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Last update - 13:53 28/05/2009
Amnesty: Israel repeatedly breached rules of war in Gaza
By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent

Amnesty International has accused Israel of repeatedly violating the rules of armed conflict during its recent offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"Israeli forces repeatedly breached the laws of war, including by carrying out direct attacks on civilians and civilian buildings and attacks targeting Palestinian militants that caused a disproportionate toll among civilians," the human rights watchdog said in its annual report.

The report states that 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the offensive - including 300 children - and that 5,000 people were wounded. The Israel Defense Forces, however, says 1,166 Palestinians were killed, the vast majority of whom were Hamas militants.
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The report mentions Israel's stated goal in the 3-week campaign: The desire to stem rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants on southern Israel. The report goes on to note that three Israeli civilians were killed during the operation, which was in December 2008 and January 2009, in addition to the seven Israeli civilians who were killed by Qassam rockets and other Palestinian attacks launched from Gaza in 2008.

According to the report, the hostilities erupted after suffering the consequences of an Israel-led blockade on the Gaza Strip for a year-and-a-half.

"The blockade throttled almost all economic life and led growing numbers of Palestinians to become dependent on international food aid; even terminally ill patients were prevented from leaving to obtain medical care that could not be provided by Gaza's resource- and medicine-starved hospitals," Amnesty said.

The report also accuses Israeli security forces of destroying many Palestinian homes in the West Bank on the pretext that they were built illegally.

Jerusalem-based watchdog NGO Monitor responded to the report by accusing Amnesty International of focusing disproportionately on Israeli policy in Gaza and of not paying enough attention to the cross-border rocket attacks against Israel civilians.

The watchdog, headed by Bar Ilan University Professor Gerald Steinberg, added that Amnesty's biased and disproportionate obsession with Israel reached its peak during the latest conflict in Gaza.

According to NGO Monitor, Amnesty International published more than 20 declarations during the Gaza offensive, most of them critical of Israel, even while violations of human rights included a massacre of more than 600 villagers by Ugandan rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo to which Amnesty devoted minimal attention.

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      1.   Hamas wanted to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Bigots 08:34  |  Elly 28/05/09
      2.   THOUSANDS Of Gazans went to Israel for medical care annualy 09:15  |  PETER SM 28/05/09
      3.   What blockade? With all the missles? 09:18  |  Binyamin Dissen 28/05/09
      4.   VERBATIM Pal propoganda Hamas did not succceed in killing as many 09:22  |  PETER SM 28/05/09
      5.   NOT a word,reported here,about Hamas fighting amongst civillians 09:26  |  PETER SM 28/05/09
      6.   Amensty 2 should be created. 09:35  |  D 28/05/09
      7.   Amnesty and the world`s selective blindness 09:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/05/09
      8.   Completely strangled economic life 10:15  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/05/09
      9.   Who wrote that report? 10:30  |  fritz t. 28/05/09
      10.   ANTI-SEMITIC - no other word for it 10:34  |  world observer 28/05/09
      11.   Stick a cork in it, Amnesty International 10:40  |  Steve Randolph 28/05/09
      12.   The Saudi view is more inline with Haaretz`s view 10:58  |  Rich 28/05/09
      13.   Amnesty is a violation! 10:58  |  Mark 28/05/09
      14.   I`m sure if you follow the money of AI, you`ll see a Saudi 11:01  |  Rich 28/05/09
      15.   just some data 11:19  |  nacho 28/05/09
      16.   a load of garbage 11:29  |  Jane 28/05/09
      17.   To Mark/# 11:41  |  Anne 28/05/09
      18.   Wow, I`m shocked 11:41  |  Michael 28/05/09
      19.   To Margie in Tel Aviv 11:47  |  Anne 28/05/09
      20.   just wait for zionist everything is great report 11:47  |  muslim-- 28/05/09
      21.   To nacho/ just some data 11:52  |  Anne 28/05/09
      22.   #10 world observer, that trick works no more 11:52  |  Mark B. 28/05/09
      23.   Blind Supports of Israel 11:52  |  Matty Groves 28/05/09
      24.   So when Amnesty international criticizes Iran then its ok..BUT... 11:53  |  Ramin 28/05/09
      25.   And what were the Hamas militants up to...? 11:54  |  Esther 28/05/09
      26.   nothing has changed 11:55  |  oz 28/05/09
      27.   #15 12:17  |  nacho 28/05/09
      28.   Palestinians frequently criticised too 12:22  |  Jay 28/05/09
      29.   Wow the number of Children has shrunk dramatically 12:38  |  Gil 28/05/09
      30.   human rights - for everybody? 12:39  |  alexander tel-aviv 28/05/09
      31.   "Immesurable number of civilians killed " -less than civilians in 12:44  |  Absolute Sweden 28/05/09
      32.   Palestianians critized 14:53  |  Frank Mazuca 28/05/09
      33.   AI gets facts 14:54  |  Frank Mazuca 28/05/09
      34.   Good work AI 18:47  |  jens 28/05/09
      35.   The reports of the UN and Amnesty Intl. are useless 18:48  |  Shepherd 28/05/09
      36.   Once again,. are Jews supposed to be 19:41  |  RfaelMoshe 28/05/09
      37.   "Attacks targeting Palestinian militants"-how dare they? 19:49  |  Realist 28/05/09
      38.   Re: Alexander in Tel Aviv 20:05  |  Peter H 28/05/09
      39.   To Frank Mazaza #32 20:20  |  Peter H 28/05/09
      40.   #22 - Anti Semitism - Old record hits the charts again 20:24  |  world observer 28/05/09
      41.   Can it Peter SM 20:37  |  Marilyn 28/05/09
      42.   #39 - Palestine does not exist 21:04  |  world observer 28/05/09
      43.   #1 Elly 21:30  |  Janice 28/05/09
      44.   We saw it on TV-phos. bombs on civilians 21:37  |  ALASKA 28/05/09
      45.   If you can`t stand your ugly face, 21:48  |  Joakim 28/05/09
      46.   Peter H your from Amnesty Intl. so don`t sit her and tell lies 22:05  |  Kipperraes 28/05/09
      47.   Haaretz readers seem to be blinded by nationalism 22:30  |  Penny 28/05/09
      48.   Esther - ruthless endeavors? 22:49  |  D 28/05/09
      49.   USA Short comings are too many to list - think again 22:49  |  world observer 28/05/09
      50.   Gil - when the results don`t match 22:55  |  D 28/05/09
      51.   amnesty bias 22:56  |  izwick 28/05/09
      52.   Absolute Sweden 22:57  |  D 28/05/09
      53.   its amazing.. 23:03  |  D 28/05/09
      54.   Criticism of Israel 23:20  |  zkt83 28/05/09
      55.   Answer to Marilyn`s question- # 39 23:36  |  Arnold 28/05/09
      56.   Rules of war ?? 23:38  |  Arnold 28/05/09
      57.   Perhaps Amnesty would offer themselves as Human Shields 23:38  |  Akiva P 28/05/09
      58.   Questions for Penny 00:09  |  Reasoned Thinker 29/05/09
      59.   Jerusalem-based watchdog NGO Monitor ?? 00:13  |  bruce g 29/05/09
      60.   re: Penny 00:22  |  UsedToPostHere 29/05/09
      61.   Amnesty Contributes to Pal Misery 00:37  |  Brad 29/05/09
      62.   Following the leftist loss in the elections Haaretz censorship 00:47  |  17 29/05/09
      63.   breaching the "RULES " of war 01:19  |  Geronimo 29/05/09
      64.   some truth 02:39  |  q 29/05/09
      65.   Amnesty even attacks Canada! 03:09  |  Samuel Prime 29/05/09
      66.   So did Hamas 03:46  |  Mark Lincoln 29/05/09
      67.   Independent Report 04:10  |  David 29/05/09
      68.   #40 Well said! 04:39  |  ALASKA 29/05/09
      69.   PETER SM, the hasbarah handbook addict 07:02  |  VIPER 29/05/09
      70.   why does no one care about Srilanka 07:08  |  pakistan darfur 29/05/09
      71.   disgraceful UN AI Red Cross 07:12  |  No care for people 29/05/09
      72.   The complaint misses a rather obvious point 07:55  |  Colin Wright 29/05/09
      73.   Rules of war? 08:44  |  Baruch Gold 29/05/09
      74.   Need for Acceptance of Reality 08:45  |  Martin 29/05/09
      75.   6000 pal rocket attacks 08:57  |  vik 29/05/09
      76.   Carry on 09:54  |  Iain 29/05/09
      77.   Agree with Amnesty Report 12:10  |  Steve Grumman 29/05/09
      78.   AI is not the defender of human lives and liberties 12:12  |  a wandering Jew 29/05/09
      79.   To Arnold Montreal 12:24  |  Joakim 29/05/09
      80.   Tell it how it is 12:32  |  maoriboy 29/05/09
      81.   #70 Baruch reasoning with an id 13:19  |  maoriboy 29/05/09
      82.   Well reported Amnesrty 13:20  |  Nick Ferriman 29/05/09
      83.   #41 White Phosphorous - know the law! 14:06  |  The Prophet 29/05/09
      84.   Where is the logic ? 20:26  |  Ray 29/05/09
      85.   #83 The Prophet 20:34  |  Nick Ferriman 29/05/09
      86.   alexander: Sri Lanka is a lost cause. 23:18  |  AT 29/05/09
      87.   Amnesty Haters have it wrong! 00:05  |  Tom 30/05/09
      88.   if you repeat a lie enough times 00:48  |  a wandering Jew 30/05/09
      89.   Read "Mondoweiss" (Gaza facts on ground) 00:58  |  gly 30/05/09
      90.   Gaza conflict 01:29  |  Betti Miner 30/05/09
      91.   to #80 Marioboy 02:57  |  Vacationing in Europ 30/05/09
      92.   Trying to find any mention of Gaza missiles... 03:57  |  Jasper 30/05/09
      93.   Vacationing in Europe...are you using 05:14  |  MMM 30/05/09
      94.   rude, resentful, racist comments won`t get us anywhere... 06:20  |  kim 30/05/09
      95.   #93 MMM Thanks for the laugh 08:49  |  maoriboy 30/05/09
      96.   IMPUNITY 09:24  |  Gili 30/05/09
      97.   how many Hamas acivist among the victims ? 14:54  |  Michèle 30/05/09
      98.   Amnesty international has lost its relevance just like the UN 15:42  |  ks 30/05/09
      99.   #15 16:25  |  Alfred 30/05/09
      100.   Amnesty 16:28  |  Dionysus 30/05/09
      101.   To alexander tel-aviv 16:30  |  Alfred 30/05/09
      102.   morality is a small factor in history.so is reason we read 20:59  |  frits 30/05/09
      103.   JOHNBOY Preach about the 4th convention when you preach about 3rd 06:12  |  PETER SM 31/05/09
      104.   Israelis will pay dearly for Gaza... 13:24  |  Dutch 31/05/09
      105.   #103 Happy to, PETER SM 14:59  |  Johnboy 31/05/09
      106.   Amnesty -vs- Israel 18:13  |  Marie Bernadotte 31/05/09
      107.   JOHNBOY What about Lebanon 15:04  |  PETER SM 01/06/09
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