Tag: Cast Lead

NYCBI launches Motorola boycott

New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel

30 March 2009

Why Boycott?

In the wake of Israel’s recent assault on the people of Gaza and the US government’s complicity in the attacks, we as people of conscience in the US must challenge Israeli policies. Israel systematically violates Palestinian human rights through unrelenting checkpoints, surveillance, house demolitions, and military aggression. Hundreds of Palestinian civil society organizations have called on the world to work on campaigns of boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel and New York is taking up the call! We, the New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, call for a boycott of Motorola until it stops profiting from and supporting Israeli apartheid.

Why Motorola?

We demand Motorola end its production and sale of fuzes to the Israeli military

Motorola Israel produces fuzes used in cluster bombs, ‘bunker-buster’ bombs, and a variety of other bombs. Cluster bombs, whose export was recently banned by the US government, are each composed of hundreds of exploding bomblets that spray metal shrapnel over a large area when they explode.

Cluster bombs are specifically condemned by an international consensus of human rights organizations, banned by many countries, and even the US government has voiced concern over their use, especially in civilian areas. Despite this, Israel has regularly used cluster bombs in the past few years.

We demand Motorola end its transfer and/or sales of all communication devices to the Israeli military

Motorola Israel acquired a $100 million contract to provide a nationwide military data encrypted cellular network, “Mountain Rose,” for the Israeli Defense Forces, allowing commanders to communicate securely anywhere they operate.

The IDF is accelerating investment in Motorola Israel’s Mountain Rose system in a time of cutbacks because of its critical role in developing Israel’s land-warfare maneuvering capacity.

We demand Motorola end its transfer and/or sales of all products that aid and support Israel’s settlements including all radar detection devices

Motorola supplies the Israeli military with the Wide Area Surveillance System (WASS) and other high-tech configurations of radar devices and thermal cameras used to keep Palestinian civilians under constant surveillance on their own land.

Motorola surveillance systems are being installed around Israeli settlement/colonies and the apartheid wall that Israel has constructed in the Palestinian West Bank. This shows that Israel has no intention of dismantling the illegal settlements or ending its occupation of Palestinian land.

What can I do?

1. Join us at the demo
2. Don’t buy Motorola
3. Say goodbye to Moto! Sign our pledge not to purchase Motorola
4. Spread the word

Aftermath: ‘the only BMW shop in Gaza’

Palestinian Center for Human Rights

29 March 2009

In this new series of personal testimonies, PCHR looks at the aftermath of Israel’s 22 day offensive on the Gaza Strip, and the ongoing impact it is having on the civilian population.

Nasser Al ‘Amoudi, with his biker’s jacket and sunglasses, embodies the essence of a car enthusiast. For years he has been the proud owner of the only BMW spare parts shop in the Gaza Strip. People would travel from every corner to purchase second hand parts from his shop. Now Nasser’s workshop and garage, which were worth $300,000 before the Israeli army destroyed them during their latest offensive, lie in tatters, and his financial security has gone.

Al ‘Amoudi BMW Spare Parts is situated on a main street running through the Salateen area of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza. This area was one of the worst affected during Israel’s ground offensive – hundreds of houses and greenhouses were completely destroyed in Salateen, thousands of trees were uprooted, and there are still 100 families living in a tent camp just a few metres away. This predominantly fishing community has sustained many Israeli incursions over the years but the scars of the latest one are all pervasive and have made the area almost unrecognisable to its residents. Even the cemetery with its cracked gravestones and deep tank tracks, was not spared.

“This land belongs to me and my family and we have had this business for 22 years,” says 38-year-old Nasser, his hand leaning on the edge of the tent he has erected on the site of his shop. “I worked in the garage when I was a small boy, and I took over from my brother when I was old enough. We had customers from Gaza City, from Khan Yunis, and Rafah. This was the only place to find good used spare parts for BMW cars. All of Gaza knew this shop.”

Nasser used to have friends in Germany whom he did business with to secure the spare parts, but everything collapsed with the closure of Gaza’s borders two years ago: “People were still coming here before the war, but business had slowed down, almost to a standstill. Gaza has been closed off from the outside world for two years, and it’s impossible for businesses like mine to function under those conditions.”

The economic blockade and closure of Gaza’s borders since June 2007 has had a devastating impact on the Strip’s economic sectors. Most production facilities have ceased operations and the import and export of goods are severely limited. Israel’s policy of collective punishment has left the territory unable to secure basic foods, medicines, or other supplies and the result has been a skyrocketing of poverty rates and unemployment.

During the offensive, while Nasser sheltered in his home in Shati refugee camp with his wife and three children, Israeli fighter jets, helicopters, naval vessels, and ground tanks pounded Salateen. His garage and workshop were levelled by Israeli military bulldozers around the 14 of January 2009, when many of

the local residents had fled the area. “I drove back here on my motorbike on the first day of the ceasefire, on 18 January 2009,” says Nasser. “There was absolutely nothing left. Years of work, just gone.”

Piled up around the refugee tent on Nasser’s site, are the crumpled metal bumpers of BMW cars. Nasser has tried to salvage whatever he could but the tent is little more than a testament to the human spirit. “I’ve set up this tent with the old sign from my shop as a symbol, even though I have no goods to sell,” Nasser adds. “Just to let the world see what happened to me…”

During the 22 day offensive Beit Lahiya suffered extreme levels of devastation and the resulting crisis is still affecting all aspects of life. Civilians like Nasser Al ‘Amoudi and others, continue to be denied their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) is considering upgrading its trade relations with Israel under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which offers Israel preferential terms in its trade with the EU. Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association states that the relationship between Israel and the EU should be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, as a core part of the Agreement and as a precondition for economic cooperation.

In light of Israel’s latest actions in the Gaza Strip, and continuing breaches of international law, PCHR is calling on the EU-Israel Association Council to reconsider Israel’s request for a significant upgrading of relations, and to hold Israel to account for its continuing violations of international law and the human rights clauses within the Agreement. Upgrading the Association Agreement gives Israel tacit approval to continue violating its contractual obligations and makes the EU complicit in these acts.

Over 120 industrial and commercial workshops were completely destroyed by Israeli Occupation Forces between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009, and at least 200 others were damaged, as well as some of Gaza’s largest factories producing soft drinks, concrete and other basic items.

The high civilian death toll and the extensive destruction to public and private property indicate that one of the objectives of the Israeli political and military establishments was to cause the maximum possible damage in Gaza. As Nasser Al ‘Amoudi, rearranges the metal sign hanging from his tent, it is apparent that the Israeli army achieved that objective.

“What is the point of addressing the international community about this issue?” asks Nasser. “No one seems to care. I will try to rebuild my shop. What else can I do? Where else can I go? I just hope that this will not happen again in Gaza.”

Human Rights Watch decries Israel’s use of white phosphorus in report

Human Rights Watch

Rain of Fire: Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza

Download the entire report (.pdf / 6mb)

Rain of Fire: Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza
Rain of Fire: Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza

Summary

This report documents Israel’s extensive use of white phosphorus munitions during its 22-day military operations in Gaza, from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009, named Operation Cast Lead. Based on in-depth investigations in Gaza, the report concludes that the Israel Defense Forces (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.

White phosphorus munitions did not kill the most civilians in Gaza – many more died from missiles, bombs, heavy artillery, tank shells, and small arms fire – but their use in densely populated neighborhoods, including downtown Gaza City, violated international humanitarian law (the laws of war), which requires taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm and prohibits indiscriminate attacks.

The unlawful use of white phosphorus was neither incidental nor accidental. It was repeated over time and in different locations, with the IDF “air-bursting” the munition in populated areas up to the last days of its military operation. Even if intended as an obscurant rather than as a weapon, the IDF’s repeated firing of air-burst white phosphorus shells from 155mm artillery into densely populated areas was indiscriminate and indicates the commission of war crimes.

The dangers posed by white phosphorus to civilians were well-known to Israeli commanders, who have used the munition for many years. According to a medical report prepared during the hostilities by the ministry of health, “[w]hite phosphorus can cause serious injury and death when it comes into contact with the skin, is inhaled or is swallowed.” The report states that burns on less than 10 percent of the body can be fatal because of damage to the liver, kidneys and heart.

When it wanted an obscurant for its forces, the IDF had a readily available and non-lethal alternative to white phosphorus-smoke shells produced by an Israeli company. The IDF could have used those shells to the same effect and dramatically reduced the harm to civilians.

Using white phosphorus in densely populated areas as a weapon is even more problematic. Human Rights Watch found no evidence that Israeli forces fired ground-burst white phosphorous at hardened military targets, such as Palestinian fighters in bunkers, but it may have air-burst white phosphorous for its incendiary effect. Fired from artillery and air-burst to maximize the area of impact, white phosphorous munitions will not have the same lethal effect as high-explosive shells, but will be just as indiscriminate.

The IDF’s deliberate or reckless use of white phosphorus munitions is evidenced in five ways. First, to Human Rights Watch’s knowledge, the IDF never used its white phosphorus munitions in Gaza before, despite numerous incursions with personnel and armor. Second, 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. Third, the IDF was well aware of the effects white phosphorus has and the dangers it can pose to civilians. Fourth, if the IDF used white phosphorus as an obscurant, it failed to use available alternatives, namely smoke munitions, which would have held similar tactical advantages without endangering the civilian population. Fifth, in one of the cases documented in this report – the January 15 strike on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) headquarters in Gaza City – the IDF kept firing white phosphorus despite repeated warnings from UN personnel about the danger to civilians. Under international humanitarian law, these circumstances demand the independent investigation of the use of white phosphorus and, if warranted, the prosecution of all those responsible for war crimes.

The IDF at first denied using white phosphorus in Gaza, and then said it was using all weapons in compliance with international law. It now says it is conducting an investigation, reportedly run by a colonel, into the use of white phosphorus. Given the IDF’s record on previous internal investigations, and the relatively low rank of the reported investigation leader, the inquiry’s objectivity remains in doubt.

Another two children killed by Israeli explosive in the Gaza Strip

Mohammed Hiji and Ahmed Ishnayawra, both 14 years old according to medical sources, were killed in Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza city, on Saturday 21st of March by what is suspected to be Israeli ordinance, left unexploded after January’s invasion. Mohammed was in the store, where he was working to support his family, as his father is handicapped as a result of an accident that caused him the loss of his right hand.

mohamed
Mohammed Hiji, killed by Israeli explosive

Ahmed brought the object to the store where it exploded causing the death of the two boys. Nobody else was in the store at the time of the explosion, so the details of the incident will never be known. What is sure is that Mohammed and Ahmed are two more innocent victims of a war that Israel has started and is refusing to cease. During the recent onslaught on Gaza alone, at least 313 children have been killed and 1,606 have been injured, according to the PCHR report, updated on the 19th of March

Guardian investigation uncovers evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza

Clancy Chassay and Julian Borger | The Guardian

23 March 2009

Palestinians claim children were used as human shields and hospitals targeted during 23-day conflict

Video | Palestinian brothers: used as human shields in Gaza

The Guardian has compiled detailed evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israel during the 23-day offensive against Gaza earlier this year, involving the use of Palestinian children as human shields, the targeting of medics and hospitals, and drone aircraft firing on civilians.

Three Guardian films based on a month-long investigation, add weight to calls this week for a full inquiry into the events surrounding Operation Cast Lead, which was aimed at Hamas but left about 1,400 Palestinians dead, including up to 300 children.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) refused to respond directly to the allegations made against its troops, but issued statements denying the charges, and insisted international law had been observed.

The Guardian’s investigation follows soldiers’ evidence published in the Israeli press about the killing of Palestinian civilians and complaints by colleagues involved in the military operation that the rules of engagement were too lax.

Amnesty International has said Hamas should be investigated for executing at least two dozen Palestinian men in an apparent bout of score-settling with rivals and alleged collaborators while Operation Cast Lead was under way.

Human rights groups say the vast majority of offences were committed by Israel, and that the Gaza offensive was a disproportionate response to Hamas rocket attacks. Since 2002, there have been 21 Israeli deaths from Hamas rockets fired from Gaza and during Operation Cast Lead there were three Israeli civilian deaths, six Israeli soldiers killed by Palestinian fire and four killed by friendly fire.

“Only an investigation mandated by the UN security council can ensure Israel’s co-operation and it’s the only body that can secure some kind of prosecution,” said Amnesty’s Donatella Rovera, who spent two weeks in Gaza investigating war crimes allegations. “Without a proper investigation there is no deterrent. The message remains the same: ‘It’s OK to do these things – there won’t be any real consequences.'”

Some of the most dramatic testimony gathered by the Guardian came from three teenage brothers in the al-Attar family. The trio describe how they were taken from their home at gunpoint, made to kneel in front of tanks to deter Hamas fighters from firing at them and sent by Israeli soldiers into Palestinian houses to clear them.

“They would make us go first so if any fighters shot at them the bullets would hit us not them,” 14-year-old Al’a al-Attar said.

Medics and ambulance drivers said they were targeted when they tried to tend to the wounded. Sixteen of them were killed. According to the World Health Organisation, more than half of Gaza’s 27 hospitals and 44 clinics were damaged by Israeli bombs. Two clinics were destroyed. In one incident, paramedics were fired on by a tank using a shell filled with 8,000 lethal metal darts as they were carrying a wounded man to an ambulance.

Video | Under attack: medics die trying to help casualties

In a report released today, doctors for Human Rights Israel said there was “certainty” that Israel violated international humanitarian law during the three-week war in January, with attacks on medics, damage to medical buildings, indiscriminate attacks on civilians and delays in medical treatment for the injured.

“We have noticed a stark decline in IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] morals concerning the Palestinian population of Gaza, which in reality amounts to a contempt for Palestinian lives,” said Dani Filc, chairman of Physicians for Human Rights Israel.

The Guardian gathered testimony of missile attacks by Israeli drones on clearly distinguishable civilian targets. In one case a family of six was killed when a missile hit the courtyard of their house. Israel has not admitted to the use of drones but military experts say their optical equipment is good enough to clearly identify individual items of clothing worn by targets.

Video | Cut to pieces: the family drinking tea in a courtyard

The Israeli military issued a statement in response to the allegations saying: “The IDF operated in accordance with the rules of war and did the utmost to minimise harm to civilians uninvolved in combat. The IDF’s use of weapons conforms to international law.”

The IDF said an investigation was under way into allegations that hospitals were targeted. A statement said Israeli soldiers were under standing orders to avoid harming medics, but added: “However, in light of the difficult reality of warfare in the Gaza Strip carried out in urban and densely populated areas, medics who operate in the area take the risk upon themselves.”

The use of human shields was outlawed by Israel’s supreme court in 2005 after a string of incidents. The IDF said only Hamas used human shields by launching attacks from civilian areas.

An Israeli embassy spokesman said any allegations from Gaza were suspect because of Hamas pressure on witnesses. “Anyone who understands the realities of Gaza will know that these people are not free to speak the truth. Those that wish to speak out cannot for fear of beatings, torture or execution at the hands of Hamas,” the spokesman said in a written statement.

However, the accounts gathered by the Guardian are supported by the findings of human rights organisations and soldiers’ testimony published in the Israeli press.

An IDF squad leader is quoted in the daily newspaper Ha’aretz as saying his soldiers interpreted the rules to mean “we should kill everyone there [in the centre of Gaza]. Everyone there is a terrorist.

“To write ‘death to the Arabs’ on the walls, to take family pictures and spit on them, just because you can,” the squad leader said. “I think this is the main thing: To understand how much the IDF has fallen in the realm of ethics, really. It’s what I’ll remember the most.”

Last week, a group of 16 of the world’s leading war crimes investigators and judges called on the UN to launch a full inquiry into “alleged gross violations of the laws of war committed by both sides during the recent conflict in Gaza and southern Israel”.