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Last update - 23:38 30/07/2009
Israel 'defense brief': Gaza offensive was proportionate
By Barak Ravid and Cnaan Liphshiz, Haarez Correspondents, and The Associated Press
Tags: IDF, Israel News, UN, Gaza

Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza at the beginning of the year was a "proportional response" to attacks by the Islamist group, the Foreign Ministry said in a defense brief on Operation Cast Lead released Thursday.

"Israel's resort to force in the Gaza Operation was both a necessary and a proportionate response to Hamas' attacks," the ministry said Thursday in a statement on the brief, which was published ahead of two harsh United Nations reports on the conflict expected to be released soon.

"While the Israel Defense Forces continues to investigate specific incidents during the Operation, the Paper demonstrates that Israeli commanders and soldiers were guided by International Humanitarian Law, including the principles of distinction and proportionality."
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The ministry said the brief, titled "The Operation in Gaza - Legal and Factual Aspects," also details the context of the campaign.

Click here to view the full 160-page report.

According to the statement, the brief gives previously unpublished details of multiple Israel Defense Forces investigations into allegations made by various groups of violations of the law during Operation Cast Lead, the code-name for the 3-week offensive.

The paper reveals that IDF investigative teams are currently examining approximately 100 complaints, including 13 criminal investigations opened so far.
A draft of two UN reports is expected to be given to Israel around the end of August, before they are officially presented to the Human Rights Council in mid-September. The reports are expected to be highly critical of the extent of civilian casualties in the Hamas-ruled territory during the operation.

The ministry added: "The Paper also gives a detailed account of Israel's humanitarian efforts in the course of the operation, particularly in the face of Hamas attempts to launch attacks during humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach civilians, hijack aid and assistance, and hide within and behind medical and international facilities."

The brief concludes that more than 12,000 rockets and mortars fired by Gaza militants between 2000 and 2008 forced Israel to act. It says Hamas was to blame for civilian casualties by deploying its fighters in neighborhoods and that Israeli forces destroyed buildings only to protect themselves.

The IDF says that a total of 1,166 Palestinians were killed in the operation, the majority of whom were militants; Palestinians, however, say that more than 1,400 were killed, including over 900 civilians.

A Jerusalem-based research organization, NGO Monitor, hailed the document on Thursday as a welcome change in the way the Israeli government counters "bias." The group said the brief was a document containing "evidence central to examining the facade of research methodology in more than 500 NGO statements during and after the recent Gaza conflict."

NGO monitor noted that Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch claimed to have no evidence of Hamas' alleged use of "human shields" in Gaza.

"In contrast, the report quotes Hamas operatives who acknowledged rocket fire from schools and describe incidents in which Hamas activists requested children to wheel carts laden with rockets, in case IDF forces noticed them," the group wrote.



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      1.   `defense brief` 19:25  |  Daran Marshall 30/07/09
      2.   Proportionality 19:27  |  Edifice 30/07/09
      3.   So proportionate means half ass and incomplete ! FAIL . 21:07  |  Al 30/07/09
      4.   If you feel that you did something wrong..you try to find excuses 21:18  |  Indigenous 30/07/09
      5.   Edifice, who is the enemy you want wiped out 21:20  |  Canadian 30/07/09
      6.   Tripe for sale, and it`s not any fresher than before 21:38  |  Natallie Durson 30/07/09
      7.   DISPROPORTIONATE Response 21:45  |  Arie 30/07/09
      8.   NGO Monitor a "research organization"? More like propaganda tool 21:46  |  peacelover 30/07/09
      9.   Not a mention of IDF`s `zero-sum` strategy in Gaza 21:57  |  Vinson 30/07/09
      10.   HaHaHaHaHa - Of Course ... 22:47  |  Boyd 30/07/09
      11.   #2 - Pathetic 22:50  |  Boyd 30/07/09
      12.   Edifice is right 23:01  |  Linichka 30/07/09
      13.   Waw, I thought the "IDF" would say some thing else 23:09  |  Mike 30/07/09
      14.   Israel clears Israel of wrongdoing. 23:25  |  Ryan 30/07/09
      15.   Disagree entirely 23:36  |  mm 30/07/09
      16.   Gaza Offensive 23:50  |  infidel 30/07/09
      17.   Please tell me... 23:58  |  Brian 30/07/09
      18.   Gaza offensive 00:09  |  jay 31/07/09
      19.   well your the only country on earth that thinks so 00:13  |  Jonathan David 31/07/09
      20.   IDF propaganda before "official" brief 00:26  |  Steve 31/07/09
      21.   interesting 00:27  |  robk 31/07/09
      22.   Gaza fired rockets for many years 00:40  |  Jasper 31/07/09
      23.   The world will ignore this too 00:46  |  Gee 31/07/09
      24.   No it wasn`t proportionate at all 01:28  |  Tamir G 31/07/09
      25.   Glitch 01:48  |  Peter 31/07/09
      26.   To "Edifice": Your morality (or lack thereof) is sickening. 01:49  |  peacelover 31/07/09
      27.   Proportionate; really? 02:07  |  WHG 31/07/09
      28.   anti-islamic terrorists 02:11  |  Joe 31/07/09
      29.   The math is important 02:12  |  Trevor 31/07/09
      30.   The pity is Palestinians not armed enough for defense... 02:18  |  BBSNews 31/07/09
      31.   Proportion 02:32  |  Mustava Bin Tyre`d 31/07/09
      32.   War is Hell 02:40  |  utagawa 31/07/09
      33.   edifice 03:04  |  Janice 31/07/09
      34.   The Darwinism of This. 03:21  |  Fortuna Benmayor 31/07/09
      35.   Proportionate 04:22  |  Hugh 31/07/09
      36.   Proportionality 04:26  |  Jim Brooks 31/07/09
      37.   Edifice 04:45  |  Neil 31/07/09
      38.   BBS THE Pals could chose NOT to continue firing at Israeli towns 05:16  |  PETER SM 31/07/09
      39.   #9 utagawa. It`s not war. 05:32  |  Maureen Ann 31/07/09
      40.   Gaza:Example of Shooting Fish in a Barrel 05:32  |  Alaska 31/07/09
      41.   Peter, exactly. Lybia and Sudan mandae war crime investigation 06:04  |  Dan 31/07/09
      42.   Proportionate anti-Israeli resolutions at UNHRC 06:06  |  Dan 31/07/09
      43.   Jim Brooks, and how many did you kill in Iraq and Afghanistan ? 06:08  |  Proportional 31/07/09
      44.   IDF doesn`t need to apologize.60+ years of wars,terror,Qassams 06:19  |  Josh 31/07/09
      45.   If it works don`t fix it 06:57  |  Chappaqua neighbor 31/07/09
      46.   Proportionality has nothing to do with war. 07:18  |  Stephen in New York 31/07/09
      47.   Edifice 08:16  |  Marilyn 31/07/09
      48.   WHG clearly doesn`t understand Proportionality 08:54  |  Peter Williams 31/07/09
      49.   Chappaqua-wrong 09:22  |  Had enough 31/07/09
      50.   WHG read the brief and get educated 09:23  |  Gil 31/07/09
      51.   Why should we believe ... 09:45  |  Kilminster 31/07/09
      52.   #21 Peter clealy doesn`t know either 09:59  |  Johnboy 31/07/09
      53.   Israel lying to itself but the world knows the truth 10:04  |  Kim 31/07/09
      54.   War crimes in Gaza 10:24  |  an unraged bystander 31/07/09
      55.   WHG 10:24  |  rich 31/07/09
      56.   Disproportionate proportionality 11:07  |  khairi janbek 31/07/09
      57.   Preaching to the blind 11:46  |  Rod 31/07/09
      58.   accountability 16:01  |  former IDF 31/07/09
      59.   WHG thanks for your support,we try our best 16:13  |  Josh 31/07/09
      60.   acountability 2 16:17  |  former IDF 31/07/09
      61.   to 56 16:23  |  John 31/07/09
      62.   To B.S.News (# 30). Still learning to tell time. 17:18  |  flyingdoc57 31/07/09
      63.   to unraged bystander- You must be talking about Hamas 17:40  |  JP 31/07/09
      64.   Ashamed of my government 17:50  |  Sylvie 31/07/09
      65.   Proportionate Responses Don`t Do It 18:32  |  Gary 31/07/09
      66.   what`s all the hubbub about? 19:48  |  Mark 31/07/09
      67.   Sylvie you are a star 20:01  |  Marilyn 31/07/09
      68.   We get the "code" 20:09  |  RfaelMoshe 31/07/09
      69.   Sylvie in Holon 20:46  |  ClearCut 31/07/09
      70.   khairi janbek # 56 That Is A Common Error (2nd try) 21:27  |  Jeff Northridge 31/07/09
      71.   To Jeff 22:09  |  khairi janbek 31/07/09
      72.   khairi janbek # 71 Not Exactly 00:37  |  Jeff Northridge 01/08/09
      73.   Israeli style proportionate 00:41  |  Lee Kaplan 01/08/09
      74.   #70 Such nonsense, Jeff 01:30  |  Johnboy 01/08/09
      75.   Immaterial 02:26  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/08/09
      76.   #72 Jeff, under that criteria..... 02:44  |  Johnboy 01/08/09
      77.   To IDF 02:46  |  Iain 01/08/09
      78.   proportionality 1 02:51  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/08/09
      79.   to Jeff 02:58  |  khairi janbek 01/08/09
      80.   proportionality 2 03:03  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/08/09
      81.   Johnboy # 52 The Principle Of Proportionality (3rd try) 03:21  |  Jeff Northridge 01/08/09
      82.   Gaza is demanding about 1000 prisoners... 03:45  |  Jasper 01/08/09
      83.   #74 What Israel is attempting to do, MarkL 04:14  |  Johnboy 01/08/09
      84.   Mark of Lewiston I know you hope UN sham will work aginast Israel 07:27  |  Tought Luck Marki 01/08/09
      85.   Sudan, Iran and Cuba chairing UNHRC is the best thing that happen 07:31  |  Dan 01/08/09
      86.   Anyone investigating Hamas dudes? 07:43  |  I rest my case 01/08/09
      87.   Those war mongers are never going to make it in the ME 08:46  |  Dutch 01/08/09
      88.   To #82, tough luck mark 09:26  |  Sushi 01/08/09
      89.   Anyone investigating Hamas 12:48  |  Iain 01/08/09
      90.   #84 Yes, the same dude. 12:58  |  Johnboy 01/08/09
      91.   #77 Wrong in the first line, Cipora 13:05  |  Johnboy 01/08/09
      92.   Ok Johnboy your definition is better than mine but... 14:22  |  Peter Williams 01/08/09
      93.   #85 Dutch Despite your vow 16:23  |  Ben Jabo 01/08/09
      94.   there is no proportionality in a war. I know I was in one. 16:42  |  Proud Vet 01/08/09
      95.   obviously Maureen Ann the Palis were testing their rockets 16:47  |  Proud Vet 01/08/09
      96.   DISPROPORTIONATE Israeli Response 16:50  |  *BEN JABO 01/08/09
      97.   Canadien, the enemy to be wiped out are those that are firing 16:51  |  James 01/08/09
      98.   proportional response 18:08  |  tadchase 01/08/09
      99.   #92 Proud Vet. A reminder. 18:32  |  Maureen Ann 01/08/09
      100.   #87 Had Hamas behaved like the IDF it would be investigated too 19:18  |  jens 01/08/09
      101.   What are we talking about 20:53  |  mark 01/08/09
      102.   Natallie 21:21  |  Lally 01/08/09
      103.   No Nation really wants to prosecute Israel 21:25  |  Bev 01/08/09
      104.   Gaza Offensive 21:29  |  Zion 01/08/09
      105.   Jens - you`re joking right? 21:34  |  Lally 01/08/09
      106.   Natallie 22:05  |  Wally 01/08/09
      107.   In the opening action of Cast Lead.... 01:12  |  Jasper 02/08/09
      108.   Proportionality 02:37  |  WHG 02/08/09
      109.   #100 Jens - Denmark 03:09  |  *BEN JABO 02/08/09
      110.   #92 Cipora left out one of the variales, Peter Williams 03:10  |  Johnboy 02/08/09
      111.   #64 Sylvie - Holon 03:44  |  *BEN JABO 02/08/09
      112.   The war started in 2006 - and Israel started it big time 03:57  |  Marc Leb 02/08/09
      113.   nathalie the "moral" voice 04:11  |  arik 02/08/09
      114.   proportionality 04:56  |  Sabah 02/08/09
      115.   PETER SM - What Israeli towns? Sderot is NOT IN ISRAEL!! 08:15  |  CJ 02/08/09
      116.   the only nation that thinks so 10:38  |  janet tatar 02/08/09
      117.   More spin ahead of the UN Report due out in mid August 10:52  |  Dutch 02/08/09
      118.   Bev and pro-israel spin 11:08  |  john, Canadian 02/08/09
      119.   Dan and the best thing.... 11:10  |  john, Canadian 02/08/09
      120.   CJ Really? when Obama was in Sderot he forgot to call it Palestin 15:17  |  PETER SM 02/08/09
      121.   IAIN Goldstone declared his prejudice BEFORE even visiting Gaza 15:24  |  PETER SM 02/08/09
      122.   MARC LEB Qassams were fired long before 2006 15:52  |  PETER SM 02/08/09
      123.   #121 Yeah, PETER SM, there can be no other explanation 03:28  |  Johnboy 03/08/09
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