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Calls for Prosecution of Israel for Gaza Massacre
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The hand and arm of a baby stick out of the rubble in Gaza, July 24
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UNITED
NATIONS, July 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israel was
roundly condemned Wednesday, July 24, in the U.N. Security Council for
its air strike in Gaza City, with the Palestinian envoy calling for
war crimes charges to be filed in the International Criminal Court
(ICC).
“The
Israeli assault represents the first blatant war crime committed by
the Israeli occupying forces since the entry into force this month of
the ICC,” envoy Nasser al-Kidwa said, Agence France-Presse (AFP)
reported.
The
Israeli bombing raid, in which Israeli planes dropped a one-ton bomb
late Monday, July 22, killed Salah Shehada, the military chief of the
Palestinian resistance group Hamas, and 17 civilians, including eleven
children.
“This
action definitely falls within the jurisdiction of the court and, as
such, measures to bring the perpetrators to justice should be
taken,” Al-Kidwa said, calling for “decisive” U.N. action.
Israel
has signed but not ratified the international treaty setting up the
ICC, whose jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes
against humanity, genocide and war crimes began on July 1.
Some
30 speakers took part in the four-hour Security Council debate which
was swiftly convened at the request of the group of Arab member
nations.
Arab
countries led the condemnations and Israel’s top ally, the United
States, reaffirmed its disapproval while also seeking censure for
Palestinian bombings.
Israeli
Ambassador to the United Nations Aaron Jacob expressed regret at the
civilian casualties from Monday’s military action, but claimed the
real blame lay with the Palestinian authorities’ failure to prevent
their territory being used for what he called “terrorist” acts.
“The
Palestinians never lifted a finger,” Jacob alleged, adding that
Israel was left with no choice but to defend its people.
Jacob
admitted that Israel had not anticipated the extent of the collateral
damage and claimed the operation would never have been carried out if
the result could have been known beforehand.
However,
this Israeli claim has been called into question as it is known that
Gaza City is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Clearly
unenthusiastic about participating in the debate, the United States
reiterated concern at the “heavy handed” Israeli strike and any
other act that might endanger civilian lives.
However,
U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the Security Council should also
address the activities of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian
groups “who continue to destroy the prospects of Palestinians to
achieve their goal of a Palestinian state.”
Negroponte
said attacks by such outfits were “morally repugnant” and
questioned why they were not more often the focus of Security Council
attention.
Other
speakers centered their criticism almost exclusively on Israel, with
numerous calls for the U.N. to bring the Israeli government to heel.
Saudi
Arabia called Monday’s air strike a “terrorist act that cannot be
justified on any pretext,” while France’s U.N. ambassador
Jean-David Levitte said Israel should refrain from extra-judicial
killings.
“Such
a deliberate act is unjustifiable and can in no way contribute to
resolving the current crisis,” Levitte said.
Chinese
ambassador Wang Yingfan condemned what he described as a “vicious
development” in Israeli-Palestinian violence and said it could only
interfere with diplomatic efforts to seek a resolution.
International
criticism of the strike was all the more pointed as it came at a time
when hopes for progress in peace talks had been on the rise.
Israeli
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had met with a Palestinian delegation to
discuss ways in which Israeli forces that have reoccupied almost the
entire West Bank since June 19 could pull back as Palestinian security
services deploy to maintain order.
They
had also discussed ways of relieving the suffering of hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians caught under Israeli curfew in seven of the
eight cities in the territory occupied by the Israeli army.
The
Israeli bombing also came hours after Hamas had announced its
readiness to stop resistance attacks on Israelis on the condition of
an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank.
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