Cast Lead War Crime Museum in Gaza

Cast Lead War Crime Museum in Gaza:


WHYNotNews

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Amira vs. Israel at the ICC

Amira versus Israel:

"Vidéo : 5 minutes en anglais soustitrée en français
Soustitrée par la COBI (Belgique) et EuroPalestine (France)

On August 31st this year, a 15 year-old girl from Gaza made history by filing a law suit against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Amira Alquerem lost her father, brother and sister during the 22-day Israeli war on Gaza at the turn of the year. She's accusing Israel of homicides against members of her family, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Le 31 août 2009, une jeune fille de 15 ans de Gaza est entrée dans l'histoire en déposant une plainte contre Israël devant la Cour pénale internationale à la Haye. Amira Alquerem a perdu son père, son frère et sa soeur pendant la guerre israélienne de 22 jours contre Gaza, au tournant de lannée. Elle accuse Israël d'homicides contre les membres de sa famille, de crimes de guerre, et de crimes contre l'humanité."



I'm adding this second video in case YouTube deletes the one above under the pretext of copyright. It is the same video as above with an added segment by a PressTV reporter at the start


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Prosecuting Israel for war crimes

Prosecuting Israel for war crimes:

"Deputy Prosecutor of Int'l Criminal Court discusses the Palestinian Authority appeal to join the court"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

10 Y.O. Gaza child: What did I do to them?

Lamont Carolina, Member of the Viva Palestina U.S. Convoy and Staff member of Councilman Charles Barron recorded these videos in Gaza. Visit his YouTube Channel to see the many videos of the Viva Palestina U.S. lamontcarolina

"These little girls explain finding their families dead after Israeli bombs destroyed their home."
Brave little girls without families:
"From Gaza City"



Brave little girl from Gaza:



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Dr. Mads Gilbert: A Physician in Gaza

Dr. Mads Gilbert: A Physician in Gaza:

"Dr. Mads Gilbert has worked and practiced medicine in Gaza for more than thirty years. One of the few western observers on the ground during Israel?s January bombardment, Gilbert's testimony during the offensive was a critical source of information. On January 3, after an Israeli strike on a Gaza vegetable market, Gilbert sent a text message to his Norwegian and International contacts: ?From doctor Mads Gilbert in Gaza: Thanks for your support,? it read. ?They bombed the central vegetable market in Gaza city two hours ago. 80 injured, 20 killed. All came here to Shifa. Hades! We wade in death, blood and amputees. Many children. Pregnant woman. I have never experienced anything this horrible. Now we hear tanks. Tell it, pass it on, shout it. Anything. DO SOMETHING! DO MORE! We're living in the history books now, all of us!? We spoke with Gilbert recently as he embarked on a speaking tour in the United States."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

AI: Investigate misuse of US Weapons in Gaza

Investigate misuse of US Weapons in Gaza:

"http://www.amnestyusa.org/gaza

Chris Cobb-Smith, member of Amnesty International's recent fact-finding mission to Gaza and former British artillery commander, speaks on the misuse of white phosphorus in Gaza."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

SEVEN JEWISH CHILDREN a play for Gaza PART ONE - Official ROOMS PRODUCTIONS Documentation

SEVEN JEWISH CHILDREN a play for Gaza PART ONE - Official ROOMS PRODUCTIONS Documentation:

Comment: You can watch the Guardian's video (9m 24sec) version of the play here

"This is ROOMS Productions' official video documentation of Caryl Churchill's SEVEN JEWISH CHILDREN a play for Gaza presented at ROOMS Gallery in Chicago, Illinois (Recorded March 14, 2009). SEVEN JEWISH CHILDREN's script contains only 7 blocks of text - leaving the staging up to the those groups producing the work. ROOMS Productions presented the Chicago premiere of Ms. Churchill's script as a three hour looped performance installation (shown on March 12, 14 and 15 of 2009. At the request of Ms. Chruchill, donations for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians were taken at the door. http://www.map-uk.org/ Go to ROOMSGallery.com for more info about ROOMS Productions."

Part 1


Part 2


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israeli army inquires "brush off" charges against Israeli soldiers Al Jazeera TV, Qatar

IDF investigation 'not credible':

Israeli army inquires "brush off" charges against Israeli soldiers
Al Jazeera TV, Qatar

[LinkTV/Mosaic]



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Inside Story - Israel rejects alleged war crimes - 23 Apr 09

Inside Story - Israel rejects alleged war crimes - 23 Apr 09:

"The Israeli army on Wednesday defended its conduct during the military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, rejecting claims it had violated international law. Inside story asks: How credible is the probe? And who will this internal investigation satisfy?"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

DN! Israeli Military Finds No Fault in Gaza Attack

DN! Israeli Military Finds No Fault in Gaza Attack:

April 23, 2009

"Israeli Military Finds No Fault in Gaza Attack

The Israeli military says its concluded an investigation absolving its forces of committing any crimes during the three-week assault on the Gaza Strip beginning late last year. Israeli military deputy chief of staff General Dan Harel said Israels lone mistakes came down to intelligence and operational errors. General Dan Harel: We found out that the IDF operated under the international law and according to a very high standard of professionalism and moral standards. Saying that, we found out several mistakes, intelligence and operational mistakes we made, and we are dealing with them. Ayman Taha Bill Van Esveld"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

DN! HRW Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Phosphorus Attacks

DN! HRW Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Phosphorus Attacks:

"HRW Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Phosphorus Attacks

In Israel and the Occupied Territories, Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of unlawfully attacking densely populated civilian areas with white phosphorus during its three-week attack on Gaza. In a new report, Human Rights Watch says the white phosphorus killed at least twelve Palestinian civilians and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property. Bill Van Esveld of Human Rights Watch says the phosphorus use likely amounts to a war crime. Bill Van Esveld: It looks like that evidence is consistent with war crimes being committed. A war crime is when there is either intent or recklessness with regard to targeting civilians or civilian institutions. What weve got here is a lot of different civilian institutions being burned down, a lot of different civilians being injured, and it continued to happen for no apparent justification. Thats why were concerned."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Debate at UN SC meeting

UN meeting blemishes Israels image - denounces war on Gaza:

"Press Tv Report"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

What is Ban Ki-Moon waiting for?

New law to throw the book at Israel:

"UN human rights investigator Richard Falk explains why Israeli conduct in the Gaza Strip necessitates the world to introduce a new law."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

HRW - Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorous in Gaza

Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorous in Gaza:

"During Israel's 22-day military operations in Gaza, from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009, the IDF repeatedly exploded white phosphorus munitions in the air over populated areas, killing and injuring civilians, and damaging civilian structures, including a school, a market, a humanitarian aid warehouse and a hospital. Senior Military Analyst Marc Garlasco discusses Human Rights Watch's on the ground investigation and findings. For more, visit: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/25..."



Human Rights Watch
Israel: White Phosphorus Use Evidence of War Crimes
Indiscriminate Attacks Caused Needless Civilian Suffering
March 25, 2009

(Jerusalem) - Israel's repeated firing of white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas of Gaza during its recent military campaign was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 71-page report, "Rain of Fire: Israel's Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza," provides witness accounts of the devastating effects that white phosphorus munitions had on civilians and civilian property in Gaza. Human Rights Watch researchers in Gaza immediately after hostilities ended found spent shells, canister liners, and dozens of burnt felt wedges containing white phosphorus on city streets, apartment roofs, residential courtyards, and at a United Nations school. The report also presents ballistics evidence, photographs, and satellite imagery, as well as documents from the Israeli military and government.

Militaries use white phosphorus primarily to obscure their operations on the ground by creating thick smoke. It can also be used as an incendiary weapon.

"In Gaza, the Israeli military didn't just use white phosphorus in open areas as a screen for its troops," said Fred Abrahams, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch and co-author of the report. "It fired white phosphorus repeatedly over densely populated areas, even when its troops weren't in the area and safer smoke shells were available. As a result, civilians needlessly suffered and died."

The report documents a pattern or policy of white phosphorus use that Human Rights Watch says must have required the approval of senior military officers.

"For the needless civilian deaths caused by white phosphorus, senior commanders should be held to account," Abrahams said.

On February 1, Human Rights Watch submitted detailed questions to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about its white phosphorus use in Gaza. The IDF did not provide responses, citing an internal inquiry being conducted by the Southern Command.

In the recent Gaza operations, Israeli forces frequently air-burst white phosphorus in 155mm artillery shells in and near populated areas. Each air-burst shell spreads 116 burning white phosphorus wedges in a radius extending up to 125 meters from the blast point. White phosphorus ignites and burns on contact with oxygen, and continues burning at up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit (816 degrees Celsius) until nothing is left or the oxygen supply is cut. When white phosphorus comes into contact with skin it creates intense and persistent burns.

When used properly in open areas, white phosphorus munitions are not illegal, but the Human Rights Watch report concludes that the IDF repeatedly exploded it unlawfully over populated neighborhoods, killing and wounding civilians and damaging civilian structures, including a school, a market, a humanitarian aid warehouse, and a hospital.

Israel at first denied it was using white phosphorus in Gaza but, facing mounting evidence to the contrary, said that it was using all weapons in compliance with international law. Later it announced an internal investigation into possible improper white phosphorus use.

"Past IDF investigations into allegations of wrongdoing suggest that this inquiry will be neither thorough nor impartial," Abrahams said. "That's why an international investigation is required into serious laws of war violations by all parties."

The IDF knew that white phosphorus poses life-threatening dangers to civilians, Human Rights Watch said. A medical report prepared during the recent hostilities by the Israeli ministry of health said that white phosphorus "can cause serious injury and death when it comes into contact with the skin, is inhaled or is swallowed." Burns on less than 10 percent of the body can be fatal because of damage to the liver, kidneys, and heart, the ministry report says. Infection is common and the body's absorption of the chemical can cause serious damage to internal organs, as well as death.

If the IDF intended to use white phosphorus as a smokescreen for its forces, it had a readily available non-lethal alternative to white phosphorus - smoke shells produced by an Israeli company, Human Rights Watch concluded.

All of the white phosphorus shells that Human Rights Watch found were manufactured in the United States in 1989 by Thiokol Aerospace, which was running the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant at the time. On January 4, Reuters photographed IDF artillery units handling projectiles whose markings indicate that they were produced in the United States at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in September 1991.

To explain the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza, Israeli officials have repeatedly blamed Hamas for using civilians as "human shields" and for fighting from civilian sites. In the cases documented in the report, Human Rights Watch found no evidence of Hamas using human shields in the vicinity at the time of the attacks. In some areas Palestinian fighters appear to have been present, but this does not justify the indiscriminate use of white phosphorus in a populated area.

Human Rights Watch said that for multiple reasons it concluded that the IDF had deliberately or recklessly used white phosphorus munitions in violation of the laws of war. First, the repeated use of air-burst white phosphorus in populated areas until the last days of the operation reveals a pattern or policy of conduct rather than incidental or accidental usage. Second, the IDF was well aware of the effects of white phosphorus and the dangers it poses to civilians. Third, the IDF failed to use safer available alternatives for smokescreens.

The laws of war obligate states to investigate impartially allegations of war crimes. The evidence available demands that Israel investigate and prosecute as appropriate those who ordered or carried out unlawful attacks using white phosphorus munitions, Human Rights Watch said.

The United States government, which supplied Israel with its white phosphorus munitions, should also conduct an investigation to determine whether Israel used it in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said.


Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Gazan speaks of white phosphorus use - 26 Mar 09

Gazan speaks of white phosphorus use - 26 Mar 09:

"According to Human Rights Watch Israels use of white phosphorus in their offensive on the Gaza Strip constitutes a war crime', which Israel strenuously denies. Phosphorus ignites in oxygen in temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius and daily temperatures were much hotter than that when the war was carried out in Gaza in January. It is almost impossible to put out, and if it comes into contact with human flesh it can burn to the bone. Sabah Abu Halima who lost her husband and four of her children in the war, tells her story."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

DN! Gaza Family Sues Israeli Government

DN! Gaza Family Sues Israeli Government:

"Gaza Family Sues Israeli Government

In Israel and the Occupied Territories, a Palestinian family that lost twenty-nine relatives in the Israeli attack on Gaza has filed a $200 million lawsuit against the Israeli government. The ordeal of the Samouni family drew international attention after it was revealed Israeli forces shelled their homes and then blocked medical aid. In addition to the twenty-nine dead, another forty-five relatives were injured, most of them children. Family member Naela Samouni described her familys ordeal.

*Naela Samouni: "My mother-in-law died, my sister-in-law and her daughter and two more people. The majority of my family died in the home that I am standing in now. Of course, were going to file a lawsuit against them."

The surviving members of the Samouni family now live in the rubble of their destroyed homes."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israel's attacks on Gaza may cause environmental disaster

Gaza environmental damage:

"Al-Aqsa 090304 [LinkTV/Mosaic]"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Focus on Gaza: A Crime of War? - 20 Feb 09

Focus on Gaza: A Crime of War? - 20 Feb 09:

"Human rights investigators continue to look into allegations that Israeli soldiers may have committed crimes of war during their Gaza military campaign.

As the first Focus on Gaza A Crime of War? looks at the story of an alleged war crime that occurred during the war in the small village of Khuzaa, half a kilometre from the Israeli border.

Ayman Mohyeldin speaks with village residents who tell the story of a Gazan woman who was killed with a single shot to the head while waving a white flag as she led children to safety."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Interview with Dr. Ghada Karmi on Israel's Operation Cast Lead Against Gaza

Interview with Dr. Ghada Karmi on Israel's Operation Cast Lead Against Gaza:

"Interview with Dr. Ghada Karmi, author of 'Married to Another Man' on Israel's Operation Cast Lead Against Gaza"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Holocaust Survivor Protests Israeli Massacre in Gaza - 2009

Holocaust Survivor Protests Israeli Massacre in Gaza - 2009:

"Elderly Holocaust Survivor protests Israel's response to Hamas rocket attacks. She says it's not fair since Israel is so much stronger.

What would the international community do if Hamas launched massive airstrikes against Israel, marched deep into Tel Aviv or, shelled a UN-run school building, used as a refugee camp, leaving many Israeli children dead and many more injured? What if the Israeli people had been punished by seizure and blockade simply because they had chosen a far right party or a hard-line politician in a fair and free election? What would the so-called free nations be saying had Hamas leaders, in an effort to appeal to voters, decided to continue their large offensive against Israeli civilians despite the international calls for a cease-fire? What if the media all over the world had depicted a handful of Israeli children crying over the bodies of their dead mothers?

There is much irony in this analogy, but the truth is that Israel has long been excused for every terrible atrocity it has perpetrated and continues to perpetrate. Such double standards and twisted positions that the key powers in the world are embracing nowadays are fueling the already anti-West sentiments not only in Arab and Muslim countries but also across the entire world.

There is much irony in this analogy, but the truth is that Israel has long been excused for every terrible atrocity it has perpetrated and continues to perpetrate. Such double standards and twisted positions that the key powers in the world are embracing nowadays are fueling the already anti-West sentiments not only in Arab and Muslim countries but also across the entire world.

Israel, according to the Western hypocritical standards, is always above the law. Throughout the past 60 years, Israel has constantly been violating the international law and the rules and principles of nations which govern the relations of nations with each other. Take the Geneva Convention for protecting civilians in times of war as an example.
Israel has committed serious war crimes by deliberately targeting civilians throughout its wars with the Arabs. So the evidence which cites Israel as being in violation of international law or human rights is enormous.
Ignoring a UN-adopted resolution and international calls for an immediate end to its recent aggression on Gaza, the Israelis are continuing their bloody operation which, until now, has claimed the lives of more than 800 innocent Palestinians (nearly all of them civilians) and injured more than 3000. Stories of deliberate killings of civilians, targeting schools and indiscriminately shelling Palestinian towns in the Gaza Strip are compelling evidence of Israels disdain and contempt for the well-crafted principles of international law. The chief objective of the current operation, as is clear from Israeli behavior so far, is to eradicate the people of Gaza entirely.

A UN-filed report has found that since the Israeli aggression on Gaza late last month, as many as 42 percent of the overall Palestinian dead are women and children. In one heartbreaking incident, the Israeli war machine shelled a UN-run school in which hundreds of Palestinians were seeking shelter.
As many as 33 innocent people, most of them women and children, were immediately killed in a cowardly and barbaric act that indicates that the Israeli army is deliberately targeting every living creature in Gaza.
The UN report has concluded that there is no safe space in the Gaza Strip no safe haven, no bomb shelters and the borders are closed and civilians have no place to flee. In a similar incident, Israeli forces evacuated many Palestinian civilians to a house in the Zaitoun district. Shortly after, the house was shelled and more than 100 civilians were instantly killed.

On the diplomatic front, Israel has expressed its disdain for a UN-adopted resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire. Hours after the United Nations passed the resolution that calls for an end to the fighting, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and creating passages for humanitarian aid to people there, a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as saying that the UN decision is not practical and is unworkable.
Despite the loss of lives in this aggression, there have been numerous rational voices heard from here and there that have condemned the Israeli barbarism in Gaza during the past 16 days.
A top Vatican official likened what the Israelis are doing in Gaza with what the Nazis did during the Second World War. Gaza, said Cardinal Renato Martino, resembles a big concentration camp. Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has called the Israeli army a coward army. His government has expelled the Israeli ambassador from Caracas in protest against what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza nowadays.
Across the Arab and Muslim world, the show of solidarity with the Palestinians has never reached such a height as it has during this crisis. Just after the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, thousands of protesters took to the streets, apparently shocked by the heartbreaking footage of Palestinian victims, to protest the brutality of the aggressor and the lack of response of the international community, which would have been totally different had the perpetrator not been Israel. "



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog