Repeat: Israel At Fault
The investigation showed that the IDF took numerous measures to avoid hitting facilities and vehicles affiliated with the UN, Red Cross and other international organizations. These facilities were marked on IDF maps in advance according to the information provided by the international organizations. Clear orders were given stating that the hitting of facilities and vehicles of this sort must be avoided. Coordination between the IDF and the UN, the Red Cross and the international organizations was done via a special Civil Administration situation room and a center for humanitarian coordination that was established in order to allow day to day humanitarian aid coordination.Investigation shows that Hamas and the other terror organizations operating in the Gaza Strip placed the facilities used by the UN and other international organizations in substantial danger. With the knowledge that the IDF limits its operations in the vicinity of such facilities, the terror organizations intentionally launched rockets and mortar shells adjacent to them. Similarly, Hamas and other terrorist organizations located headquarters, bases, weapon storage facilities and other terrorist infrastructure close to the sensitive facilities of the UN, Red Cross and other international organizations.Above are some of the results of an exhaustive internal investigation by the Israel Defense Forces; not exonerating themselves for the damage done to UN structures and the lives lost through the misfortune of time and place, and those imperilled, but explaining concisely what was involved; why decisions were taken, and what the outcomes were as a result of circumstances beyond their control.
Below are the findings of the investigation with regard to some of the prominent incidents that were investigated: A. Claims about the Incident at the UNRWA school in Jabaliya ("Fahoura" School)The incident occurred near the UNRWA school ("Fahoura" School) in Jabaliya on January 6th, 2009. Hamas operatives used a site located only 80 meters away from the school to launch mortar shells at IDF forces. The shells exploded next to an IDF force operating in the area, and represented a grave threat to the soldiers. The previous day thirty IDF soldiers were wounded by Hamas mortar fire. The mortar fire presented a very significant threat to the lives of IDF forces.
Following a confirmed and cross-referenced identification of the source of the fire, the soldiers under attack responded with minimal and proportionate retaliatory fire, using the most precise weapon available to them, with the purpose of stopping the Hamas fire. The return fire hit the Hamas operatives who were firing the mortars and stopped their fire. All of the shells fired by the force landed outside of the school grounds (contrary to claims made by Hamas). Sadly, due to the fact that Hamas was firing from a populated area, the return fire also resulted in unintentional harm to civilians in the vicinity.
Despite the fact that the incident took place outside the UNRWA school grounds, Hamas was quick to accuse Israel of intentionally hitting the UN Facility. The investigation showed unequivocally that those claims were false. This was reinforced by the UN in a press release published subsequent to the operation. Additionally, the investigation showed that a cell of five terror operatives and seven civilians outside of the school grounds were hit, contrary to the 42 deaths that were reported by Hamas inside the school grounds. B. Claims made Regarding Damage to the UNRWA Headquarters and to a Building which turned out to be a Red Cross Pharmaceutical Storage facility in Tel El-Hawa Two incidents were investigated that took place on January 15th 2009 during fierce fighting in the Hamas' stronghold in the Tel El-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza city. Hamas deployed anti-tank squads near sensitive facilities in the neighborhood, intending to deliver a strategic blow to the IDF (e.g. by hitting an IDF tank). Damage to a structure that turned out to be a pharmaceutical storage facility– The investigation showed that during the battle, IDF forces came under fire from both anti-tank and small arms fire by terrorists located next to a structure that was later discovered to contain a Red Cross pharmaceutical storage facility. The IDF returned fire towards the source of fire only after an IDF armored bulldozer suffered a direct hit from anti-tank fire. During the ensuing exchange of fire, which included the IDF's responsive firing, it appears that the structure containing the storage facility was hit. The IDF was not provided with the location of the storage facility in question by the Red Cross prior to the operation and therefore was not marked on the IDF's maps, unlike other Red Cross facilities. No one was injured during the incident. Damage to the storage facility in the UNRWA headquarters compound – Concurrently, in the same general area, the IDF deployed a smoke screen in order to protect a tank force operating in the neighborhood from Hamas anti-tank crews who had positioned themselves adjacent to the UNRWA headquarters. The smoke screen was intended to block the terrorists' field of view. Information received by the IDF shows that the smoke screen did assist in protecting the force and prevented precise anti-tank fire against IDF forces. The smoke projectiles were fired at an area a considerable distance from the UNRWA headquarters, and were not intended to cause damage to either person or property. However, it appears that fragments of the smoke projectiles did hit a warehouse located in the headquarters, causing it to catch fire.
During the incident, claims were also made that an explosive shell or shrapnel hit the UNRWA headquarters. The investigation showed that these were shells, or shell fragments that were fired at military targets within the battle zone.
The damage caused to the UNRWA headquarters during the fighting in the Tel El-Hawwa neighborhood is the unfortunate result of the type of warfare that Hamas forced upon the IDF, involving combat in the Gaza Strip's urban spaces and adjacent to facilities associated with international organizations. These results could not be predicted.
The results of a United Nations enquiry have now been released, squarely placing blame on Israel for six attacks on UN buildings during the country's Gaza offensive. The offensive due to incessant rocket fire from Gaza into Israel. "In six of the nine incidents, the board concluded that the death, injuries and damage involved were caused by military actions, using munitions launched or dropped from the air or fired from the ground by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)" read the report.
Which went on to accuse Israel of failing in its duty to protect UN buildings and civilians within them, recommending that the United Nations seek compensatory damages from Israel. Ban Ki-moon has been quoted as saying "I intend to seek reparations for damages incurred by the UN", adding "I have no authority to alter or to change the contents of the report."
"IDF actions involved varying degrees of negligence or recklessness with regard to UN premises and to the safety of UN staff and other civilians within those premises, with consequent deaths, injuries and extensive physical damage and loss of property. No military activity was carried out from within the United Nations premises in any of the incidents", charged the report.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded: "The state of Israel rejects the criticism in the committee's summary report, and determines that in both spirit and language, the report is tendentious, patently biased, and ignores the facts presented to the committee". Ban Ki-moon
praised Israel's co-operation with the UN during the Cast Lead Operation, mentioning that Israeli citizens had faced indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas and other terror groups, while the report itself made no mention of attacks on Israel.
Israeli officials, incensed at the censure contained in the report and its obvious one-sidedness, said the report had completely ignored intelligence Israel had given the committee; information that proved Hamas used UN facilities as a base for their operations. So who to believe? It's a matter of the perspective of religious geo-politics, amply illustrated by the fact that the world's most egregious human-rights abusers are elected to sit on the UN Human Rights Council.
Amplified by the fact that a euphemistically named "alliance of regressive regimes" saw success in ensuring that the Council cancelled human rights investigators for atrociously transgressive troublespots such as Belarus, Cuba, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan's Darfur region. That same alliance successfully enabled the appointment of an investigator who launched the "Moammar Qaddafi Human Rights Prize".
Along with yet another investigator who believes the terror attacks of 9-11 had nothing to do with Islamist jihadists and everything to do with Jews and U.S. political stratagems. Standing ready to fill eighteen vacancies in the UN's Human Rights council are such stalwarts of human rights entitlements as Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Djibouti and Russia, along with Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and Senegal.
Top of the heap however, looking for a three-year term on the UN's Human Rights council are China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia, all fervent supporters of non-discriminatory practises, themselves eager to demonstrate to the world at large how much they value the universal protection of human rights for all.
From these fine specimens come the investigators who sit in judgement on liberal democracies defending themselves from violent upheavals.
Labels: Israel, Political Realities, United Nations
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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