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Last update - 17:22 23/02/2009
Israel: Amnesty report on Gaza ignores fact Hamas are terrorists
By Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: israel news, gaza war crimes 

Click here for more articles by Amira Hass

The Foreign Ministry on Sunday lambasted Amnesty International for urging a global freeze on arms sales to Israel, calling the rights group's assessment that such weapons may have contributed to war crimes in the Gaza Strip "biased" and unprofessional.

More than 20 countries sold Israel weapons and munitions whose use during Operation Cast Lead might pose serious infractions of international law, the group wrote in a report to be released on Monday.
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"Direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, disproportionate attacks and indiscriminate attacks are war crimes," the report states, describing such attacks during the war in Gaza. The organization recommends that all arms sales to Israel be frozen until "there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment will be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses."

In response to the report, the Foreign Minsistry said that Amnesty International "ignores the basic fact that Hamas is a terror organization" and recognized as such by Western powers. The ministry also reiterated Israel's position that it worked throughout the operation to avoid civilian casualties.

"The IDF never intentionally targeted civilians," the ministry said in its statement. "The witnesses providing the descriptions appearing in the report are interested parties and under Hamas pressure, as has been documented by many independent investigations in the international media."

The ministry added that the Amnesty report does not relate to Hamas' use of Palestinian civilians as human shields or the placement of its military posts and ammunition depots in crowded population centers.

"The international community has accepted the fact that Hamas was solely responsible for the military confrontation, but the Amnesty report is dedicated almost exclusively to the censure of Israel," the Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry also took issue with what it called Amnesty's downplaying of the rocket attacks on Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip, saying the report "ignores the scale" of the some 10,000 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza over the last eight years.

It also criticizes Amnesty for not mentioning in its report that Hamas receives support from "foreign extremists" like Iran.

In addition to its criticism of Israel, the Amnesty report notes that Hamas and other Palestinian groups also used weapons indiscriminately against civilians.

Although Amnesty cannot determine the direct supplier of non-homemade weapons (which are manufactured in Iran and Russia), it also calls for a moratorium on weapons sales and shipments to the Palestinians. The report also mentions that the types and quantity of weapons in Hamas' hands are much smaller than those in Israel's possession.

"Even before the three-week conflict, those who armed the two sides will have been aware of the pattern of repeated misuse of weapons by the parties. They must take some responsibility for the violations perpetrated with the weapons they have supplied and should immediately cease further transfers," the report states.

The United States is at the top of the list of arms exporters to Israel, but France, Romania, Bosnia and Serbia are listed as well. Amnesty's report, entitled, "Fueling Conflict: Foreign Arms supplies to Israel/Gaza," details arms sales to Israel between 2004 and 2007, and publishes some of the organization's findings on the use of such weapons against civilians and civilian targets.

Since 2001, the Unites States has been Israel's main supplier of conventional weapons, the report states. The figures Amnesty obtained show that from 2004 to 2007, the total value of U.S.-supplied arms to Israel stood at some $8.3 billion.

The report also notes that since 2002, Israel has received military and security aid to the tune of $21 billion, of which $19 billion was direct military aid. "Put simply, Israel's military intervention in the Gaza Strip has been equipped to a large extent by U.S.-supplied weapons, munitions and military equipment paid for with U.S. taxpayers' money."

A 10-year agreement, in force until 2017, stipulates that the United States will supply Israel with military aid totaling $30 billion.

"The Obama administration should immediately suspend U.S. military aid to Israel," Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Middle East director, said ahead of the report's release.

Between 2004 to 2007, France exported military equipment to Israel to the tune of 59 million Euros. Romania exported equipment worth approximately 20 million Euros, while Britain provided the equivalent of some 10 million pounds sterling's worth. Serbia sold Israel approximately $15 million worth of weapons and munitions, whereas Germany provided some $1.5 million in military aid.

The report also mentions civilian targets, including The American School in Beit Lahia, Gaza, destroyed by F-16 aircraft. Amnesty's report further states that three ambulance crew-members and a boy who showed them the way to a group of injured were killed on January 4 by an Israeli guided missile that was manufactured jointly by Hellfire Systems and Lockheed Martin/Boeing as part of a U.S. military contract.

The Amnesty representative in the Gaza Strip also found extensive evidence of the use of U.S.-made phosphorus bombs against civilian targets and densely populated areas.

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      1.   The sad thing is that they believe it 14:35  |  Murray 23/02/09
      2.   Stopping the weapons getting into Israel. 17:20  |  Will Rogers 23/02/09
      3.   how about this 17:54  |  vik 23/02/09
      4.   Submarines to Israel 18:46  |  Dav 23/02/09
      5.   #1 Murray 18:49  |  Moshe 23/02/09
      6.   Never intentionally targeted civilians 19:28  |  Dave Duncan 23/02/09
      7.   ARMS TO HAMAS? 19:38  |  Ian 23/02/09
      8.   Will Amnesty and Israel 20:27  |  rm 23/02/09
      9.   Re #2 "apart from home-made rockets and AK47s" 20:28  |  DJStahl 23/02/09
      10.   AMNESTY 20:31  |  Roberto 23/02/09
      11.   Amnesty Internationl is a joke. 21:17  |  leo 23/02/09
      12.   Excellent report 23:03  |  robert 23/02/09
      13.   Will Rogers and his vaudeville nonsense 23:11  |  Peter Williams 23/02/09
      14.   War crimes are unprofessional, to say the least 23:12  |  Labhras 23/02/09
      15.   Say that again, Israel? 23:16  |  Johnboy 23/02/09
      16.   Haaretz, where is the report? 23:21  |  robert 23/02/09
      17.   Know your history 23:45  |  Manny Goldstein 23/02/09
      18.   bummer of a headline 23:47  |  rickibobbi 23/02/09
      19.   #16 You can always go to Amnesty`s web site, robert 02:56  |  Johnboy 24/02/09
      20.   Israel`s war crimes 04:06  |  Int`l law student 24/02/09
      21.   re 17 Get life manny 04:58  |  alan the real one 24/02/09
      22.   #14 Labhras 05:22  |  Moshe 24/02/09
      23.   Terrorist 07:05  |  John 24/02/09
      24.   There is no parity 07:43  |  Baruch Gold 24/02/09
      25.   kindergarten defense: They made me commit war crimes 07:47  |  binny 24/02/09
      26.   Yes Goldstein,there is a difference 07:58  |  Meo 24/02/09
      27.   People don`t like to acknowledge how much they hate Jews. 08:06  |  Jean Van Daem 24/02/09
      28.   Cease fire was broken by Hamas 08:07  |  Lola 24/02/09
      29.   #3: *** EXACTLY *** 08:08  |  Zvi 24/02/09
      30.   Anti-Zionism and ?Peace?. 08:09  |  Jean Van Daem 24/02/09
      31.   Qassams shot at Israel = 375,000 military hand grenades 08:13  |  Zvi 24/02/09
      32.   Re #20 08:27  |  Kenny Sedat 24/02/09
      33.   #20 Come again, In`tl law student? 08:49  |  Johnboy 24/02/09
      34.   #20 The error of your argument, In`t Law Student 09:05  |  Johnboy 24/02/09
      35.   To Johnboy, Good Point But A Question 06:03  |  Eli 25/02/09
      36.   Johnboy 06:34  |  Int`l law student 25/02/09
      37.   Know you History MANNY 16:46  |  Angela 12/03/09
      38.   Amnesty Report 03:26  |  Jake 30/05/09
      39.   Baruch Gold you a member of Amenesty Intl;? 03:52  |  Jim the mechanic 30/05/09
      40.   Jean van daem 04:02  |  jim the mechanic 30/05/09
      41.   zionist name calling makes all crimes dissappear 19:15  |  muslim-- 30/05/09
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