it claimed was launched in order to end rocket fire from the besieged territory.
I challenged one of the key claims made by Israel: that Palestinians are responsible for the escalating violence…With 31 Palestinian fatalities in total up to 30 June, this is about three times the number as a year earlier.
Twitter:
July 9, 2014: Israel unleashes most severe violence on Gaza since November 2012 assault
July 8, 2014: Who “escalates”? In first half of 2014, Israel killed three times as many Palestinians as same period in 2013.
July 8, 2014: New evidence that Israel is committing the crime of pillage
Ali Abunimah Twitter:
July 8, 2014: No ethnically cleansed refugee population can accept their oppressors and occupiers raining rockets and bombs on them.
July 8, 2014: Israel should’ve learned by now that bombs cannot make people accept apartheid and the theft of their land and rights.
July 8, 2014: Just because sectarian terrorists put on pressed uniforms and get US funding does not make them or their actions legitimate or justified.
July 8, 2014: Palestinian defense forces undoubtedly have the people behind them as they fight to defend Gaza against a fearsome terrorist onslaught.
July 8, 2014: Palestinian defense forces are underequipped but doing their best to resist foreign-funded “IDF” radicals intent on doing major harm.
July 7, 2014: I again call on the EU to send guidance and targeting systems to defense forces in Gaza so resistance can hit “IDF” terror bases accurately.
Ten human rights organizations urgently contacted Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein today following the release of reports on the nature of attacks within the Gaza Strip and the high rate of civilian casualties. This information raises concerns about grave violations of international humanitarian law.
The organizations demanded that the Attorney General instruct the government to refrain from violating the laws of war and re-evaluate its aggressive policy and rules of engagement. The organizations seek to clarify whether the Attorney General critically evaluated the legal advice supplied to the Military Advocate General that underpins ‘Operation Protective Edge’, and calls on him to establish an external, independent and effective investigatory mechanism to examine the decision making of the political and operational establishment as required by international law and supported by the rulings of the High Court of Justice.
Israel’s Defense Ministry orders new restrictions on civilian goods entering Gaza (July 8, 2014)
Security establishment imposes additional restrictions on entry of goods via Kerem Shalom for third day in a row. Crossing at Erez limited to medical patients and foreign citizens.
אסור להכניס לרצועה נעליים, בגדים, ניירות וכלי מטבח
Human Rights Watch (Kenneth Roth, Sarah Leah Whitson)
Human Rights Council: Establish Fact-Finding Mission in Israel/Palestine (July 23, 2014)
Thank you Mr. President,
…We continue to investigate other reported Israeli attacks on hospitals, clinics, and ambulances, and attacks that caused high civilian casualties.
…An important avenue to breaking the cycle of unlawful harm to civilians is an end to impunity for violations of the laws of war. Neither Israel nor Palestinian authorities over several armed conflicts have taken remotely adequate steps to prosecute offenders. Governments should support statements by Palestinian officials expressing an intent to seek the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court; we reiterate our call for Palestine and Israel to swiftly ratify the court’s statute.
The latest fighting comes on the heels of an extensive, years-long blockade of Gaza by Israel, reinforced by Egypt at the Rafah border, which has had a disastrous impact on the health and well-being of the civilian population, depriving them of food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies. Hundreds of thousands of people have no access to clean water. Hospitals are desperately over-stretched.
…Human Rights Watch urges the Human Rights Council to stress the obligations of the parties to the conflict under international law to protect civilians, to keep borders open for humanitarian and medical assistance to reach those in need and permit them to leave, and to ensure accountability for grave violations. The Council should mandate the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to urgently form a fact-finding mission to impartially investigate and report promptly and publicly on violations by all sides, identify those responsible for grave crimes, and issue recommendations to the parties and the UN, including on measures to ensure accountability.
Gaza: Airstrike Deaths Raise Concerns on Ground Offensive (July 22, 2014)
Israel should cease attacks that cause loss of civilian life and property in violation of the laws of war. Human Rights Watch investigated eight Israeli airstrikes that were apparent violations of the laws of war before the ground offensive that began on July 17, 2014. The findings and reports of numerous new civilian casualties heightened concerns for the safety of civilians during the ground offensive.
Dispatches: Explaining Four Dead Boys on a Gaza Beach (July 18, 2014)
The Israel Defense Force has an answer to the shelling yesterday that killed four children near the Gaza City port. At a media briefing yesterday, an IDF official reportedly said the attack had targeted an “identified Hamas structure,” and that Israeli forces had misidentified the boys as “fleeing fighters.”
Atrocious as much of the Israeli bombing campaign of Gaza has been, it is hard to imagine Israeli forces deliberately trying to kill Ismail Bakr, 9, and his three cousins, Ahed, 10, Zakariya, 10, and Mohammad, 11, with an apparent missile attack, particularly when they were directly in front of a hotel full of foreign journalists.
But to categorize these deaths as an innocent mistake is to put the lives of many other Palestinian children at risk. In fact, they were the inevitable result of the IDF’s practice, seen in several incidents in Gaza since July 7, of firing before determining that the target is military, as required by international humanitarian law, or the laws of war, which apply to both Israel and Palestinian armed groups…
But the issue in the case of the four dead boys isn’t just whether the IDF targeted civilians. It is whether the IDF did its best to avoid killing and wounding civilians. As common sense would dictate, international humanitarian law obliges any attacker before pulling the trigger to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the “target” in its sights is indeed a military objective, not civilian. Palestinian armed groups, too, violate the law when they needlessly put civilians at risk of counter-attacks by deploying in or near homes or other buildings filled with civilians.
Taking this requirement into account, did the IDF meet its legal obligation to distinguish civilians from combatants and to target only the latter, when it killed the Bakr children outside the Deira Hotel? Perhaps it was the case that the Israeli forces at that range couldn’t distinguish a fisherman and his young sons from a group of Islamist fighters. Or they just assumed that anyone running away from an attack on an alleged “Hamas structure” must be “fighters” (as if anyone would continue to stand next to a structure being attacked).
But in that case, the attack was not just tragic, but unlawful. An attacker may not just assume it’s shooting at a valid military target: the laws of war require that the attacker do everything feasible to first verify that the target is a legitimate military objective. People must be presumed to be civilians, not combatants.
These rules exist to minimize “tragic mistakes” – but when such mistakes are repeated, it raises the concern of whether the rules are being disregarded. There have already been several deadly Israeli attacks without any evident military target…
Israel’s allies have expressed concern at Palestinian civilian casualties. But if they really want to minimize such casualties, they should press the Israeli military to urgently change unlawful targeting practices and hold accountable anyone responsible for them.
Human Rights Watch Daily Brief (July 18, 2014)
Israel has begun a ground offensive in Gaza, after last ditch efforts to secure a ceasefire deal in Cairo collapsed. So far 11 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, along with one Israeli soldier. In total, more than 200 Palestinians have died since hostilities erupted 10 days ago. Human Rights Watch has said that Israel should end unlawful attacks that do not target military objectives and may be intended as “collective punishment”, and also warned that Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel appear to be indiscriminate or targeted at civilian population centers, which are war crimes.
Israel/Palestine: Unlawful Israeli Airstrikes Kill Civilians (July 16, 2014)
Israeli air attacks in Gaza investigated by Human Rights Watch have been targeting apparent civilian structures and killing civilians in violation of the laws of war. Israel should end unlawful attacks that do not target military objectives and may be intended as collective punishment or broadly to destroy civilian property. Deliberate or reckless attacks violating the laws of war are war crimes, Human Rights Watch said.
The United Nations Human Rights Council should hold a special session to address violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in the context of the conflict, Human Rights Watch said. The Council should mandate the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to form a fact-finding mission to impartially investigate, report promptly and publicly on violations by all sides, and issue recommendations to the parties and the UN.
The European Union and its member countries should support convening a special session and formation of a fact-finding mission. They should also work for a resolution that:
Stresses the conflicting parties’ obligations under international law to protect civilians;
Stresses the need for borders to be kept open for humanitarian and medical assistance to reach those in need and permit them to leave;
Condemns violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties; and
Stresses the need for accountability for grave violations.
Targeting civilians ‘is a war crime’ (RT, July 12, 2014)
Intentional attacks on the Palestinian population can be deemed a war crime and accountability for violations of international law must be imposed, Bill Van Esveld, Israel, Palestine researcher at Human Rights Watch, told RT.
…We’ve seen virtually no accountability for very well-documented past cases of abuse, violations, and even war crimes, and without accountability and with impunity, then abuses will obviously continue.
They need to make it clear that there will be accountability for violations and this is going to be looked into and it’s not going to be swept under the carpet as the Goldstone Report was eventually put aside after the terrible carnage in 2008/9. My organization has been calling for the state of Palestine to go to the ICC for a year now, and it’s high time for them to do that.
Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 11 July 2014
More than 100 people in Gaza have died since Israel began launching air attacks against Palestinians, and Gaza’s militants continue to fire rockets into Israel. All attacks, including revenge attacks, that target or indiscriminately harm civilians are prohibited under the laws of war.
Facebook; Human Rights Watch shared a link (July 10, 2014)
Regardless of who started this latest round, attacks targeting civilians violate basic humanitarian norms. All attacks, including reprisal attacks, that target or indiscriminately harm civilians are prohibited under the laws of war, period.
NY Times article quotes HRW (July 8, 2014)
“Groups like Human Rights Watch have regularly said that Israel’s efforts to warn civilians with phone calls and leaflets do not absolve the armed forces, which “still need to ensure that the warnings are effective and do not allow attacks otherwise prohibited under international law,” the group said in 2009, even as it welcomed “new procedures to improve its early warning to civilians during armed conflict.”
Twitter:
July 12, 2014: Those #Israel partisans have become awfully quiet about Gaza. A true rights defender cares about civilian life on both sides of a conflict.
July 12, 2014:#Israel air strike hits charitable association for the disabled, killing two, presumably “terrorists.” http://trib.al/iLRqbIH
July 12, 2014: My daughter’s head here, my son’s arm there: Life for a #Gaza family under #Israel attack. Six children killed. http://trib.al/sZzovlI
July 12, 2014: Warning northern Gazans to flee doesn’t mean Israel can target those left http://trib.al/ts9ed6e as it did in Lebanon http://trib.al/8jnhGwx
July 11, 2014: Alleged Hamas militant sleeping/living in family home doesn’t make it a “command & control center” as #Israel claims.
July 10, 2014: Impunity isn’t stopping attacks by either side in Israeli-Palestinian conflict. PA Pres Abbas hopes the #ICC might. http://trib.al/hhwnd8Q
International Solidarity Movement (ISM)
Video: Israeli sniper killing wounded civilian (published July 21, 2014; Also see”CBC National Airs Unsubstantiated Video Alleging Israeli Sniper Killed Palestinian Civilian,” Honest Reporting, July 22, 2014)
Urgent call from Gaza civil society: act now! (Action alert; July 13, 2014)
We, Palestinians trapped inside the bloodied and besieged Gaza Strip, call on conscientious people all over the world, to act, protest, and intensify the boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel until it ends this murderous attack on our people and is held to account. (See Alternative Information Center)
Gaza report: Death and destruction (statement; July 11, 2014)
We caught a ride with another journalist to Kamal Hospital, where the bodies of the three men, Mahmoud Walaid, Hazim Balouska, Alaa Abdelnabi, were taken. On a stretcher was one of the men, crumbling, burnt, with no identity left, he would now be placed into cold storage. But there were problems. The storage was full. Too many people have been killed in the past three days since “Operation Defensive Edge” began.
As I’m writing the number of people murdered is 80 [the number has now risen], the cold storage is full, awaiting their funerals. Two bodies were lying on the same stretcher.
Facebook post; July 9, 2014
“Twenty-five lives have been claimed by Israel in Gaza since Monday, including at least eight children. The ongoing bombing campaign is the most severe violence inflicted by Israel on Gaza since its eight-day assault in November 2012, during which more than 150 Palestinians were killed, 33 of them children.”
Facebook Post; July 9, 2014
“24 Palestinians from Gaza, including children and family members, were killed yesterday in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people in the besieged coastal region. More than 200 Palestinians, including children, women and elderly, have been injured in the Israeli assaults, many suffered life-threatening injuries.”
Facebook:
July 12, 2014: “It’s Gaza again. And it’s bleeding again. And it’s being blamed again, ignored again, and abandoned again, for nothing other than that those who are being killed are Palestinians.”
July 12, 2014: A further three children were confirmed dead yesterday, bringing the total number of Gaza children killed this week to 21. The children died in a week that has seen the Israeli air force drop hundreds of missiles into crowded residential areas, killing and injuring large numbers of Palestinian civilians.
July 11, 2014: Israel’s murderous attacks on Gaza constitute “retaliatory fire,” according to Brussels spindoctor Michael Mann. There was no acknowledgement that Israel has been subjecting Palestinian civilians to collective punishment — in clear violation of international law. There was no mention of the seven-year siege that Israel has imposed on Gaza.
There was no recognition that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has used the murder of three Israeli teenagers as a pretext to kill much higher numbers of Palestinian children in recent days (more than twenty children have been killed in Gaza over the past few days, a death toll that is likely to rise).
July 10, 2014: In light of the on-going brutal military assault on Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) calls on supporters of human rights to take effective actions, particularly in the shape of BDS campaigns, to show solidarity and pressure Israel to end its regime of occupation, colonialism and apartheid.
July 10, 2014: Read the latest post from an ISMer in Gaza: “Heavy shelling from the sea could be heard. I received a text message from a friend in a refugee camp a few kilometers from where I sat. The situation was insane there, no one dared leave their homes, and drones seemed to fire off missiles at everything that moved. Detonations could be heard from where I was sitting.”
Twitter:
July 12, 2014: #Gaza bombardment further traumatizes children: Charity
July 12, 2014: Briton [@RinaAndolini] joins human shield to halt Israeli strikes on hospital
July 12, 2014: #GazaUnderAttack: A chronology of disproportionate attacks on #Gaza
July 12, 2014: Take action: Protests around the world respond to assault on Palestine
July 12, 2014: 52 killed as Israel bombs charity, mosques, homes in #Gaza’s bloodiest day
July 12, 2014: Foreign activists form human shields to protect #Gaza hospital
July 11, 2014: UN: Israel’s targeting of #Gaza homes “may” constitute war crime
July 11, 2014: Israeli deadly raids continue amid threat of ground war on #Gaza
July 10, 2014: Israeli forces engaged in punitive destruction of homes in the #Gaza Strip
July 8, 2014
The situation in Gaza is very terrible, and it’s getting much worse day by day. There was bombing everywhere in Gaza last night and the nights before. You probably heard the sound of explosions from your home. We don’t know what might happen in the coming days. The madness of both sides has to stop once and for all
July 8, 2014 (Edited)
כשהתותחים רועמים – אנחנו לא שותקות! הפגנה במתחם “הבימה” ביום רביעי ב18:00
די להרג די לשכול, הכיבוש חייב ליפול- המיקום והשעה השתנו
Wednesday, July 9 at 6:00pm in UTC+03
רחבת תיאטרון הבימה, ת”א
272 people are going
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
Israel to the Palestinians: submit, leave or die (Jeff Halper, Redress Online, July 13, 2014)
Both the blatantly disproportionate response to the kidnapping and killing of the three Israeli teenagers and, as I write, the all-out air strikes on Gaza, have been cast by Israel as military operations: Operations Brothers’ Keeper and Operation Protective Edge. Neither had anything to do with the operations’ purported triggers, the search for the teenagers or rocket fire from Gaza.
Warehousing is worse than apartheid. It does not even pretend to find a political framework for “separate development”; it simply jails the oppressed and robs them of all their collective and individual rights. It is the ultimate form of oppression before actual genocide, and in that it robs a people of its identity, its land, its culture and the ability to reproduce itself, it is a form of cultural genocide that can lead to worse. This is what Israel has left the Palestinians, this is the meaning of the bombing of Gaza, the terrorizing of the West Bank – and the ongoing destruction of Bedouin and Palestinian homes within Israel.
Assuming that apartheid and warehousing are absolutely unacceptable “solutions” and, indeed, are ultimately unsustainable, generating even more violence and conflict in the volatile Middle East, Israel has in fact left us with only one workable, just and lasting way out: a single democratic state in Palestine/Israel that guarantees the individual and collective rights of all its citizens. This is what we must struggle for. Israel’s military operations mark the beginning of the collapse of the occupation.
It is incumbent on Palestinian civil society, joining with their partners on the critical Israeli left, to urgently formulate how that state would look and, ensuring everyone in that land a part in its future, to begin the struggle to achieve it.
Tell The President and Congress: Palestinian Lives Matter (petition; undated)
The disaster we see unfolding in Gaza would not be possible without the US policy of one-sided military, economic, and diplomatic support for Israel in the extreme. It’s up to us to force the US to adopt a new policy: one that can uphold the basic rights and fundamental dignity of Palestinians and Israelis alike. With over 500 people killed in the last ten days, there’s no time to waste. Click here to send your message today.
Summer 2014 Escalation of Violence (Includes: “Statements,” “News Sites,” “Twitter Sources,” “Analysis,” “Fact Sheets,” “Videos,” “Images,” and “Actions”)
Analysis:
Jewish Groups’ Whitewash of Israeli Racism Ensures It Will Fester (Muftah, July 7, 2014)
Why Sayed Kashua is leaving Jerusalem and never coming back (Haaretz, July 7, 2014)
Jewish hate of Arabs proves: Israel must undergo cultural revolution (Haaretz, July 7, 2014)
Facebook; July 7, 2014
Angered by Israel’s latest aggression against Palestinians? Take action this week to demand accountability!
Facebook; July 7, 2014
“Haaretz editorial speaks of the mood in Israel. Revenge is not just the demand of a few bad apples: ‘Abu Khdeir’s murderers are not ‘Jewish extremists.’ They are the descendants and builders of a culture of hate and vengeance that is nurtured and fertilized by the guides of “the Jewish state’: Those for whom every Arab is a bitter enemy, simply because they are Arab; those who were silent at the Beitar Jerusalem games when the team’s fans shouted ‘death to Arabs’ at Arab players; those who call for cleansing the state of its Arab minority, or at least to drive them out of the homes and cities of the Jews.’”
Twitter; July 8, 2014
Israel hid fact that teens were dead to drum up support for offensive, creating conditions that led to lynching.
J Street (blog)
Israelis, Palestinians Must Stand for Decency and Sanity Against Forces of Darkness (July 7, 2014)
“We recognize Israel’s right to protect its citizens from indiscriminate rocket attacks but urge targeted actions that avoid to the greatest possible extent civilian casualties… Leaders on both sides must resist the temptation to further politicize the situation. This is not a time to notch propaganda points or apportion blame on the other side. But this is also a gut-check moment for Israelis and Palestinians alike, who must come to grips with the alarming strain of racism, cruelty and lawlessness within their societies that have been tolerated for far too long.”
Twitter; July 8, 2014
Nahum Barnea: Denouncing Arab youth’s murder is not enough
Gaza Strip: Israel must stop bombing trapped civilians (July 21, 2014)
Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip, the majority of the dead and wounded in Gaza are civilians and medical workers are also coming under fire, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said today.
Women and children comprised most of the wounded people arriving on Sunday morning in the emergency room in Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where MSF is working, following heavy shelling overnight and in the morning in the city’s Ash Shuja’iyeh neighbourhood.
MSF personnel witnessed hundreds of people fleeing the area. MSF calls on Israel to stop bombing civilians trapped in the sealed-off Gaza strip, and to respect the safety of medical workers and health facilities.
“Shelling and air strikes are not only intense but are also unpredictable, which makes it very difficult for MSF and other medical workers to move and provide much needed emergency care,” said Nicolas Palarus, MSF field coordinator in Gaza.
Gaza: a population under siege (July 14, 2014)
The intensity of bombings in the Israeli military operation “Protective Edge” makes it extremely dangerous for the population and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in Gaza to move around. As of today, hospitals in Gaza are managing to cope with the influx of wounded arriving. However, the new crisis is aggravating an already fragile health system heavily affected by chronic shortages and structural weaknesses.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
Gaza Crisis: MAP’s response (July 20, 2014)
Since the current escalation in attacks on Gaza began, hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded. Tens of thousands have also been displaced from their homes and are sheltering in UN schools. With Israel’s ground invasion, the situation has become even more desperate.
Gaza – Working Under the Bombs (July 18, 2014)
Over the last 10 days Israel has launched a sustained and intense series of military operations against Gaza.
Below is the latest dispatch from Fikr Shalltoot, the Director of Programmes in our Gaza office:
I write whilst sitting in the narrow corridor of my home in Gaza City. Outside a heavy bombardment is ongoing and I’ve gathered my family in the safest part of the building. Since the attacks started over 250 people have been killed and over 2,000 injured. Nobody and nowhere is safe and there is no end in sight.
Every time a bomb drops close I think about my little nieces and nephews and the thousands of children who are huddled with their families. It must be awful for them. Homes are no longer places of safety. Hundreds have been destroyed. People work all their life for a home and then in a minute it is turned into rubble. I cried when I saw an old man whose home in Maghazi camp was destroyed by an airstrike. He said that he’d borrowed heavily to build it himself and that his family were not even able to dress properly before everything they had was destroyed.
I’m not sure why the children in Gaza have become a target. All they want to do is to play. Their houses are small and overcrowded and it’s the summer time and the school holidays. They don’t know why they can’t go outside. The killing of four children playing hide and seek on Gaza City beach and three children on the roof of their house in less than 24-hours has generated great feelings of injustice. Why were these children killed and why are others buried under the bricks of the homes that have now become their graves?
People in Gaza would like an answer. We hear that the British Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has called the Israeli attacks a ‘deliberately disproportionate form of collective punishment’. But it is actions we need not words alone.
We’ve have not yet recovered from the previous wars let alone readied ourselves for a renewed crisis. For a seven-year-old child in Gaza this will be the third time that war has come to their doorstep. Since the start of the attacks sleep has become a precious commodity for all those who live here. I’ve seen for myself the exhausted medical teams at Al Shifa hospital running here and there trying to help the injured. Staff were in tears at the scale and devastation of the injuries.
The MAP team keep going because we feel that we’re able to do something good for our people. The shortages of drugs and consumables are overwhelming and we’re working nonstop to get essential drugs for emergency rooms at the hospitals across Gaza.
I’d like to thank all those supporters in the UK who have done all they can to make sure that we have the resources needed to save people’s lives.
The people of Gaza can’t do it without you.
Israel intercepts Gaza rockets over Tel Aviv – live updates (The Guardian; July 9, 2014)
MAP interview in Guardian: “Forty houses were bombed from yesterday. When they bomb houses and the family are still inside, even if there is one militant, definitely there are plenty of civilians who are hit in these strikes. The international community should call for an end to this aggression towards civilians in Gaza. Gaza is a very populated area. There is 1.8 million Palestinians living here. It is one of the most condensed in the world. The most affected people are the civilians – the children, women and elderly. We cannot identify any safe area in Gaza.”
Gaza: Health Sector at ‘serious risk’ from further attacks (July 8, 2014)
“Today Gaza is almost completely sealed off and airstrikes are ongoing. Hospitals have less than a week’s worth of fuel and there are already over twelve hours of power cuts a day. The situation is critical and there is a serious risk that any further escalation of attacks could overwhelm a fragile health system that has been hollowed out by years of restrictions of medicines and supplies”.
Twitter:
July 8, 2014: Latest from team in Gaza – situation is ‘overwhelming’ with continuous airstrikes and shelling from land and sea
July 8, 2014: Yesterday was Israel’s deadliest strike on Gaza since an eight-day assault in late 2012 #GazaUnderAttack
July 8, 2014: Our Gaza team report that last night was extremely tough-at least 56 airstrikes injured 17 inc. 9 children. Many rockets fired from Gaza too
July 7, 2014: 9 killed and a child, 2 teenage girls and 2 men injured in Israeli airstrikes over Gaza last night.
Nine-Seven-Two Magazine (+972 Magazine)
Facebook; July 9, 2014
Read our #Gaza live blog for the latest: http://bit.ly/gazalive
At least 24 Palestinians, including 7 minors, have been killed since the start of ‘Operation Protective Edge’; rockets were shot at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for the first time in nearly two years; Hamas naval commandos attempted to storm an IDF base.
+972 Magazine shared a link (July 9, 2014)
Israel’s military assaults consistently fail to shift the balance of moral power in its war on the Palestinians, Samer Badawi writes.
Why Netanyahu will lose this Gaza war, too (July 8, 2014)
Israel’s military assaults consistently fail to shift the balance of moral power in its war on the Palestinians. On the heels of a military campaign that failed at its only stated objective — to rescue three…
+972 Magazine shared a link (July 8, 2014)
Abeer Ayyoub and her sisters were pondering whether the current violence would turn into an Israeli offensive last night. The answer came in a barrage of Israeli air strikes.
+972 Magazine shared a link (July 8, 2014)
‘If the Israeli Left reacted to the news of each and every one of the 1,520 Palestinian children that Israel killed since 2000 in the same way that it reacted to the deaths of three settler youths, it would no doubt long ago have drown in its own sorrow and statements of condemnation.’
Let’s talk about Gaza, Sderot and the racist valuation of lives
A frank discussion about everything we don’t mention when talking about rockets and bombs and Gaza. Let’s talk about fear, about poverty, about angst and about racism. By Lilach Ben David Let’s talk about Gaza. Let’s…
Living through the Gaza airstrikes (blog; July 14, 2014)
People keep asking me how the situation in Gaza is right now, and I don’t know how to begin describing it. Scary. Dangerous. Confusing. So many emotions.
The airstrikes happen everywhere, anytime, day and night. At night is the most difficult time. The bombing intensifies and I can feel it getting closer and closer. I’m exhausted but I try and force myself not to fall asleep… the explosions are even scarier when they wake you up. I prefer to be awake when they strike.
It’s Ramadan, the holy month, and we should be celebrating. The “Iftar” meal – at sunset to break the day’s fasting – is usually a huge family occasion. My brother’s and sister’s families would join us, or I’d go to the beach with friends. But this year we spend Iftar on our own, with the sound of explosions and ambulances in the background, phoning relatives to check they are safe. My nine year old niece – named Arwa after me – calls me first thing every morning for reassurance that things will be ok. People keep saying they will be, but you can tell they aren’t sure. I call my friends every day and I’m terrified there will be bad news.
During the day we try and work, as much as security allows. Today Oxfam has been distributing food vouchers to families who have had to flee their homes. The needs are growing by the hour – a water system for 70,000 people completely destroyed, a health clinic for pregnant women seriously damaged.
The violence goes on and civilians are the ones paying the highest price. I speak regularly with Oxfam’s partners – engineers assessing the latest damage; hospitals struggling to cope with all the casualties and shortages of fuel; fishermen who have had their boats destroyed.
Press Release; July 11, 2014: Mounting humanitarian needs in Gaza as violence escalates
Amid rising casualties, Oxfam country director Nishant Pandey says Oxfam’s partners on the ground are reporting that vital water and sanitation infrastructure has also been destroyed or badly damaged by Israeli airstrikes…
Oxfam calls on all sides to immediately agree a ceasefire and respect international humanitarian law.
Press Release; July 9, 2014
“Oxfam warned today that any further escalation in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel will have devastating humanitarian consequences for civilians. The agency called for an immediate halt to the increasing violence against civilians, and condemned the rising number of Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli military actions.” Accusing Israel of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Oxfam warns that “Continued escalation will have a particularly severe impact on civilians in Gaza”, while dedicating just a few lines to Israel “Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians have been affected by the rise in rocket strikes from Gaza, with buildings hit and schools and other facilities closed. Several injuries have been reported.”
The same article was posted on the facebook page of Oxfam-Occupied Palestinian Territory & Israel, 9 July 2014
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
…PCHR reiterates condemnation, expresses utmost concern for these crimes, and:
1) Warns of deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of this continuous Israeli military escalation, threats to expand military operations, and the continued tightened closure of the Gaza Strip;
2) Calls upon the international community to act immediately to stop these crimes, and renews the call to the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligation under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure that it is respected at all times, and their responsibilities under Article 146 to pursue perpetrators of serious violations of the Convention, which are determined in Article 147, which lists violations of the Convention amounting to war crimes; and
3) Calls for establishing a UN fact-finding mission to investigate suspected war crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and take necessary steps to prosecute responsible for them.
Israeli occupation forces have continued their brutal and immoral offensive on the Gaza Strip for the 8th consecutive day, and have continued the policy of collective punishment in disregard for the international law and humanitarian law, which ensure protection for civilians in times of war, and in violation of the principles of necessity, proportionality and distinction…
PCHR reiterates condemnation, expresses utmost concern for these crimes, and:
1. Warns of deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of this continuous Israeli military escalation, threats to expand military operations, and the continued tightened closure of the Gaza Strip;
2. Calls upon the international community to act immediately to stop these crimes, and renews the call to the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligation under Article 1 of the Convention to ensure that it is respected at all times, and their responsibilities under Article 146 to pursue perpetrators of serious violations of the Convention, which are determined in Article 147, which lists violations of the Convention amounting to war crimes; and
3. Calls for establishing a UN fact-finding mission to investigate suspected war crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and take necessary steps to prosecute responsible for them.
Violence has gone on too long – we have lost all hope (Raji Sourani, director of PCHR, Irish Independent, July 12, 2014)
It appears Israel has used the murder of three Israeli civilians as an excuse to destroy the new Palestinian unity government and to crack down on Hamas.
The events of the last few weeks have sparked a wave of collective punishment that risks sending Israel and Palestine into the abyss. These reprisals, which resulted in hundreds of arrests, 11 deaths in the West Bank (including four children), and a return to the illegal policy of punitive house demolitions, have sparked extensive street protests in Palestine and Israel.
It is a constant cycle of illegality that has returned us to this point. Illegal attacks are used to justify illegal attacks, and on it goes. There are two constants: the continuous suffering of civilians, and total impunity for those suspected of committing war crimes.
What has been the result? The situation in occupied Palestine is worse than ever. In the West Bank, Israeli settlements continue to expand and the illegal annexation of East Jerusalem has become a reality. In the Gaza Strip we are suffocating under the closure, driven into de-development and dependence upon humanitarian aid. Rockets now target Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, drawing more and more civilians into the eye of the storm. What is our demand? It is not extravagant, or unreasonable. We want to be treated as equals. We want our rights respected, and protected. We ask that international law be applied, equally, to Israel and Palestine, to Israelis and Palestinians. The rule of international law must be respected, and all those responsible for its violations must be held to account.
For too long we have been subject to the rule of the jungle. For too long the international community has turned its back on the equal application of the law, in favour of political compromise. This has to stop. We need justice because in the absence of justice there is no hope. This situation has gone on too long. The relentless grind of the occupation is driving the youth into despair. There is nowhere safe in Gaza. There is nowhere to flee to. Every day people’s grip on hope is fading, and this can only bring about evil.
On the 5th Day of the Offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israeli Warplanes Attack Civilian Facilities, Including Charities, Parks, Disabilities Rehabilitation Centers, Sport Clubs and Mosque, and Increasingly Target Houses (Press release; July 12, 2014)
Israeli occupation forces have continued their offensive on the Gaza Strip for the 5th consecutive day, and have continued the policy of collective punishment in disregard for the international law and humanitarian law, which ensure protection for civilians in times of war. Israeli forces have escalated their aerial, ground and sea attacks throughout the Gaza Strip, causing more civilian casualties and damaging civilian property. Overnight, Israeli warplanes targeted charities, NGOs, public parks and some mosques. Israeli warplanes have continued to target houses with an allegedly legal cover, as an Israeli drone fire at a targeted house a “warning” missile, and a few minutes later, Israeli warplanes target and destroy such house. Israel would not be able to commit such crimes unless it has support from the United States, which considers Israel’s acts as self defense, while the international community remains silent.
Another Family Killed under Debris of Their Targeted House in Rafah (Press release; July 11, 2014)
…Israeli forces have continued their immoral acts through targeting houses while their residents are inside, annihilating complete families… Israel would not be able to commit such crimes unless it has support from the United States, which considers Israel’s acts as self defense, while the international community remain silent. Under the threats of launching a ground operation against the Gaza Strip, the scenes of the Israeli offensives in 2009 and 2012 were recalled, as hundreds of civilians living in border area have been forcibly displaced.
Israeli forces engaged in punitive destruction of homes in the Gaza Strip (Press release: July 10, 2014)
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is strongly concerned by Israel’s conduct of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, and in particular by the widespread punitive targeting of homes belonging to members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
In recent days, the Israeli air force has conducted two phase targeting of fighters’ homes whereby a ‘warning’ is issued to the house in question so that it may be evacuated. This warning takes the form of either a dud missile (termed ‘roof knocking’) or a phone call. The house is then subsequently targeted and destroyed, typically 15 minutes later.
PCHR highlights that during active hostilities, only fighters and military objectives may be targeted. Civilians and civilian objects are protected from direct attack.
Unless a home is being used to ‘make an effective contribution to military action’ – i.e. unless it is being used to store weapons or as a base from which attacks are launched – it cannot be considered a military objective. A home cannot be classified as a military objective merely because it owned by a fighter. Instead, it must be recognised as a civilian object and protected from direct attack. Issuing a warning does not remove this protection from direct attack.
Significantly, Article 52(3) of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions clearly states: ‘In case of doubt whether an object which is normally dedicated to civilian purposes, such as a place of worship, a house or other dwelling or a school, is being used to make an effective contribution to military action, it shall be presumed not to be so used.’
From the facts of the cases documented by PCHR, in the majority of instances there does not appear to be any military necessity justifying the destruction of Hamas or Islamic Jihad members’ homes. To-date, no secondary explosions have been documented indicating that the houses were used for weapons storage. PCHR highlight that the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and that the targeting of homes inevitably results in significant collateral damage to individuals and property nearby.
PCHR is forced to conclude that the houses are being destroyed as a ‘punitive’ measure, targeting members of Hamas and their families. PCHR notes that Israel has recently resumed its policy of punitive house demolitions in the West Bank. This appears to be a continuation of the Dahiya doctrine, whereby civilian suffering is deliberately caused in order to act as a deterrent. This doctrine was developed during the 2006 Lebanon War, and continued during Operation Cast Lead.
The direct targeting of civilians and civilian objects is a war crime. All suspected war crimes must be investigated and, if appropriate, those responsible must be prosecuted.
Israeli Offensive on Gaza Continues: 69 Palestinians Killed, of Whom 60 Are Civilians, Including 22 Children and 13 Women, and 469 Others Wounded, Mostly Civilians, Including 166 Children and 85 Women; Driver of Press Vehicle Killed; 70 Houses Destroyed (Press release; July 10, 2014)
In the past 24 hours, Israeli forces have escalated their offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted houses, civilian-populated areas and civilian facilities. The Israeli tanks have fired dozens of shells at Palestinian communities located near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, and Israeli gunboats have fired dozens of shells along the Gaza Strip coast. As a form of collective punishment, in violation of the international humanitarian law, dozens of Palestinian civilians have received phone calls from the Israeli military ordering them to leave their areas and head to the centers of towns, which may lead to more suffering of Palestinian civilians. In a very serious development, last night, Israeli warplanes targeted and destroyed a number of houses while their residents were inside, without any prior warnings, which increased casualties among Palestinian civilians.
Targeting houses while their residents are inside is a serious development as Israeli forces had stopped the policy of targeting houses since the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in November 2012 (“Operation Pillar of Defense”), but resumed this policy in the context of the current military operation codenamed “Operation Protective Edge.”…PCHR strongly condemns these Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions.
Twitter; July 8, 2014
Airstrikes on Targets in the #Gaza Strip, Including Houses …
Twitter; July 8, 2014
IOF aircraft launched dozens of air raids on the Gaza # Gaza (Arabic)
Physicians for Human Rights – Israel
Dr. Ruchama Marton’s Letter to the Lancet (August 1, 2014)
…The militarisation of the Israeli mind and the military action are distancing Israeli society from its social issues and contribute to the loss of society’s ability to confront these issues. The right of Israel to protect itself from destruction does not give it the right to oppress the Palestinian people. Oppressed people are bound to resist severe violation of their human rights.
I want to point to a fundamental issue omitted in Manduca and colleagues’ Letter: the root cause of the ongoing tragedy is Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and people, and the suffocating siege imposed on Gaza.
Three days and nights of despair: PHR-Israel team worked to facilitate the evacuation of six residents of Khuza’a (press release; July 27, 2014)
In many cases the condition of the wounded, denied access to medical help, worsened and in some cases civilians even lost their lives while waiting for help to come. For those who were not injured but were under siege, in addition to the risk of injury from fire, they faced a life-threatening situation simply because they lacked water, food and basics – they could not go out to fetch these without facing a real risk to their lives and safety… Throughout the days while they waited for evacuation the army continued with fire that prevented ambulences and rescue teams of the Red Crescent reaching the wounded and besieged.
Open Letter (undated)
Years of intensifying control and closure of Gaza on the one hand, and the absence of activity to promote a just solution and end to the occupation on the other hand, is leading us into the abyss, fanning the flames of hatred and revenge that undermine the basis on which a healthy society rests
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI)
Joint Letter-Gaza Evacuation (July 15, 2014)
Re: Calling upon residents to vacate their homes in northern Gaza Strip raises concern of extensive mortal harm to civilians and damage to civilian property
On the night between Saturday, 12 July 2014, and Sunday, 13 July 2014, the Israeli military began dispersing leaflets in the northern Gaza Strip, particularly in the area of Beit Lahiya, which announced its plan to carry out air strikes on an area marked in an attached map. Residents were told to evacuate the area and make their way on foot towards Jabalya refugee camp by noon yesterday (13 July). The leaflet noted that the planned action was to be short.
Based on previous military operations in the Gaza Strip, and on military actions that followed similar instructions for evacuation, we – the undersigned organizations – hereby voice grave concern that the military’s planned actions may cause extensive, mortal harm to civilians and much property damage…
Under international humanitarian law, the argument that combatants from Hamas or other organizations are operating from within the civilian population does not, in itself, render civilians and civilian sites military objectives that may be attacked. Israel cannot absolve itself of responsibility for the grave harm to civilians that we have witnessed since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge (and in the past) by claiming that Hamas and other organizations are operating from within the civilian population or are using residents as human shields.
Israeli bears sole responsibility for its strikes on the Gaza Strip, even if Palestinian organizations are operating unlawfully. Deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian property are a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB)
Israeli Army Deliberately Targeting News Professionals
Press Release; July 8, 2014
“Continuing confrontations in the Palestinian Territories and many cities in Israel are marked by Israeli authorities’ flouting of basic rights, including freedom of information…Reporters Without Borders condemns these attacks on information freedom. Many journalists have been targeted by the Israeli army. Others have been arrested arbitrarily. And security forces have been conducting raids on media offices. RWB urges the Israeli military to allow news professionals, whether Palestinian or foreign, to carry out their work freely and safely.
In a report, “Palestinian Journalists Caught Between Three Sides“, RWB highlighted the double vice gripping information freedom in the Territories. The strongest pressure comes from Israel and its army, which doesn’t hesitate to arrest, even to kill, news professionals.
Covered by the Huffington Post: Israel Accused Of ‘Deliberately Targeting’ Journalists By Press Freedom Group (Jack Mirkinson; July 7, 2014)
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July 11, 2014: Protest Israel’s military attack on Gaza (17 photos) On 11 July, 2014 thousands protested outside Israel’s embassy in London to condemn its military assault on Gaza, violations of international law and Palestinian human rights. Keep TAKING ACTION: sign our new petition at www.WaronWant.org/Wall. Photo credit Patrick Abi Salloum
July 10, 2014: Boycott Israel until it complies with International law, ends its military aggression and illegal occupation. Take ACTION @ www.waronwant.org/Wall
In picture Gaza farmers call for boycott action even before the latest military assault. Gaza has been under an illegal occupation and brutal siege for years.
July 8, 2014: Join us for an emergency protest on Friday 11 July (5:30-7:30pm) outside the Israeli embassy. We need your support to stop Israel’s latest military aggression against the Palestinian people
Twitter:
July 13, 2014: Ramadan in Gaza: life under missile-fire http://gu.com/p/3qqbv/tw via @guardian
July 13, 2014: Palestinians trapped inside the bloodied and besieged Gaza Strip call on people to act, protest & intensify #BDS http://electronicintifada.net/content/urgent-call-gaza-civil-society-act-now/13558
July 13, 2014: Read urgent call from Gaza civil society: Act now! http://electronicintifada.net/content/urgent-call-gaza-civil-society-act-now/13558 … #BDS
July 12, 2014: Disabled Palestinians unable to escape Israeli air strike on home http://gu.com/p/3qqtn/tw via @guardian
July 12, 2014: Strong #GazaUnderAttack protest outside Israel’s embassy London. Thanks to all! Photo credit Patrick Abi Salloum
July 12, 2014: Israel continues Gaza bombardment, pushing death toll past 120 http://gu.com/p/3qqh6/tw via @guardian
July 11, 2014: “Israel is ethnically cleansing Jerusalem, trying to force Palestinians to move to the West Bank.” Nagham Yassin, Palestinian student.
July 11, 2014: LONDON PROTEST IN 1 HOUR – against Israel’s collective punishment measures in Gaza! http://ow.ly/i/6aJhI
July 11, 2014: PROTEST TODAY – Show solidarity with Palestinians, now under Israeli attack. #EndTheOccupation
July 11, 2014: British gov’t has taken no concrete action to break the siege of #Gaza. #Inaction in the face of #CollectivePunishment #GazaUnderAttack
July 11, 2014: Siege of #Gaza is one of the most brutal manifestations of the Israeli #Occupation #CollectivePunishment #GazaUnderAttack
July 11, 2014: Siege of Gaza has been identified as a war crime and a crime against humanity, as it punishes innocent civilians #GazaUnderAttack
July 10, 2014: (Retweeted by War on Want Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald) Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy: Israel does not want peace
July 11, 2014: @WaronWant partner @DCIPalestine confirms 18 children killed in #Israeli assault on #Gaza, names & ages here http://bit.ly/1qOxTS8
July 10, 2014: @David_Cameron do you condemn Israel’s breaches of international law?
July 10, 2014: @David_Cameron do you condemn Israel’s collective punishment of the people of Gaza?
July 10, 2014: The world must intervene to restrain the Israeli army | Mustafa Barghouti http://gu.com/p/3qzb2/tw via @guardian
July 10, 2014: The new wave of violence proves the urgent need to target the main barrier to peace: Israel’s violations of human rights & international law
July 9, 2014: The population of Gaza is 1.6 million, with over 50% under 18. Israel can’t possibly target “terrorists” without harming civilians.
July 9. 2014: Israel claims recent strikes against Gaza are measures of “retaliation.” Truth: any Palestinian offensive is retaliation for occupation.
July 9, 2014: Israel’s use of “security” arguments to raid Gaza are similar to those used to justify the existence of the #Wall, declared illegal in 2004.
July 9, 2014: TAKE ACTION – sign our new petition: British gov’t must stop aiding Israel until it complies with int’l law.
July 9 2014: Recent beating of Tariq Abu Khdeir by Israeli army should be put in the wider context of Israel’s targeting of children to deter resistance.
Christian Groups
Efficient help for Gaza requires political action; August 8, 2014
“We ask not only humanitarian but also political impact. Policymakers must stick their necks, and the lifting of the blockade of Gaza and the end of the Israeli occupation demands.Specifically Europe should give all the support within the UN to investigate. Violations of international law Israel’s actions and violations of international humanitarian law must be condemned, just as it has done for the Palestinian armed groups, and should be helped to to take appropriate sanction vigorously. Impunity was rarely a breeding ground for lasting peace.”
Supply IDF via Liège airport? August 6, 2014
“It’s raining bombs in Gaza. European governments show themselves strongly regret the civilian deaths and then display their impotence. But the Israeli siege of Gaza is only possible because the international community permits. To keep the war machine running almost every country needs a few days to call on logistics resources from abroad. Israel is no different. In the current siege of Gaza, we can also observe that. Logistical support to Hamas is non-existent and its military capacity is relatively insignificant compared to that of the Israeli army. Israel can count on a constant supply of ammunition and fuel contrast, and therefore has a military power, with whom the Palestinian armed factions can not measure. Without the foreign supply the warplanes were unemployed for some time stationed in the Israeli military bases are. Belgium also plays a role in the logistical lifeline of the Israeli war machine….
Provided that political will can the EU, and therefore Belgium play an influential role in the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip; it can help prevent civilian casualties. This by putting as much as possible the supply of military equipment and other supplies for warfare on the warring parties to stop and difficult. For Hamas, there has long been an embargo in place. Given the large numbers of civilian casualties that Israel is making his bombing, it would be logical that Israel is also subject to an arms embargo, especially as the basis of the conflict lies in Israel’s colonization of Palestinian territory.
We ask that the new government this decision in relation to Israel from 2009 confirms and also strengthen the arms export legislation as a priority for its EU policy enrolling in the coalition agreement. Furthermore, we ask for the various regional governments, and specifically on the Walloon Bierset, transparency concerning the transit of all military equipment on the one hand, and the cessation of all transit to Israel on the other.
Article: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is easy! (Brigitte Herremans, July 8, 2014)
“The reality of life under occupation and the blockade of the Gaza Strip remain under the radar. On the Palestinian side, there is again little understanding for the fears of Israelis, the impact of the rocket attacks, the threat of neighboring countries. ”
Caritas president: ceasefire first step to peace in Holy Land
August 3, 2014; Vatican Radio
In a message, issued Thursday, the president of Caritas Internationalis, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, notes this is the third war in five years between the two parties…“They see their children slaughtered, their neighbourhoods razed to the ground … The battlefield is neighbourhoods full of children, women and men,” he said”….“despite this terrible time of war and oppression, the souls of Palestinians and Israelis will remain free to believe in a future of justice and peace.”
Caritas Jerusalem: wholesale destruction in Gaza like WWII
July 29, 2014; Vatican Radio
“Imagine, in Gaza some 56 families were completely killed (extinguished)! 10 members of the same family – 18 people from the same family. This means 56 (entire) families were completely destroyed – they don’t exist anymore! This is terrible and dramatic. They have to stop.”
“I am describing the situation but to see the photos and hear these stories, it’s really beyond your imagination!” says a distraught Fr. Raed. “It’s like in the Second World War which means (there’s) whole(sale) destruction. They are targeting everybody: civilians, women, children and hospitals.”
Acts of violence on Gaza EMERGENCY AND FIRST RECOVERY PROGRAMME July 21, 2014
“We at Caritas Jerusalem plead that violence and the killing of innocent people will be stopped immediately and that intervention will be taken by the international community to stand up and speak out against the misuse of illegal war tactics and weaponry. There is no doubt that due to continued siege and shelling, Gaza residents are in dire need of urgent humanitarian aid and the difference we can make to individuals we reach is enormous.”
Spiritual and material help for Gazans (Caritas Internationalis blog, July 17, 2014)
A week of Israeli raids on Gaza has left over 200 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. Almost a million people are without water. Caritas is working out how to best help people. In the following blog, Ameen Sabbagh, Caritas Jerusalem’s coordinator in Jerusalem shows that Gazans need more than food, water and shelter.
Justice and conflict resolution shortest route to Holy Land peace (Press Release; July 11, 2014)
Caritas Jerusalem has condemned the current escalation of violence in Gaza and called for an end to the bloodshed… Fr Raed Abusahlia, director of Caritas Jerusalem, said, “We acknowledge the right of Israel to live in peace and Israelis to live in security because they are living in a continuous fear, but we don’t believe that this will come by war and aggression against innocent people, the shortest way to peace and security is justice and resolution of this conflict by giving the Palestinian population their freedom in their land and by opening Gaza to the world.”…
“Gaza is already in a very dramatic situation since it has been under siege for 12 years and suffered three wars in eight years with constant power cuts, no drinking water and a high unemployment rate,” says Fr Raed.
“Gazans have paid a very heavy price already…We all have the urgent duty to save their lives especially civilians, women and children who are dying every day.” It seems likely that the bombardment could be followed up by an Israeli ground offensive.
The escalation of violence stems from the burning to death of a Palestinian teenager by Jewish extremists. The boy was murdered in apparent revenge for the kidnap last month of three Israeli youths in Hebron who were subsequently killed.
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Caritas shared a link (July 11, 2014): “To say yes to encounter and no to conflict: yes to dialogue and no to violence; yes to negotiations and no to hostilities; yes to respect for agreements and no to acts of provocation; yes to sincerity and no to duplicity” said Pope Francis on peace in the Holy Land.
Israel, Palestinian militants intensify air attacks (news article; Michele Chabin, USA Today, July 9, 2014)
“Fr. Raed Abusahlia, general director of Caritas Jerusalem, a Catholic humanitarian organization, urged both Palestinians and Israelis to consider the toll the violence is taking on their people.
‘They have to stop the violence on both sides. They’ve experienced enough hardship, especially in Gaza. They have to stop. They have to stop. Enough!’”
This is not about Gaza (undated)
Christian Aid believes that while the scale of destruction and suffering in Gaza is unprecedented, the current crisis should not be a surprise to anyone. It is the result of decades of political failure and continuous Palestinian displacement. We call for an immediate end to all violence against civilians, and honest and concrete measures to demonstrate to all those who breach international law that they will be held accountable.
Christian Aid statement on Gaza: Impunity must end; July 30, 2014
Christian Aid believes that whilst the scale of destruction and suffering in Gaza is unprecedented, the current crisis should not be a surprise to anyone. It is the result of decades of political failure and continuous Palestinian displacement. We call for an immediate end to all violence against civilians and honest and concrete measures to demonstrate to all those who breach international law that they will be held to account
This latest outbreak of violence is not about Gaza. The people who are now dying in their hundreds are paying the price for a lethal combination of international political impotence and indifference to decades of Palestinian dispossession and displacement. It appears from its actions that Israel disregards the most basic rights of Palestinians.
Israeli actions have fuelled ‘de-development’ and undermined a viable Palestinian economy by occupying more land for illegal settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank and restricting access and movement for people and goods.
Israel controls and impacts on almost every aspect of Palestinian life. This includes forcing them through humiliating checkpoints; allowing settler violence to go unpunished; imposing a seven year blockade on Gaza; arresting and holding thousands without charge and demolishing homes and livelihoods.
Anyone bearing witness to these facts on the ground will no doubt conclude that any possibility of a two-state solution has all but failed. Despite the international community’s claim that it is the only solution, it has not acted to stop Israel usurping Palestinian land and natural resources and has allowed Palestinians to become the highest per capita recipients of donor aid in the world.
If there is doubt about the current Israeli Government’s intentions then Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments in the Times of Israel (13/07/14) clarifies things. “I think the Israeli people understand now what I always say: that there cannot be a situation, under any agreement, in which we relinquish security control of the territory west of the River Jordan.” This clearly means not giving a Palestinian state full sovereignty.
For Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory to be truly secure, democratic and peaceful, then occupation must end and all within it must be treated equally. If the international community continues with the same approach to this conflict, then it is complicit in the current situation. Christian Aid believes that relationships must change between Israel, the Palestinians and third party states and be transformed into ones that centre on accountability.
After the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2008/9, known as ‘Operation Cast Lead’, a UN Fact Finding Mission to Gaza was deployed to investigate serious violations of international law perpetrated by Israel and Palestinians. The Mission warned that if the violations identified in their report were not addressed, the climate of impunity would ensure continued violence and disregard for civilian protection. What we are witnessing in Gaza today, the devastation of lives, is testament to the accuracy of this analysis.
What does accountability mean for Palestinians and Israelis? It means that those who carry out attacks targeting civilians, whoever they may be, are brought to justice. There can be no justification for continued lack of accountability and the unwillingness of the international community to act in the face of gross violations.
Statement from Archbishop Justin on Gaza 30th July 2014
“For all sides to persist with their current strategy, be it threatening security by the indiscriminate firing of rockets at civilian areas or aerial bombing which increasingly fails to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, is self-defeating. The bombing of civilian areas, and their use to shelter rocket launches, are both breaches of age old customs for the conduct of war. Further political impasse, acts of terror, economic blockades or sanctions and clashes over land and settlements, all increase the alienation of those affected. Populations condemned to hopelessness or living under fear will be violent. Such actions create more conflict, more deaths and will in the end lead to an even greater disaster than the one being faced today. The road to reconciliation is hard, but ultimately the only route to security. It is the responsibility of all leaders to protect the innocent, not only in the conduct of war but in setting the circumstances for a just and sustainable peace
Church of Scotland calls for peace in Gaza August 5, 14
“In the face of the particular tragedy of Gaza, and the disturbing loss of so many civilian lives, the Church of Scotland actively engages with its local contacts in the region and seeks to support and amplify their efforts in seeking a just and lasting peace for all the people.
Only an end to the Israeli military operation in Gaza and the firing of missiles into Israel from Gaza will lead to conditions from which a just resolution may come.
However, this is only the first step towards tackling the humanitarian disaster for the people of Gaza. With others, especially the Churches agency Christian Aid, we recognise without an end to the Israeli Occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, which has been in place since 1967, there can be no full and lasting peace for either Palestine or Israel. The Occupation must end….
Gaza is smaller than the island of Arran, yet its population is larger than that of Greater Glasgow and the Clyde Valley. On one interpretation it is the world’s largest prison camp. There is no place for people to hide.
The scandal of suffering in Gaza will only be alleviated through the full, committed and fair-minded engagement of the international community, especially the United States of America, along with the other members of the Middle East Quartet (the UN, the EU and Russia) working with all the local and regional parties to start peace-building measures.
Statement on Gaza by DCA (July 16, 2014)
The human cost and the humanitarian consequences of this conflict are dire. One Israeli has been killed, and more than 192 people have been killed in Gaza. According to the UN, at least 80 per cent of the fatalities have been civilians, of whom 21 per cent are children. It raised concerns about respect for international law.
Currently the DCA (DanChurchAid) office in Gaza is responding to the needs by providing psycho-social support to displaced families who are living in UN schools.
More than 7500 Palestinians have been displaced due to damage to their homes and 17,000 Palestinians are taking shelter in UN schools. The water supply to more than 31,000 Palestinians have been cut off. UN estimates, that 22,800 children are in need of psycho-social support following direct exposure to death, injury or loss of homes.
The humanitarian needs are enormous, in particular in a situation where people have nowhere to flee and no shelter.
We now appeal to the international community to spare no effort to bring the parties in conflict to end military operations, and to ensure the firm application of International Humanitarian Law as well as International Human Rights Law.
However a cease fire will not be enough. Long-term solutions must found, based on security for Palestinians as well as Israelis, Palestinian right to self-determination, and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law. The international community should immediately redouble efforts to work effectively with the parties to agree to durable solutions that contribute to a just peace for all in the region.
War is not the solution. The time has come to find new ways to reach a solution, based on meaningful dialogue.
July 13, 2014: Operation Protective Edge: Recalling the core principles of IHL
Diakonia is extremely alarmed by the current escalation in conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip and calls for an immediate ceasefire. In addition to the terrible loss of life and injury, Diakonia is particularly concerned by the violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the ongoing lack of accountability that characterise and perpetuate the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The parties to the conflict must fully respect IHL at all times, particularly bearing in mind the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in the conduct of hostilities.
There are widespread reports of an Israeli policy of direct attacks against civilian homes in the Gaza Strip. Such attacks potentially amount to war crimes… Additionally, it is likely that the indiscriminate use of rockets by Palestinian armed groups against Israeli civilians amounts to war crimes.
The closure of the Gaza Strip – collective punishment The population of the Gaza Strip remains subjected to the wider separation policy that Israel implements through the closure of Gaza. This policy, which amounts to collective punishment,13 is directly responsible for the atrocious living conditions experienced by the Palestinian population in Gaza…
As such, it is of no surprise that such violations continue and that the dire situation, particularly as experienced by the occupied Palestinian population, persists. As decades of conflict and occupation demonstrate, the situation will continue to deteriorate until the current lack of accountability is addressed. Finally, compliance with IHL is not solely the responsibility of Israel and Palestinian armed groups. Third states, as signatories to the Geneva Conventions, have a clear obligation to “respect and ensure respect” for IHL in all circumstances.
Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
Inquirer, Kristine A. Valerio, August 3, 2014 (human rights observer from the Philippines under the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel, an initiative of the World Council of Churches)
Palestinian farmers still strive every day to have a decent life, as the Israeli government enforces various mechanisms to deter them from producing crops.
Like the peasants, the drive of the workers to be a productive force in their community, their perseverance to earn a living—their last weapon for survival—is also being taken away from them by the all-powerful Israeli government.
As the world witnesses Israel’s brutal attack on Gaza, I remain confident that international solidarity with the Palestinian people will intensify.
Now, while we, the “outsiders,” listen to news about Gaza, while we criticize the media for not showing the world “balanced” journalism, I feel the need to share what I have seen in Palestine. Yes, there were rockets in the sky, there was tear gas between Jewish settlers and the Arab population
It’s a paradise. A paradise that is being destroyed so the powerful can replace it with their own version of paradise. Israel, in its long-standing goal to create a lavish new heaven and new earth, has been waging war to stamp out beautiful Palestine.
Some may be fundamentalist, some may be violent, and some may be coopted. Hamas, Fatah, PLO—some movements may need the criticism.
But never can we deny the Palestinian people the freedom to fight, to hope, and to learn how to win. Contemporary Palestinian history, after all, has been forged by the Palestinian people’s tireless struggle to live in freedom and peace.
This time, they might fight back, for they endlessly imagine life in paradise.
Gaza: Another Incursion, Civilians Bear the Brunt Again (July 18, 2014)
As the violence further escalates in Israel and the OPT, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) and FIDH call on the European Union (EU) and the international community to act to ensure an immediate ceasefire, an end to the illegal closure of the Gaza Strip and the accountability for violations of international law by all parties.
With an Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip now underway, the escalation of violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Israel is leading to a bloodbath.
…Furthermore, the unequal balance of power in favour of Israel cannot be overlooked nor can the fact that Gaza’s population is bearing the overwhelming brunt of these hostilities. Indeed, the physical, emotional and infrastructural damage suffered by the Palestinian civilian population contravenes the principles of necessity, proportionality and distinction. The principle of distinction requires all parties to distinguish between civilians and combatants, as well as between civilian objects and military objectives. The principle of proportionality prohibits launching an attack which may be expected to cause excessive incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects, in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. Failure to abide by these principles of international humanitarian law may result in the commission for investigations of war crimes.
We call upon the international community to immediately and unequivocally condemn the indiscriminate targeting of civilians and civilian structures and to act to ensure that all perpetrators of violations of international law are held accountable. This includes conducting investigations in line with international standards, prosecuting those found responsible and guaranteeing redress to victims of such violations.
Military escalation and recurrent violence will not bring peace and justice to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, only a political solution based on international law can.
War crimes in Israel and Palestine: UNSC called to react July 10, 2014 (updated July 11)
Attacks on Israel and in and around the Gaza Strip which caused the death of at least 76 people can be qualified as war crimes.
FIDH urges the Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups to stop hostilities and guarantee the protection of civilian lives. The UN security council cannot evade its responsibility in this regard…
On July 7, 2014, Israel launched a military offensive, Operation “Protective Edge”, striking at least 500 [1] sites in the Gaza Strip, and carrying out dozens more air strikes, killing at least 76 people, among them 20 children and 10 women injuring more than 400, mostly civilians, according to figures gathered by Al Mezan and PCHR, FIDH member organisations in Gaza. It is also reported that the Israeli Military have deliberately targeted homes and civilian facilities; often without warning.These operations amount to prohibited collective punishment. In the meantime, Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have been firing more than 169 rockets into Israel, targeting without discrimination Israeli civilians.
The Israeli military actions and the rising number of Palestinian rockets fired need to be condemned, as both constitute violations of international humanitarian law. Responsibilities and accountability need to be addressed, said Karim Lahidji, FIDH President.
While justice is essential to deter further the crimes and to build any peace process, impunity has since been the rule and Occupation of Palestine by Israel had kept developing. FIDH recalls its analysis that the current situation falls within the jurisdiction of the ICC and its call for the ICC to be triggered according to appropriate channels.
FIDH supports its members’ call for an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly of State parties to the Geneva Conventions to be convened urgently by Switzerland as the depositary of these Conventions.
Pax Christi International calls for US action to stop violence in Gaza; July 23, 2014 news release
Sadly, the scenes that we are witnessing are all too familiar. Over the last decade, Israel has repeatedly carried out similar military operations in Gaza. In each instance, over a period of days or weeks, Israel bombed and invaded Gaza and Palestinian militant groups stepped up their practice of firing rockets into Israel. Each of these operations ended with a cease-fire that temporarily decreased military action but did not end the conflict nor lift the oppressive Israeli blockade institutionalized in Gaza since 2007.
It is our view that these cease-fires failed to last because they did not address deeper injustices. After each new cease-fire Palestinians in Gaza remained subject to the legal, structural, and physical violence inherent in Israel’s occupation and siege on Gaza, which constitutes collective punishment. This includes crushing restrictions and limitations placed on Palestinian movement, access to water and electricity, economic development, and other freedoms in both the West Bank and Gaza…
It is time for the U.S. to condemn the Israeli bombardment of civilian centers and the blockade just as strongly. This latest escalation cannot be divorced from the broader context of the Gaza siege and occupation.
Violence and military force will never bring peace for Israelis and Palestinians. Military aid to Israel amounting to more than $3 billion per year creates a heavy moral obligation for the U.S. to ensure that this aid is not used in violation of U.S. law and fundamental human rights. A key step in this direction would be for the United States to investigate the use of U.S.-supplied weapons and military equipment during this conflict and to ensure full accountability under existing U.S. law if human rights abuses have been committed using this equipment.
The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis will only be resolved when Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories is ended, and the inherent equality, worth, and dignity of all Palestinians and Israelis is realized.
Sincerely,
American Friends Service Committee; Conference of Major Superiors of Men; Friends Committee on National Legislation; Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ; Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; Mennonite Central Committee U.S.; Office of Social Justice of the Christian Reformed Church; Pax Christi International; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas’ Extended Justice Team; United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries; United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Pax Christi Message of Solidarity to the Holy Family Latin Parish in Gaza (July 18, 2014)
Gaza is suffering the death and injury of large numbers of civilian men, women and children – in some cases, whole families are perishing in the conflict. The high number of injuries and the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals mean that there is a severe humanitarian crisis in the country, which already has fragile infrastructure…
Pax Christi International members around the world offer their sincere condolences to all those in mourning and pray that those who have been killed will be the last to die violent deaths in this escalation of hatred and vengeance. We are called by conscience to speak out in every way possible not only to end the current violence, but also to address the roots of violence.
The international peace movement appreciates very much all the work done by the parish and the small Catholic community for the well-being of all people in Gaza.
Pax Christi International stands in solidarity with all Christians and all people of good will. We are convinced that prayers and voices for a just peace in the region will not be silenced. Peace requires the presence of justice, of equality, of recognizing our common humanity. Together with you, we do hope and believe that peace is possible and that justice will prevail.
PAX concerned about renewed violence between Israel and Palestine (undated)
PAX, the Dutch section of Pax Christi International, sent a letter to the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands expressing concern about the renewed violence between Israel and the Palestine. Both sides are called upon to refrain from air strikes in densely populated areas, or attacks directed at civilians. PAX insists that Israel work with Palestinian leaders for a just and lasting solution to the conflict, in which the human rights, human dignity and human safety of both sides are guaranteed. The letter also states that PAX will continue to support their Israeli and Palestinian partners who try to keep up humanity and strive for a negotiated and just settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict leading to a two state solution.
Stated Clerk issues statement on Gaza crisis; July 16, 2014
Not one more name, Israeli or Palestinian, should be added to this list. The violence must stop. While those on all sides may provide justification for the violence, we know from years of conflict in the region that the resort to violence inevitably leaves behind death, injury, fear, and deepened feelings of hostility.
As the death toll and the numbers of those injured in Gaza continue to mount from the Israeli air assault we call upon all parties involved to stop the violence and agree to an immediate cease-fire, under which the borders of Gaza can be opened to humanitarian aid and desperately needed medical assistance for the sick and wounded. To this end, it is imperative that the leaders of the international community, including the leaders of our own nation, step up and use their good offices to press the warring parties to bring an end to the killing….By the same token, the massive destruction of an already crippled Gazan infrastructure by aerial bombardments must end. The economic isolation of Gaza has paralyzed economic development and left public institutions unable to cope with the humanitarian emergencies they now face. Moreover, the growing deaths of non-combatants must end. Any new cease-fire agreement must be honored, if necessary with the help of international monitors, so that there is neither the firing of rockets into Israel nor Israeli assassination raids into Gaza, both of which have brought fear and death.
Mr. President: Press firmly for ceasefire in Gaza and Israel; July 22, 2014
The situation is escalating beyond control. The bloodshed and wielding of power in the contested land is unconscionable. Hundreds have been killed and thousands wounded, and the death toll continues to rise.
This day, we as people of faith and agents of peace call for an end to the shelling, an end to the rocketfire, an end to the ground attacks. Civilian casualties strewn in homes, on streets, and even within a hospital lie in the wake of Operation Protective Edge launched July 8 by the Israel Defense Forces. It must stop, and it must stop now.
Yet bombing and invading Gaza, and firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel will ultimately accomplish nothing more than to inflict harm on the innocent, incite fear and terror among Palestinians and Israelis, and prolong a centuries-old fight.
Yet as people guided by a triune God who is active in all facets of peace and reconciliation, we advocate for it anyway. We challenge the Israeli government and Hamas to put down their weapons of war and take up the instruments of dialogue and engagement.
News release; August 8, 2014
Amid faltering ceasefires and talks, Quakers in Britain are calling for urgent action on Gaza. They urge the UK Government to recognise Palestine as a nation state; they call for a comprehensive arms embargo on all sides in the conflict and for an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza and occupation of Palestine.
“From our long-standing Quaker experience of working on this issue in Palestine, Israel and Britain, and from listening to the testimony of Quakers in Ramallah, we are convinced that the UK Government has a real role to play. A starting place would be for the UK to recognise Palestine as a nation state on the same basis as it recognises Israel. We note that 134 states have already recognised the State of Palestine. The UK Government should also play its part in creating a real opportunity for peace by drawing groups such as Hamas into the political process and thus away from violent resistance to the occupation. We have seen around the world how those once labelled as terrorists can come to be recognised for their statesmanship. It is our view that freeing elected Palestinian leaders now held as political prisoners would help Palestine to develop as a flourishing economic, political and civil society.
“The international community remains complicit in the conflict for as long as it fails to make full use of the mechanisms provided by international law, to hold all parties to account for their actions. Under international law, at all times, all parties should distinguish between civilians and combatants, though as Quakers we place equal value on every human life. The Israeli Government’s ongoing blockade of Gaza and its apparent collective punishment of the people must end, as must indiscriminate fire by all sides.
“Amid the present crisis, we are reminded that the people of the West Bank, living under Israeli occupation face restrictions on movement; loss of land and water; demolitions; the continuing building of settlements; detention without trial and violence by settlers and the Israeli military. Such suffering often sows seeds of future violence.
God of justice and mercy, our people are tired of temporary solutions, we pray that the international community through the UN will have the courage and determination to face the root causes of the problem and bring about a permanent resolution by ending the occupation of Palestine – West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Lord in your mercy.
Facebook; July 18, 2014
… Due to the belligerent Israeli siege of Gaza, the Gazans have been denied their most basic human rights causing some splinter groups to fire rockets at Israel. Gaza has been described as the largest open air prison in the world; and neither the UN nor the international community has been able to end the siege and the appalling misery of the people. The world has forgotten the people of Gaza, and so there has been periodic resistance in order to draw the attention of the world to their predicament. When Israel launches its strikes against them, it does it with excessive force, great malice and vengeance, and gets away with impunity claiming self-defense. For peace and calm to be achieved, it is mandatory that the international community finds the way to free and liberate the Gaza Strip and Palestine in accordance with international law.
Facebook; July 8, 2014
Grant the Gaza Strip your peace, O Lord. The 1.7 million Palestinians imprisoned in the Gaza Strip bear the brunt of Israel’s anger through incessant airstrikes, which killed at least nine people on Sunday, the complete blockade of land, air, and sea, and now a declared war under the name Operation Protective Edge. We yearn for the day when trust, love, and justice win over hatred, fear, and discrimination; let this day come quickly! Lord in your mercy…
Facebook; July 8, 2014
The drums of war thunder once again, children are dying, mothers are crying….we have no one but you Lord of peace to help us
July 10, 2014: Sabeel Wave of Prayer
The past week has been one of unthinkable violence, unparalleled since the Second Intifada, in which women, children, and innocent civilians have been targeted for violence, based entirely on their ethnicity. The brutal lynching of Mohammed Abu Khdeir has been the prelude to many acts of incitement and racism in this intensely divided city, and many Palestinians fear for the safety of their families.
Though most of the demonstrations have been occurring in Jerusalem, West Bank Palestinians have endured collective punishment and an increase in settler attacks in recent days. Put an end to the occupation that inspires such actions, and allow justice to reign in its stead. Lord in your mercy…
Grant the Gaza Strip your peace, O Lord. The 1.7 million Palestinians imprisoned in the Gaza Strip bear the brunt of Israel’s anger through incessant airstrikes, which killed at least nine people on Sunday, the complete blockade of land, air, and sea, and now a declared war under the name Operation Protective Edge. We yearn for the day when trust, love, and justice win over hatred, fear, and discrimination; let this day come quickly! Lord in your mercy…
Grant Israel your peace, O Lord. Not a peace brought about by domination, oppression, and occupation, or the implementation of discriminatory laws, or the establishment of racial hierarchy—we desire a radical, all-encompassing peace which recognizes the image of God in each individual and encourages justice to be done. The events of the past week illuminated a deeply disturbing trend of racism and incitement to violence in the Israeli public, fomented by the right-wing government and acted upon by extremist Israelis, the Israeli police force, and the military. Embolden those Israelis who speak against such injustice and hatred, and let people of every nationality and ethnicity stand together for the protection of the oppressed, freedom for the captives, and the transformative power of peace with justice.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza strike me as ultimately self-defeating for their own security
When I visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in January of this year, I witnessed firsthand the devastation that prolonged occupation is having on Palestinian communities. In Gaza, I witnessed the effects of ongoing cycles of violence and the economic impoverishment of the people by the economic blockade imposed by Israel.
Israel’s current military operations in Gaza strike me as ultimately self-defeating for their own security. Israel should recognise that collectively punishing and impoverishing the people of Gaza, including conducting extensive and disproportionate airstrikes in dense urban areas which inevitably result in large numbers of civilian casualties, will only create anger and hopelessness among the ordinary people of Gaza. Such resentment regrettably results in further violence.
The actions of both Hamas and Israel contravene international law. Both sides are acting recklessly and without regard for the safety of either Palestinian or Israeli civilians.
Ultimately, the sort of cyclical violence that we have seen over recent days, will only lead to a continuation of the situation whereby millions of Palestinians are impoverished and live without hope and Israeli citizens live in daily fear of rocket attacks.
United Church Moderator Writes to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about Israel and Gaza (August 1, 2014)
Like many Canadians, I expect our government to uphold international law and Canadian values of equality…how can this invasion of Gaza, so overwhelming, destructive, and so disproportionate, bring real peace and security? If obtained at the expense of thousands of innocent lives, can it last? Hundreds of Palestinian civilians have been killed men, women and children—children! Thousands have been injured. The living conditions in Gaza even prior to the invasion are appalling—so many people lack food, clean water, electrical power, and medical assistance. Such conditions, exacerbated by the siege for the past seven years, are literally life-threatening.Your government has built and nurtured a close working relationship with Israel. I ask that your government use this relationship to exert all influence to demand a stop to this invasion and siege.
Attacks that kill children have to be stopped immediately, says World Vision (July 15, 2014)
Reports of children involved in World Vision programmes being killed as violence continues are horrifying, says World Vision.
The most anguishing part is the likelihood that an eventual cease-fire will lead to a return to the status quo. There is no sign at the moment that this latest cycle of violence will contribute anything towards ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and therefore will not bring security for Israel.
