Indicting Israel for Self-Defense

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com ^ | Wednesday, February 04, 2009 | P. David Hornik

[Cindy]

SNIPPET: “The ceasefire announced by Hamas on January 18, never a sterling example of the genre, further deteriorated on Sunday as over 15 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel from Gaza. That night, when Israeli planes struck back at Hamas targets, many Palestinians reported that Israel had telephoned them warnings to evacuate. There were no casualties in the strike.

During Operation Cast Lead, Israel reduced Palestinian casualties with such measures as disseminating warnings in leaflets or SMS messages and dropping small, harmless bombs on rooftops before attacks. It prompted former British colonel Richard Kemp to say that “I don’t think there has ever been a time in the history of warfare when any army has made more efforts to reduce civilian casualties and deaths of innocent people than the IDF is doing today in Gaza.”

Nevertheless, it was reported on Monday that a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague had announced plans to investigate claims by Palestinian groups that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza by using phosphorus shells in populated areas. In 2004 the ICC condemned Israel for building its security fence—believed by some security officials to have saved hundreds of lives—after waves of terror from the West Bank.

And the news about the ICC came hard on the heels of Thursday’s announcement that a Spanish court, after granting a petition by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, was planning to try seven Israeli security officials for “crimes against humanity” in the 2002 assassination of Hamas kingpin Salah Shehadeh. Fourteen civilians were also killed in the strike. Shehadeh had masterminded the killings of hundreds of Israelis and was preparing a mega-attack at the time. The seven Israeli officials include a former defense minister and two former chiefs of staff.”

[Cindy]

Additional Reading:

stepping back in time (and currently updated thread):

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154771/posts

“Report: Israeli air force attacks Gaza City”
YNET NEWS.com ^ | 12/27/08, 11:46/Israel News | Hanan Greenberg and Reuters)

[LuxAerterna]

Mike Nifong is alive and well in Spain.

[Venturer]

The International Criminal Court is a joke.

Always has been.

[MarkL]

And the news about the ICC came hard on the heels of Thursday’s announcement that a Spanish court, after granting a petition by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, was planning to try seven Israeli security officials for “crimes against humanity” in the 2002 assassination of Hamas kingpin Salah Shehadeh. Fourteen civilians were also killed in the strike. Shehadeh had masterminded the killings of hundreds of Israelis and was preparing a mega-attack at the time. The seven Israeli officials include a former defense minister and two former chiefs of staff.”

I think that we should be demanding the immediate release of all the political prisoners that Spain might be holding, that they label "Basque Separatists," so what if they've committed horrible acts of terror and murder against the Spanish people?

Mark