13 july 2014
Yesterday, Saturday, 12th July, Jews Against Genocide (JAG) held a memorial service for Palestinian children killed by Israel in its current attack on Gaza. JAG set aflame to a pile of dolls covered in red paint at Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust memorial museum. JAG is a movement of Jews from all over the world, including Israelis, who are protesting against Israel’s intent to commit genocide against the non-Jewish indigenous people of Palestine.
The Yad Vashem security guard attempted to disrupt the memorial, confiscated JAG’s fire extinguisher, and called the Israeli police to arrest the participants.
We, Jews Against Genocide, came to Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial of the genocide committed against Jews, to honor the Palestinian children who are dying in a genocide committed by Jews. We brought dolls to symbolise the children of Gaza, and tried to bring a glimpse of the horror that Gazan’s face, to Israel’s doorstep. We hope to show Israel, and the world, the absurd reality of using the memory of one genocide to justify another.
We invite compassionate people from across the globe to join the outcry by staging similar protests in front of Israeli embassies and consulates around the world on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th July, 2014.
Just as we honor the people who were murdered seven decades ago in Europe because they were Jews, we are here to honor the people who are being murdered at this very moment because they are the indigenous people of this land who are not Jews.
The UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines Genocide as, “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; [...]“
The children of Gaza, who are being systematically murdered as we write this article, constitute 52% percent of the population under siege in the strip. The vast majority of these children are descendants of refugees from historical Palestine.
In the current round of atrocities committed by the Israel occupation army, so far dozens of children have been murdered in their homes, with Israel’s war-making leadership vowing “much higher costs” on the Palestinian side as the bombing and shelling continues.
The war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza today are the latest stage of an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the indigenous people of this land.
The Jewish State was founded on the Zionist principle of “maximum Jews on maximum land, and minimum Arabs on minimum land”, which was made reality through sixty-six years of continued assault against Palestinians, denying them the right to live freely and peacefully in their historical homeland. The Israeli regime has turned the beautiful Gaza strip into a densely populated ghetto, with unsafe water, untreated sewage, and insufficient resources and electricity. This ghetto has become a concentration camp, through repeated Israeli massacres in what the Goldstone Report [PDF] described as an effort to, “humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish[ing] its local economic capacity.”
We express our support and solidarity for the Palestinian civil society’s call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, until it complies with the three basic demands of:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
The Yad Vashem security guard attempted to disrupt the memorial, confiscated JAG’s fire extinguisher, and called the Israeli police to arrest the participants.
We, Jews Against Genocide, came to Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial of the genocide committed against Jews, to honor the Palestinian children who are dying in a genocide committed by Jews. We brought dolls to symbolise the children of Gaza, and tried to bring a glimpse of the horror that Gazan’s face, to Israel’s doorstep. We hope to show Israel, and the world, the absurd reality of using the memory of one genocide to justify another.
We invite compassionate people from across the globe to join the outcry by staging similar protests in front of Israeli embassies and consulates around the world on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th July, 2014.
Just as we honor the people who were murdered seven decades ago in Europe because they were Jews, we are here to honor the people who are being murdered at this very moment because they are the indigenous people of this land who are not Jews.
The UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines Genocide as, “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; [...]“
The children of Gaza, who are being systematically murdered as we write this article, constitute 52% percent of the population under siege in the strip. The vast majority of these children are descendants of refugees from historical Palestine.
In the current round of atrocities committed by the Israel occupation army, so far dozens of children have been murdered in their homes, with Israel’s war-making leadership vowing “much higher costs” on the Palestinian side as the bombing and shelling continues.
The war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza today are the latest stage of an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the indigenous people of this land.
The Jewish State was founded on the Zionist principle of “maximum Jews on maximum land, and minimum Arabs on minimum land”, which was made reality through sixty-six years of continued assault against Palestinians, denying them the right to live freely and peacefully in their historical homeland. The Israeli regime has turned the beautiful Gaza strip into a densely populated ghetto, with unsafe water, untreated sewage, and insufficient resources and electricity. This ghetto has become a concentration camp, through repeated Israeli massacres in what the Goldstone Report [PDF] described as an effort to, “humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish[ing] its local economic capacity.”
We express our support and solidarity for the Palestinian civil society’s call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, until it complies with the three basic demands of:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
Maryam Al Masry, 9 years
Maryam’s story
Maryam was a bright and active nine year-old, popular with her friends and classmates, and very clever, with a GPA of 97 percent. Maryam wanted to be teacher.
That now hangs in the balance as she lies semi-comatose in a Shifa hospital bed, paralysed down the left side, pieces of shrapnel still embedded in her brain, recognising no-one, unresponsive to any stimuli except pain.
Maryam, the child born after 20 years of trying, an IVF success story turned into an IOF tragedy.
What crime did she commit? Helping her mother with the housework?
That is what she was doing when she was struck in the head with shrapnel from a nearby bombardment.
Operated on immediately, she spent a few days in ICU and now faces an uncertain prognosis, and an even more uncertain future.
Her mother’s pain is palpable. The normal daughter she strove so hard for may never talk, walk, run, play as she once did, let alone study or teach.
“She is an innocent child lost to Israeli aggression,” her mother Hanan said. “We were not firing rockets. We were not committing any crime. I feel a huge grief and sadness, it is very painful for me to imagine her future.”
Her father cannot imagine anything at all right now – consumed with grief, and also suffering head trauma, he remains in deep shock, unable to eat or stop crying since the ‘accident.’
“Why are we punished in this way?” Hanan asks. “I appeal to the civilised world – what crime did we commit? Who can stop Israel? Who can return my daughter to me?”
Maryam’s story
Maryam was a bright and active nine year-old, popular with her friends and classmates, and very clever, with a GPA of 97 percent. Maryam wanted to be teacher.
That now hangs in the balance as she lies semi-comatose in a Shifa hospital bed, paralysed down the left side, pieces of shrapnel still embedded in her brain, recognising no-one, unresponsive to any stimuli except pain.
Maryam, the child born after 20 years of trying, an IVF success story turned into an IOF tragedy.
What crime did she commit? Helping her mother with the housework?
That is what she was doing when she was struck in the head with shrapnel from a nearby bombardment.
Operated on immediately, she spent a few days in ICU and now faces an uncertain prognosis, and an even more uncertain future.
Her mother’s pain is palpable. The normal daughter she strove so hard for may never talk, walk, run, play as she once did, let alone study or teach.
“She is an innocent child lost to Israeli aggression,” her mother Hanan said. “We were not firing rockets. We were not committing any crime. I feel a huge grief and sadness, it is very painful for me to imagine her future.”
Her father cannot imagine anything at all right now – consumed with grief, and also suffering head trauma, he remains in deep shock, unable to eat or stop crying since the ‘accident.’
“Why are we punished in this way?” Hanan asks. “I appeal to the civilised world – what crime did we commit? Who can stop Israel? Who can return my daughter to me?”
Ahmed Shamalakh, 11 years
Ahmed’s story
Yesterday afternoon 11 year-old Ahmed Shamalakh went into the garden where his sister was playing to collect figs for his family’s iftar, the meal to break the ramadan fast. An F-16 targeted an open area nearby, and shrapnel pierced Ahmed’s lung and heart. He fell unconscious to the ground.
Today he too lies in Shifa hospital, tubes draining blood and fluid from his abdominal cavity.
Ahmed was fortunate – he suffered no head injury, and is expected to make a good recovery, although it will take several weeks.
His mum Elham, clearly stressed and worried about her other children left with their very elderly grandparents, hovered over him with drinks and affection.
“I ask God, the greatest force, to hurt the Israeli’s like they have hurt my son,” she said.
Ahmed’s story
Yesterday afternoon 11 year-old Ahmed Shamalakh went into the garden where his sister was playing to collect figs for his family’s iftar, the meal to break the ramadan fast. An F-16 targeted an open area nearby, and shrapnel pierced Ahmed’s lung and heart. He fell unconscious to the ground.
Today he too lies in Shifa hospital, tubes draining blood and fluid from his abdominal cavity.
Ahmed was fortunate – he suffered no head injury, and is expected to make a good recovery, although it will take several weeks.
His mum Elham, clearly stressed and worried about her other children left with their very elderly grandparents, hovered over him with drinks and affection.
“I ask God, the greatest force, to hurt the Israeli’s like they have hurt my son,” she said.
Shaimah Al Masri, 4 years
Shaimah’s story
Four year-old Shaiamah was returning home from her aunt’s house with her mother, 17 year-old sister and 14 year-old brother Mohammed at midday.
Suddenly a rocket from a drone directly targeted Mohammed, killing him instantly. As her mother ran to her son, another rocket slammed into her and Shaimah’s sister, killing them both.
Shaimah told her father, “A rocket killed my brother, then another one killed my mother and my sister, and I fell down on the ground.”
Shaimah suffered abdominal trauma, and has had major surgery to her spleen and liver. It is hoped she will make a full recovery.
Despite knowing what happened to her mother, she still calls for her, her aunt told me.
“I would like to send the Israeli’s a message,” she said. “As you love your children, so do we. As you do your best to protect your children, so do we. As your children can play and enjoy life, this is also the right of our children – to enjoy their innocent childhood.”
Shaimah’s story
Four year-old Shaiamah was returning home from her aunt’s house with her mother, 17 year-old sister and 14 year-old brother Mohammed at midday.
Suddenly a rocket from a drone directly targeted Mohammed, killing him instantly. As her mother ran to her son, another rocket slammed into her and Shaimah’s sister, killing them both.
Shaimah told her father, “A rocket killed my brother, then another one killed my mother and my sister, and I fell down on the ground.”
Shaimah suffered abdominal trauma, and has had major surgery to her spleen and liver. It is hoped she will make a full recovery.
Despite knowing what happened to her mother, she still calls for her, her aunt told me.
“I would like to send the Israeli’s a message,” she said. “As you love your children, so do we. As you do your best to protect your children, so do we. As your children can play and enjoy life, this is also the right of our children – to enjoy their innocent childhood.”
A house bombed in Gaza, 13 July 2014
According to B'Tselem's initial findings, from the start of Operation Protective Shield there were ten incidents in which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were killed when the Israeli military bombed homes. 52 people were killed in these incidents, of them 19 minors and 12 women.
An additional incident, in which six members of the same family were killed was defined by the military as a targeted killing, and was therefore not included in this figure.
Official spokespeople state that it is enough for a person to be involved in military activity to render his home (and his neighbors' homes) legitimate military targets, without having to prove any connection between his activity and the house in which he and his family live. This interpretation is unfounded and illegal. It is not a coincidence that the number of uninvolved civilians killed or injured by these bombings is growing. The law is meant to protect civilians and, unsurprisingly, violating it has lethal consequences. Euphemisms such as "surgical strikes" or "operational infrastructure" cannot hide the facts: illegal attacks of homes, which constitute punitive home demolition from the air, come at a dreadful cost in human life.
Detailed discussion:
Is it legal for the military to bomb the homes of Hamas operatives?
From 8 July 2014, when the military launched Operation Protective Shield, to early Sunday 13 July, the military bombed dozens of houses in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports and statements by the IDF Spokesperson. According to the latter, these bombings are legal because the private homes of Hamas activists are "a legitimate military objective". Is that true?
What does the law say?
International humanitarian law defines a military target as follows:
"[…] military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage." (Article 52 (2), Protocol I Additional to the Fourth Geneva Convention)
The official interpretation of the International Committee of the Red Cross makes it clear that objectives which, by their nature, make an effective contribution to hostile military action – such as weapon storage, military bases and communication centers used by the military – are considered military targets. Questions may arise regarding civilian sites, which may also serve military needs. For example, schools and hotels are, by definition, civilian sites, but if armed forces stay in them or use them as headquarters, they become legitimate military targets.
As full information is not always available prior to the attack, the law emphasizes that if any doubt arises as to the use of a civilian site and its effective contribution to hostile military actions, it must be considered civilian.
Another prerequisite for a legitimate objective is that attacking it must provide a definite military advantage.
What does the IDF Spokesperson say?
In an official blog, the IDF Spokesperson explained the reasoning behind the military's view that these bombings are legal. According to the military, Hamas operates within the civilian population in Gaza and often uses the homes of its activists for military purposes. For instance, the homes can be used for weapon storage, as command and control centers, or for establishing a communications center. When used in this way, they become legitimate objectives under international law. To decide whether a target is a military objective or not, the military has stated that it uses "advanced methods" – including intelligence, legal advice, and the longstanding experience of officers in the field.
Over the course of the current operation, the IDF Spokesperson changed the wording of statements concerning these bombings, apparently in an attempt to retroactively match his reports of reality to the requirements of the law. The first statement (8 July) reported that "among the targets attacked were four homes of activists in the Hamas terror organization who are involved in terrorist activity and direct and carry out high-trajectory fire towards Israel…”. The next day, another statement was issued reporting that the military had attacked additional homes of Hamas activists "which functioned as command and control infrastructure for the organization” or as "a control center for advancing terrorism". The same evening, the IDF Spokesperson stopped reporting that homes were destroyed, stating instead that "the operational infrastructure of a senior Hamas functionary was attacked".
There is a vast gap between the military's carefully-worded legal interpretations (in various versions) and its statements on specific cases of homes bombed. Only in one case did the IDF Spokesperson claim that weapons were hidden in the house and published video footage of the bombing, which shows secondary explosions of concealed ammunition. In all other statements, the military described the homeowner's involvement in hostile activity against Israel. Mentions of such activity included activity during the two previous military operations in Gaza – Operation Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Defense – as well as involvement in harming soldiers, in current or past firing of rockets, or a general description of "taking part in terror activity against the State of Israel".
So, is it legal?
No. For the private home of an operative in Hamas (or any other armed organization) to become a legitimate military objective, the military must show that the house has effectively contributed to the organization's activity and that harming it would provide Israel with a definite military advantage. The military has attacked dozens of homes of operatives in Hamas or in other armed organizations since the current operation began; yet in the vast majority of these cases, it made no mention of any concrete military activity that took place in the house, which would meet the above legal requirements. Instead, the IDF Spokesperson chose to emphasize the history of the activist living in the house, which is irrelevant to these legal considerations.
The gravity of these illegal attacks is compounded by the resulting extensive harm to civilians. According to the IDF Spokesperson, the military does its best to minimize harm to civilians, including warning them of impending attacks. Indeed, in many cases, the military warned inhabitants and bombed the evacuated homes. However, in other cases, the inhabitants were not given sufficient time to leave their homes, and in some cases they refused to leave despite the warning given. In such cases, the military must not treat the houses as empty.
The military is not doing civilians any favors by warning them that their homes are to be bombed. International humanitarian law requires the military to warn civilians and to ensure that the warning is "effective". An ineffective warning breaches the military's legal obligations, with lethal results: if civilians are not given enough time to leave their homes, or if the military ignores their decision to stay, it is as though they were not warned at all.
The aim of international humanitarian law is to minimize harm to civilians under warfare and to restrict the warring parties. Some of its definitions are vague, such as "military advantage" or "proportionality", and do not always provide unequivocal guidelines for action. Many of its requirements leave extensive room for the discretion of commanders in the field. However, it is not open to any and all interpretations. The word of the law must be interpreted in its original spirit, in keeping with its overreaching aim: to provide maximum protection to civilians.
The IDF Spokesperson and the military's legal counsels state that it is enough for a person to be involved in military activity to render his home (and his neighbors' homes) legitimate military targets, without having to prove any connection between his activity and the house in which he and his family live. This interpretation is unfounded and illegal. It is not a coincidence that the number of uninvolved civilians killed or injured by these bombings is growing. The law is meant to protect civilians and, unsurprisingly, violating it has lethal consequences. Euphemisms such as "surgical strikes" or "operational infrastructure" cannot hide the facts: illegal attacks of homes, which constitute punitive home demolition from the air, come at a dreadful cost in human life.
According to B'Tselem's initial findings, from the start of Operation Protective Shield there were ten incidents in which Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were killed when the Israeli military bombed homes. 52 people were killed in these incidents, of them 19 minors and 12 women.
An additional incident, in which six members of the same family were killed was defined by the military as a targeted killing, and was therefore not included in this figure.
Official spokespeople state that it is enough for a person to be involved in military activity to render his home (and his neighbors' homes) legitimate military targets, without having to prove any connection between his activity and the house in which he and his family live. This interpretation is unfounded and illegal. It is not a coincidence that the number of uninvolved civilians killed or injured by these bombings is growing. The law is meant to protect civilians and, unsurprisingly, violating it has lethal consequences. Euphemisms such as "surgical strikes" or "operational infrastructure" cannot hide the facts: illegal attacks of homes, which constitute punitive home demolition from the air, come at a dreadful cost in human life.
Detailed discussion:
Is it legal for the military to bomb the homes of Hamas operatives?
From 8 July 2014, when the military launched Operation Protective Shield, to early Sunday 13 July, the military bombed dozens of houses in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports and statements by the IDF Spokesperson. According to the latter, these bombings are legal because the private homes of Hamas activists are "a legitimate military objective". Is that true?
What does the law say?
International humanitarian law defines a military target as follows:
"[…] military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage." (Article 52 (2), Protocol I Additional to the Fourth Geneva Convention)
The official interpretation of the International Committee of the Red Cross makes it clear that objectives which, by their nature, make an effective contribution to hostile military action – such as weapon storage, military bases and communication centers used by the military – are considered military targets. Questions may arise regarding civilian sites, which may also serve military needs. For example, schools and hotels are, by definition, civilian sites, but if armed forces stay in them or use them as headquarters, they become legitimate military targets.
As full information is not always available prior to the attack, the law emphasizes that if any doubt arises as to the use of a civilian site and its effective contribution to hostile military actions, it must be considered civilian.
Another prerequisite for a legitimate objective is that attacking it must provide a definite military advantage.
What does the IDF Spokesperson say?
In an official blog, the IDF Spokesperson explained the reasoning behind the military's view that these bombings are legal. According to the military, Hamas operates within the civilian population in Gaza and often uses the homes of its activists for military purposes. For instance, the homes can be used for weapon storage, as command and control centers, or for establishing a communications center. When used in this way, they become legitimate objectives under international law. To decide whether a target is a military objective or not, the military has stated that it uses "advanced methods" – including intelligence, legal advice, and the longstanding experience of officers in the field.
Over the course of the current operation, the IDF Spokesperson changed the wording of statements concerning these bombings, apparently in an attempt to retroactively match his reports of reality to the requirements of the law. The first statement (8 July) reported that "among the targets attacked were four homes of activists in the Hamas terror organization who are involved in terrorist activity and direct and carry out high-trajectory fire towards Israel…”. The next day, another statement was issued reporting that the military had attacked additional homes of Hamas activists "which functioned as command and control infrastructure for the organization” or as "a control center for advancing terrorism". The same evening, the IDF Spokesperson stopped reporting that homes were destroyed, stating instead that "the operational infrastructure of a senior Hamas functionary was attacked".
There is a vast gap between the military's carefully-worded legal interpretations (in various versions) and its statements on specific cases of homes bombed. Only in one case did the IDF Spokesperson claim that weapons were hidden in the house and published video footage of the bombing, which shows secondary explosions of concealed ammunition. In all other statements, the military described the homeowner's involvement in hostile activity against Israel. Mentions of such activity included activity during the two previous military operations in Gaza – Operation Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Defense – as well as involvement in harming soldiers, in current or past firing of rockets, or a general description of "taking part in terror activity against the State of Israel".
So, is it legal?
No. For the private home of an operative in Hamas (or any other armed organization) to become a legitimate military objective, the military must show that the house has effectively contributed to the organization's activity and that harming it would provide Israel with a definite military advantage. The military has attacked dozens of homes of operatives in Hamas or in other armed organizations since the current operation began; yet in the vast majority of these cases, it made no mention of any concrete military activity that took place in the house, which would meet the above legal requirements. Instead, the IDF Spokesperson chose to emphasize the history of the activist living in the house, which is irrelevant to these legal considerations.
The gravity of these illegal attacks is compounded by the resulting extensive harm to civilians. According to the IDF Spokesperson, the military does its best to minimize harm to civilians, including warning them of impending attacks. Indeed, in many cases, the military warned inhabitants and bombed the evacuated homes. However, in other cases, the inhabitants were not given sufficient time to leave their homes, and in some cases they refused to leave despite the warning given. In such cases, the military must not treat the houses as empty.
The military is not doing civilians any favors by warning them that their homes are to be bombed. International humanitarian law requires the military to warn civilians and to ensure that the warning is "effective". An ineffective warning breaches the military's legal obligations, with lethal results: if civilians are not given enough time to leave their homes, or if the military ignores their decision to stay, it is as though they were not warned at all.
The aim of international humanitarian law is to minimize harm to civilians under warfare and to restrict the warring parties. Some of its definitions are vague, such as "military advantage" or "proportionality", and do not always provide unequivocal guidelines for action. Many of its requirements leave extensive room for the discretion of commanders in the field. However, it is not open to any and all interpretations. The word of the law must be interpreted in its original spirit, in keeping with its overreaching aim: to provide maximum protection to civilians.
The IDF Spokesperson and the military's legal counsels state that it is enough for a person to be involved in military activity to render his home (and his neighbors' homes) legitimate military targets, without having to prove any connection between his activity and the house in which he and his family live. This interpretation is unfounded and illegal. It is not a coincidence that the number of uninvolved civilians killed or injured by these bombings is growing. The law is meant to protect civilians and, unsurprisingly, violating it has lethal consequences. Euphemisms such as "surgical strikes" or "operational infrastructure" cannot hide the facts: illegal attacks of homes, which constitute punitive home demolition from the air, come at a dreadful cost in human life.
Canadian Prime Minister says his country 'unequivocally' backs Israel and its right of self-defense in the conflict that left casualties only on the Palestinian side
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has voiced his "unequivocal" support for Israel in its recent onslaught on Gaza Strip on Sunday, saying the Jewish state is acting upon its "right of defense."
“The indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are terrorist acts," Harper said in Sunday's written statement on the Israeli attacks that killed at least 166 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,120 others - mostly civilians - over the last week.
The Canadian prime minister blamed Hamas for "deliberately using human shields" in the conflict that has threatened to turn into a full-blown conflict between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group.
“The failure of the international community to condemn these reprehensible actions (by Hamas) will encourage these terrorists to continue their appalling actions. Canada calls on its allies and partners to recognize that these terrorist acts are unacceptable and that solidarity with Israel is the best way of stopping the conflict," said Harper.
He maintained that Canada is "unequivocally" behind Israel, asserting it is a right of self-defense to take action "against terrorist attacks."
"We urge Hamas to immediately cease their indiscriminate attacks on innocent Israeli civilians," he added.
Harper also reiterates its call for the Palestinian government to "disarm Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups operating in Gaza, including the Iranian proxy, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
Israeli warplanes have been heavily pounding the Gaza Strip over the week as part of the military offensive – dubbed "Operation Protective Edge" – allegedly launched in response to rocket fire from the embattled coastal enclave.
However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed on Thursday that at least 681 rockets had been fired at Israel from Gaza since 7 June.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported so far.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has voiced his "unequivocal" support for Israel in its recent onslaught on Gaza Strip on Sunday, saying the Jewish state is acting upon its "right of defense."
“The indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are terrorist acts," Harper said in Sunday's written statement on the Israeli attacks that killed at least 166 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,120 others - mostly civilians - over the last week.
The Canadian prime minister blamed Hamas for "deliberately using human shields" in the conflict that has threatened to turn into a full-blown conflict between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group.
“The failure of the international community to condemn these reprehensible actions (by Hamas) will encourage these terrorists to continue their appalling actions. Canada calls on its allies and partners to recognize that these terrorist acts are unacceptable and that solidarity with Israel is the best way of stopping the conflict," said Harper.
He maintained that Canada is "unequivocally" behind Israel, asserting it is a right of self-defense to take action "against terrorist attacks."
"We urge Hamas to immediately cease their indiscriminate attacks on innocent Israeli civilians," he added.
Harper also reiterates its call for the Palestinian government to "disarm Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups operating in Gaza, including the Iranian proxy, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.”
Israeli warplanes have been heavily pounding the Gaza Strip over the week as part of the military offensive – dubbed "Operation Protective Edge" – allegedly launched in response to rocket fire from the embattled coastal enclave.
However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed on Thursday that at least 681 rockets had been fired at Israel from Gaza since 7 June.
No Israeli fatalities have been reported so far.
Hanan Jababra and her children fear for the continued Israeli attacks over her city
Gaza hospitals in crisis
The Municipality of Gaza says that the Israel's targeting of its facilities and staff is a willful crime.
Gaza hospitals are straining under the pressure inflicted by Israel's current string of assaults on the Strip, and are in dire need of assistance and supplies.
According to Al ray, in a press conference held Sunday, a spokesman of the municipality said:
"The municipality is working hard to ensure the access of water to homes, maintain the streets clean, help the ambulance crews, and remove the ruins of the destroyed buildings."
The wilful attacks on water sources such as groundwater wells in the North governorate and the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, as well as the main waste water treatment facility west of Gaza City constitutes a collective punishment, the statement read, adding:
"The [Israeli] ooccupation is seeking to target all sources of life by bombing the headquarters of the municipality, "Al-Sadaqa Garden", and water collection pools, and destroying over 190 houses completely, and hundreds partially."
The municipality holds the occupation fully responsible for the disruption of its work in Gaza, Al Ray further reports.
It is demanding that the international community and human rights organizations rein in the aggression, and carry out their duties towards the municipalities of Gaza.
It confirms that all municipal councils through the Gaza Strip will continue to serve the community and pay tribute to the employees, there, who are still on the job.
Rafah crossing opened for one day, this morning, to allow the exit for treatment of those injured over the past three days who cannot be treated in Gaza, but this is not enough, according to Hamas spokesperson Fawzy Barhoum.
"We need drugs, materials, medical assistance, fuel – we need everything," he said .
The Middle East Monitor reports that the spokesman said, today, that the only way this "one-sided war" will end is when Israel stops bombing Gaza:
"We are being attacked from the sea, from the air, from the land – there is massive destruction, and we have the right to defend our people from these attacks. There will be no ceasefire until the occupation stops its shelling of Gaza... We have sustained high numbers of casualties – over 100 civilians dead, 150 homes destroyed sometimes with families still inside them, we are the victims. We are defending our civilians from a massacre," said Barhoum, early this afternoon, from outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Gaza hospitals in crisis
The Municipality of Gaza says that the Israel's targeting of its facilities and staff is a willful crime.
Gaza hospitals are straining under the pressure inflicted by Israel's current string of assaults on the Strip, and are in dire need of assistance and supplies.
According to Al ray, in a press conference held Sunday, a spokesman of the municipality said:
"The municipality is working hard to ensure the access of water to homes, maintain the streets clean, help the ambulance crews, and remove the ruins of the destroyed buildings."
The wilful attacks on water sources such as groundwater wells in the North governorate and the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City, as well as the main waste water treatment facility west of Gaza City constitutes a collective punishment, the statement read, adding:
"The [Israeli] ooccupation is seeking to target all sources of life by bombing the headquarters of the municipality, "Al-Sadaqa Garden", and water collection pools, and destroying over 190 houses completely, and hundreds partially."
The municipality holds the occupation fully responsible for the disruption of its work in Gaza, Al Ray further reports.
It is demanding that the international community and human rights organizations rein in the aggression, and carry out their duties towards the municipalities of Gaza.
It confirms that all municipal councils through the Gaza Strip will continue to serve the community and pay tribute to the employees, there, who are still on the job.
Rafah crossing opened for one day, this morning, to allow the exit for treatment of those injured over the past three days who cannot be treated in Gaza, but this is not enough, according to Hamas spokesperson Fawzy Barhoum.
"We need drugs, materials, medical assistance, fuel – we need everything," he said .
The Middle East Monitor reports that the spokesman said, today, that the only way this "one-sided war" will end is when Israel stops bombing Gaza:
"We are being attacked from the sea, from the air, from the land – there is massive destruction, and we have the right to defend our people from these attacks. There will be no ceasefire until the occupation stops its shelling of Gaza... We have sustained high numbers of casualties – over 100 civilians dead, 150 homes destroyed sometimes with families still inside them, we are the victims. We are defending our civilians from a massacre," said Barhoum, early this afternoon, from outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Israeli forces take up positions along the Gaza border, waiting for the green light for a possible ground offensive after six days of air strikes, reports Reuters. Israeli army tanks line up on the Gaza border Sunday. A ground war seems likely - especially in the wake of reports that Israeli commandos conducted an overnight raid on Gaza.
So far, at least 20,000 reservists have been mobilized.
But despite intensified Israeli military action, Islamist Hamas continued to launch rockets on Israeli cities. In the Israeli city of Ashkelon, one teenager was seriously wounded after being hit with shrapnel in the head and chest, reports Reuters.
Israeli Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis said: "This is terror that wants to kill civilians, and we will handle, we will continue to handle this situation and to hit the Hamas terrorists, the Hamas terrorists, in the Gaza Strip."
And in Tel Aviv, residents ran for shelter as sirens blared. Over in Gaza, the Health Ministry said at least 160 Palestinians, including about 135 civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to protect Gaza.
"Israel went deeper in everything and its offensive on the Palestinian nation should be stopped."
The United Nations has called for a ceasefire.
So far, at least 20,000 reservists have been mobilized.
But despite intensified Israeli military action, Islamist Hamas continued to launch rockets on Israeli cities. In the Israeli city of Ashkelon, one teenager was seriously wounded after being hit with shrapnel in the head and chest, reports Reuters.
Israeli Deputy Minister Ofir Akunis said: "This is terror that wants to kill civilians, and we will handle, we will continue to handle this situation and to hit the Hamas terrorists, the Hamas terrorists, in the Gaza Strip."
And in Tel Aviv, residents ran for shelter as sirens blared. Over in Gaza, the Health Ministry said at least 160 Palestinians, including about 135 civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to protect Gaza.
"Israel went deeper in everything and its offensive on the Palestinian nation should be stopped."
The United Nations has called for a ceasefire.
A Norwegian doctor in the besieged Gaza Strip has strongly criticized Israel for using cancer-inducing bombs against Palestinian civilians.
Dr. Erik Fosse told Press TV that the majority of patients hospitalized in Gaza are civilians injured in attacks on their homes and about thirty percent of them are children.
Dense Inert Metal Explosive, known as DIME, is an explosive device developed to minimize collateral damage in warfare.
Experts say it has a relatively small but effective blast radius and is believed to have strong biological effects on those who are hit by the bomb’s micro-shrapnel.
Fosse, a department head at a university hospital in Oslo, also says some Palestinian in the besieged enclave have been wounded by a new type of weapon that even doctors with previous experience in war zones do not recognize.
Israel also used depleted-uranium and white phosphorus shells in the besieged region during their previous assaults.
This comes as Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip for the sixth straight day. The latest Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 32 Palestinians in the besieged territory.
Palestinian sources say Israeli fighter jets have hit nearly 200 targets over the past 24 hours.
At least 167 people have lost their lives and more than 1100 others injured in Gaza since Tuesday when the Israeli attacks began.
People have held a funeral in Gaza for the Palestinians who have been killed in Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave. The participants in the funeral condemned the US support for Israel.
Dr. Erik Fosse told Press TV that the majority of patients hospitalized in Gaza are civilians injured in attacks on their homes and about thirty percent of them are children.
Dense Inert Metal Explosive, known as DIME, is an explosive device developed to minimize collateral damage in warfare.
Experts say it has a relatively small but effective blast radius and is believed to have strong biological effects on those who are hit by the bomb’s micro-shrapnel.
Fosse, a department head at a university hospital in Oslo, also says some Palestinian in the besieged enclave have been wounded by a new type of weapon that even doctors with previous experience in war zones do not recognize.
Israel also used depleted-uranium and white phosphorus shells in the besieged region during their previous assaults.
This comes as Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip for the sixth straight day. The latest Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 32 Palestinians in the besieged territory.
Palestinian sources say Israeli fighter jets have hit nearly 200 targets over the past 24 hours.
At least 167 people have lost their lives and more than 1100 others injured in Gaza since Tuesday when the Israeli attacks began.
People have held a funeral in Gaza for the Palestinians who have been killed in Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave. The participants in the funeral condemned the US support for Israel.
Damaged water system
Israeli airstrikes bombed a major water line and sewage plant, west of Gaza City, which provides water to tens of thousands of citizens and is regarded as the main water line for al-Shati refugee camp west of the city.
The director of the Water Department in the Municipality of Gaza, Saad Eddin Al-Atbash stated, “Israeli aircraft targeted a sewage plant west of the city, which serves the areas of al-Shati Camp, Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, Sheikh Ajlin, and the western areas of Gaza City, which pumps 25,000 cubic meters of waste water daily to the public treatment plant.”
He continued, “While the city is working on improving the water supply systems for the citizens in Gaza, Israeli forces are working on the destruction of water wells in order to increase the suffering of the citizens during the summer.”
This waterline provides water to more than 70,000 people, and it takes several days to repair.
Bassam Al-Raee, a citizen in Gaza City, stressed that the water crisis has been going on since the beginning of the summer, indicating that the targeting of the well will make things even harder than they already were, making life even more difficult for citizens in the area.
The Gaza Strip needs about 180 million cubic meters of water per year, while renewable sources do not exceed 80 million cubic meters per year.
Israeli forces also targeted water wells yesterday (Saturday 12th July), creating a crisis and a severe shortage of water, where airstrikes directly targeted and hit the waterlines of ‘Haouz water’ in the Gaza Strip.
“The warplanes targeted two water wells, one of the wells is owned by the Islamic Society near Maqousi towers, and the other is in Zaytoon town where both water wells feed nearly 7000 people,” said Al-Atbash.
He stressed that the Israeli forces targeted more than five water-lines that are located in vital areas, pointing out that just one single water-line services more than 20,000 people.
Israeli airstrikes bombed a major water line and sewage plant, west of Gaza City, which provides water to tens of thousands of citizens and is regarded as the main water line for al-Shati refugee camp west of the city.
The director of the Water Department in the Municipality of Gaza, Saad Eddin Al-Atbash stated, “Israeli aircraft targeted a sewage plant west of the city, which serves the areas of al-Shati Camp, Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, Sheikh Ajlin, and the western areas of Gaza City, which pumps 25,000 cubic meters of waste water daily to the public treatment plant.”
He continued, “While the city is working on improving the water supply systems for the citizens in Gaza, Israeli forces are working on the destruction of water wells in order to increase the suffering of the citizens during the summer.”
This waterline provides water to more than 70,000 people, and it takes several days to repair.
Bassam Al-Raee, a citizen in Gaza City, stressed that the water crisis has been going on since the beginning of the summer, indicating that the targeting of the well will make things even harder than they already were, making life even more difficult for citizens in the area.
The Gaza Strip needs about 180 million cubic meters of water per year, while renewable sources do not exceed 80 million cubic meters per year.
Israeli forces also targeted water wells yesterday (Saturday 12th July), creating a crisis and a severe shortage of water, where airstrikes directly targeted and hit the waterlines of ‘Haouz water’ in the Gaza Strip.
“The warplanes targeted two water wells, one of the wells is owned by the Islamic Society near Maqousi towers, and the other is in Zaytoon town where both water wells feed nearly 7000 people,” said Al-Atbash.
He stressed that the Israeli forces targeted more than five water-lines that are located in vital areas, pointing out that just one single water-line services more than 20,000 people.
In one hour, I fear Israeli conduct new massacre while the world is busy watching World Cup Final
Chris Gunness
@ChrisGunness
As I write there ar 17,000
desperate, terrified people; women, children, the sick, dying, elderly
have come to UNRWA to escape bombardment
UNRWA has opened 10 shelters in Gaza 5 in North Area, 5 in Gaza City. We call on warring parties 2 respect civilians & UN property
Media reports: There are now 17,000 displaced people seeking shelters in UNRWA installations, mostly schools, in Gaza
UNRWA has opened 10 shelters in Gaza 5 in North Area, 5 in Gaza City. We call on warring parties 2 respect civilians & UN property
Media reports: There are now 17,000 displaced people seeking shelters in UNRWA installations, mostly schools, in Gaza
Palestinian resistance groups continued to lob missiles and homemade projectiles towards Israeli cities southward and northward.
Some groups released statements claiming responsibility for rocket attacks, while others didn’t.
The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the al-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, said in a statement that its fighters fired six projectiles at the Israeli settlement of Zekeim.
Similarly, the National Resistance Brigades, a military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the al-Asifa Army, an offshoot of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Brigades, said in a joint statement that their fighters fired two Grad missiles at Eshkol regional council.
The fighters were targeted by Israeli warplanes, but they survived, according to the statement.
In a separate statement, the National Resistance Brigades said four homemade projectiles were fired at Ashkelon.
The groups said in their statements that the shelling was in retaliation to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people.
Some groups released statements claiming responsibility for rocket attacks, while others didn’t.
The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the al-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades, said in a statement that its fighters fired six projectiles at the Israeli settlement of Zekeim.
Similarly, the National Resistance Brigades, a military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the al-Asifa Army, an offshoot of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Brigades, said in a joint statement that their fighters fired two Grad missiles at Eshkol regional council.
The fighters were targeted by Israeli warplanes, but they survived, according to the statement.
In a separate statement, the National Resistance Brigades said four homemade projectiles were fired at Ashkelon.
The groups said in their statements that the shelling was in retaliation to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people.
Abbas to UN: Put Palestine under international protection
President Mahmoud Abbas is to ask the United Nations to put the state of Palestine under "international protection" in light of the worsening violence in the Gaza Strip, the PLO said Sunday.
"President Abbas will present a letter to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to officially put the State of Palestine under the UN international protection system and to form a legal committee for immediate follow-up," it said in a statement.
Rocket alerts heard in Haifa, central Israel
Rocket sirens were heard in Haifa as well as cities in central Israel on Sunday afternoon.
There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.
Rocket sirens in Tel Aviv
Rocket sirens were overheard in Tel Aviv on Sunday afternoon.
There were no reports of injury or damage.
High resolution photo-stream
President Mahmoud Abbas is to ask the United Nations to put the state of Palestine under "international protection" in light of the worsening violence in the Gaza Strip, the PLO said Sunday.
"President Abbas will present a letter to the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to officially put the State of Palestine under the UN international protection system and to form a legal committee for immediate follow-up," it said in a statement.
Rocket alerts heard in Haifa, central Israel
Rocket sirens were heard in Haifa as well as cities in central Israel on Sunday afternoon.
There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.
Rocket sirens in Tel Aviv
Rocket sirens were overheard in Tel Aviv on Sunday afternoon.
There were no reports of injury or damage.
High resolution photo-stream
You find the photo's/video's disturbing? Remember, this is what Palestinian children see almost every day
|
|
|
Truce violations List of names Pictures of martyrs
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
