SHOTGUN420
Active Member
With UN report, will Israeli settlers be prosecuted for war crimes?
On January 31, 2013, a three-member UN panel cited Israel as in violation of the human rights of Palestinians and the sovereignty of the Palestinian nation.
Though a legal case was made for the immediate forcible removal of all Israeli citizens from the West Bank, citing the authority of the nations that are signatory to the Geneva Convention and/or members of the International Criminal Court, the real meaning of todays findings is unclear.
Typically, the United Nations Security Council, a body that has, historically, protected Israel from compliance with international law through American vetoes, is the deciding body in breaches of the Geneva Convention.
And this is a very interesting development for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, because the ministry is very concerned about the kind of criticism that is growing around the world regarding Israel, the apartheid system, the abuse of Palestinian human rights, the mass use of violence against innocent civilians. And that is, of course, something that is being manifested also with the boycott movement, the boycott, divestment, sanction movement, or BDS. And this conference was supposed to be about something else.
It was supposed to be about anti-Semitism.
Now, usually the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least in the past several years, tried to make it very clear that they dont accuse everyone who criticizes Israel of anti-Semitism, because this sort of argument tends to backfire. Most of the people who express such criticism against Israel on basis of Israels violations of human rights are people who are defenders of human rights and would also defend the rights of Jews against attacks based on their race or religion.
Basically theyre saying that those who criticize Israel, those who accuse Israel of crimes are in fact anti-Semites. So this isI think in many ways it shows that the Israeli ministry is running out of excuses, running out of ideas.This was a very high-level conference. Many very important speakers were invited. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the opening speech, and in the speech he said that there are three vilifications. And he listed those three. He said the first one was that Israel is accused of committing war crimes. The second one: Israel is accused of not wanting peace. And the third one: Israel is guilty of violating the human rights of Palestinians.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the opening speech, and in the speech he said that there are three vilifications. And he listed those three. He said the first one was that Israel is accused of committing war crimes. The second one: Israel is accused of not wanting peace. And the third one: Israel is guilty of violating the human rights of Palestinians.
So these three accusations are not vilifications at all. In fact, they are well-documented and well-proven accusations based on international organizations, as well as on many Israeli organizations that say the very same thing. I think most Israelis would actually agree that the Israeli government is not really interested in peace, and yet they continue to vote for it. The fact that the Israeli army committed war crimes has been well established by, for example, the Goldstone Commission, which was actually headed by a Jewish Zionist. The fact that Israel is guilty of violating human rights is even periodically repeated by the U.S. Department of State.
It completely undermines the entire meaning of the word anti-Semitic.
On January 31, 2013, a three-member UN panel cited Israel as in violation of the human rights of Palestinians and the sovereignty of the Palestinian nation.
Though a legal case was made for the immediate forcible removal of all Israeli citizens from the West Bank, citing the authority of the nations that are signatory to the Geneva Convention and/or members of the International Criminal Court, the real meaning of todays findings is unclear.
Typically, the United Nations Security Council, a body that has, historically, protected Israel from compliance with international law through American vetoes, is the deciding body in breaches of the Geneva Convention.
Geneva Convention
However, todays report cites grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), particularly involving forced deportation, collective punishment and systematic violation of human rights. Precedent established for tribunals involving Rwanda and Yugoslavia have established universal jurisdiction under the ICC under procedures that are not subject to the political wranglings of UNSC politics.
Thus, the establishment today of grave breaches combined with the newly recognized status of the Palestinian State, if precedent is followed, opens the door for war crimes prosecutions, something otherwise impossible previously.
However, todays report cites grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), particularly involving forced deportation, collective punishment and systematic violation of human rights. Precedent established for tribunals involving Rwanda and Yugoslavia have established universal jurisdiction under the ICC under procedures that are not subject to the political wranglings of UNSC politics.
Thus, the establishment today of grave breaches combined with the newly recognized status of the Palestinian State, if precedent is followed, opens the door for war crimes prosecutions, something otherwise impossible previously.
Secretary Generals Statement
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that he was in complete agreement with commission findings and reiterated his previous statement that all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under international law.
The Secretary General made it clear that the commissions findings that Israeli settlements contravened the Fourth Geneva Convention forbidding the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territories.
[video=youtube;CiNwcgQM0EY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=CiNwcgQM0EY[/video]UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that he was in complete agreement with commission findings and reiterated his previous statement that all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, is illegal under international law.
The Secretary General made it clear that the commissions findings that Israeli settlements contravened the Fourth Geneva Convention forbidding the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territories.
And this is a very interesting development for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, because the ministry is very concerned about the kind of criticism that is growing around the world regarding Israel, the apartheid system, the abuse of Palestinian human rights, the mass use of violence against innocent civilians. And that is, of course, something that is being manifested also with the boycott movement, the boycott, divestment, sanction movement, or BDS. And this conference was supposed to be about something else.
It was supposed to be about anti-Semitism.
Now, usually the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least in the past several years, tried to make it very clear that they dont accuse everyone who criticizes Israel of anti-Semitism, because this sort of argument tends to backfire. Most of the people who express such criticism against Israel on basis of Israels violations of human rights are people who are defenders of human rights and would also defend the rights of Jews against attacks based on their race or religion.
Basically theyre saying that those who criticize Israel, those who accuse Israel of crimes are in fact anti-Semites. So this isI think in many ways it shows that the Israeli ministry is running out of excuses, running out of ideas.This was a very high-level conference. Many very important speakers were invited. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the opening speech, and in the speech he said that there are three vilifications. And he listed those three. He said the first one was that Israel is accused of committing war crimes. The second one: Israel is accused of not wanting peace. And the third one: Israel is guilty of violating the human rights of Palestinians.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, gave the opening speech, and in the speech he said that there are three vilifications. And he listed those three. He said the first one was that Israel is accused of committing war crimes. The second one: Israel is accused of not wanting peace. And the third one: Israel is guilty of violating the human rights of Palestinians.
So these three accusations are not vilifications at all. In fact, they are well-documented and well-proven accusations based on international organizations, as well as on many Israeli organizations that say the very same thing. I think most Israelis would actually agree that the Israeli government is not really interested in peace, and yet they continue to vote for it. The fact that the Israeli army committed war crimes has been well established by, for example, the Goldstone Commission, which was actually headed by a Jewish Zionist. The fact that Israel is guilty of violating human rights is even periodically repeated by the U.S. Department of State.
It completely undermines the entire meaning of the word anti-Semitic.
