Posts
UN
questions legality of Israel’s Gaza offensive, Netanyahu dismisses
intl pressure
RT,
12
July, 2014
The
legality of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, which entered its
fifth day on Saturday, has been questioned by the UN's humanitarian
chief. But Israel's prime minister has said that no international
pressure will stop the offensive.
Under
international law, Israel must make sure its attacks are
proportional, avoid civilian deaths, and identify military versus
civilian objects on the ground, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Navi Pillay said on Friday.
"We
have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian
casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on
homes. Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli
strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law
and international human rights law,"Pillay
said in a statement.
The
Palestinian death toll rose to at least 106 people early Saturday, as
Israel continued its airstrikes for the fourth consecutive day,
according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. At least 75 of those killed
are civilians, including 23 children, Reuters quoted medical
officials in Gaza as saying.
Meanwhile,
there haven’t been any casualties in Israel, with only nine
civilians injured, Pillay’s office said, citing media reports.
Earlier, Israeli officials reported that two soldiers had been
wounded.
United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights Navi Pillay (AFP Photo / Fadel Senna)
“We
made unbounded efforts to protect the civilian population in the Gaza
Strip before any attack against Hamas. We take measures that no other
military or no other country takes in the world, which include text
messages to people in civil areas, phone calls to their homes.”
According
to Pillay, airstrikes that target the homes of civilians violate
international law unless the homes are used as military bases – a
stipulation that Vice says Israel is fully abiding by.
"In
case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such
as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets. Even
where a home is identified as being used for military purposes, any
attack must be proportionate, offer a definite military advantage in
the prevailing circumstances at the time, and precautions must be
taken," Vice
said.
The
spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) described the destruction in Gaza: "More
than 340 housing units in Gaza have been severely damaged or
completely destroyed. As a result, more than 2,000 people have been
displaced.”
A Palestinian woman is brought into an hospital on a stretcher after she was injured in an Israeli air strike on July 11, 2014 in Gaza City. (AFP Photo / Mohammed Abed)
Israel
defiant in face of international concerns
Israel
made clear on Friday that it would not be bowing to international
pressure, instead continuing its airstrikes and ignoring US President
Barack Obama’s offer to help negotiate a ceasefire.
"No
international pressure will prevent us from acting with all
power," Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Tel Aviv.
Israel's
operation “will
continue until we are certain that quiet returns to Israeli
citizens,” Netanyahu
said. Israel has so far targeted more than 1,000 objects in Gaza and
there are "more
to go."
Netanyahu
also did not rule out a ground attack on Gaza, stating: "We
are weighing all possibilities and preparing for all possibilities.”
Israel's military commander, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, added that the national army is ready to expand the operation. "We are in the midst of an assault and we are prepared to expand it as much as is required, to wherever is required, with whatever force will be required and for as long as will be required,"Gantz told reporters on Friday.
On
Thursday, US President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington is willing to negotiate a
ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the White House said.
"The
United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of
hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire
agreement," said
the statement.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin urged Netanyahu to end the bloodshed
immediately in a telephone conversation on Thursday, expressing
concern over civilian casualties. UN chief Ban Ki-moon also called
for an immediate ceasefire at an emergency meeting of the Security
Council.
French
President Francois Hollande has also expressed concern over the
worsening crisis in Israel and Gaza, and called for an end to the
violence.
Huge
build-up of IDF troops spotted at Israeli-Palestinian border
Israel
steps up military offensive in Gaza LIVE UPDATES
Friday, July 11
22:50 GMT:
Two more Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike, raising the death toll to 106, Ma’an news agency reported, citing Palestinian Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra. The two individuals were identified as 47-year-old Hussein al-Mamlok and 80-year-old Saber Sukkar. Three other people were injured in the attack, which targeted the al-Nizar neighborhood in la-Shujaiyya, located in eastern Gaza City.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel has attacked more than 1,000 targets during a four-day offensive against Gaza militants and that "there are still more to go." The expansion of the campaign and a ground operation are not ruled out, and he added: "We are preparing all options." He also said he saw no international pressure on Israel to halt its campaign.
10:04 GMT:
The armed wing of Hamas group has warned they are going to target Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, 19 km from Tel Aviv's city center, according to a statement by the group. They added they will launch the rockets from the Gaza Strip.
"In the light of Israel's ... attacks on the residents of Gaza Strip ... The armed wing of Hamas has decided to respond to Israeli aggression and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base," the statement said.
05:36 GMT:
Reports from Israel’s Ashdod say a rocket hit at a gas station, causing multiple injuries. At least one person is reportedly in a critical condition. A major rescue operation is underway.
05:33 GMT:
At least two rockets have been fired Friday from Southern Lebanon at Israel, local media and security sources said. Israel responded to the attack with shelling.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the region is a stronghold of the Hezbollah movement, which has been engaged in hostilities with Israel on many occasions.
Al-Jamaa member behind rockets fired at Israel
the Daily Star (Lebanon),
12 July, 2014
BEIRUT/MARI, Lebanon: A member of Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya fired rockets at Israel Friday, sources from the group told The Daily Star, adding that Hussein Izzat Atwe acted of his own volition.
“Atwe
is not a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria or the
Nusra Front, nor is he a terrorist,” the source said.
“Atwe
is a member of Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya who acted of his own volition in
sympathy with the people of Palestine.”
The
source highlighted that while Atwe did not refer to Al-Jamaa’s top
command, the Islamist group considered Friday morning’s firing of
rockets on Israel “an honorable act of resistance.”
The
source disclosed that Al-Jamaa was holding contacts with officials to
secure the release of Atwe, was arrested by the Internal Security
Forces in Al-Bire
Hospital in
the Bekaa Valley, where he was receiving treatment for severe burns
he sustained after launching the rockets.
The
source argued that policy statements of successive Lebanese
governments mentioned the right of the Lebanese people to resist
Israel, adding that Atwe’s act fell within that realm.
The
attack Friday morning triggered Israeli retaliatory artillery
shelling of the Lebanese village of Kfar Shuba and heightened
tensions on the generally calm border between the two countries.
Lebanese authorities arrested two men suspected of involvement in the
dawn rocket attack on Israel.
Hours
before Atwe’s arrest, the Internal Security Forces’ Information
Branch apprehended a Lebanese man, identified as Samir Abu Qais, in
the Hasbaya village
of Hebbarieh after they found blood stains in his car that sparked a
search of area hospitals for suspects.
Lebanese
security sources told The Daily Star that Lebanese Army
Intelligence had
found traces of six rockets in the village of Mari in Hasbaya, some 2
kilometers from the Blue Line, the United Nations-demarcated border
line between Lebanon and
Israel.
They
said the Army defused two 107mm Grad rockets that were primed to be
fired toward Israel following a search for launch pads.
The
sources confirmed that three rockets, with a range of 10 kilometers,
had been fired toward Israel from the Mari area near the village of
Majidieh between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Only one projectile was reported
to have hit Israel, according to the Israeli army
The
sources said a sixth rocket failed to fire and exploded in place,
wounding the person handling it. They said traces of blood and a
ripped shoe were found at the site
After
searching the area, the Army discovered two missile platforms with
more rockets ready for launch and dismantled them, the statement
said. It added that troops were searching for the perpetrators to
arrest them
U.N.
Interim Force in
Lebanon spokesman Andrea
Tenenti said
commander Maj. Gen. Paolo
Serra warned
that the attack was aimed at undermining stability in the area
The UNIFIL command
is “in close contact with the parties urging maximum restraint in
order to prevent any escalation of the situation,” Tenenti said.
Serra
said the incident was a “serious” violation of U.N. Security
CouncilResolution 1701 and “is clearly directed at undermining
stability in the area.”
Lebanese
military sources said that the situation in the south is under
control by Resolution 1701 and as a result of constant coordination
between the Army and UNIFIL troops
The
military sources described the firing of rockets from south Lebanon
as “an attempt by some extremist organizations to assert their
presence.
“There
is no decision by Hezbollah or Palestinian factions to ignite the
front with Israel,” the military sources said
They
added that Lebanese military and security forces were fully ready to
face “fifth column” attempts to carry out suspicious actions that
serve only the Israeli enemy.
I like the recent format discussing Ukraine. I'm not sure much is gained by having a face-off between Finkelstein and the zionist. Leave the zionist out and we might have some real discussion.
CrossTalk:
Target-Gaza
As
Israel appears to be preparing for yet another assault on the Gaza
Strip, what does it want to achieve? Is the goal to completely
destroy Hamas? And should we expect Washington to stand by and watch
the killing of civilians? CrossTalking with Dan Arbell, Norman
Finkelstein and Mouin Rabbani.
Tear
gas & Stun grenades: Palestinian protesters clash with IDF
More
than a hundred Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers
in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Friday night. The protesters,
angry at Israel's military operation in Gaza, threw petrol bombs and
stones at the soldiers. They set fire to tires in the road and threw
fireworks at a military watchtower. Israeli soldiers responded with
stun grenades and tear gas in an effort to disperse the
demonstrators. Palestinian sources said, one Palestinian man was
taken to hospital with a bullet wound to the leg after being fired
upon by an Israeli soldier.
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