Legal Background Israel and Palestine
What national and international Laws govern the conflict? What of Geneva Conventions? UN resolutions? US Law?
Monday, July 26, 2004
70,000-150,000 form chain opposing Gaza pullout [... how can you move 400,00+ from West Bank? ed.]
Excite News: "Israelis Form Human Chain Across Gaza | Jul 26, 6:27 AM |
By PETER ENAV
NEVE SHALOM, Israel (AP) - Singing the national anthem and waving Israeli flags, tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters joined hands to form a human chain along a 55-mile route, serving notice they will fight Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot to death six members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in a gunbattle in the town of Tulkarem, the military said. Palestinians officials said five militants and a teenage bystander were shot in a restaurant. The Aqsa movement, which is loosely linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, has claimed responsibility for many suicide bombings in Israel."
...
Sunday's demonstration was the largest yet against the plan to dismantle Jewish settlements and pull Israeli forces out of the Gaza Strip. The plan, which has strong international support, including from the United States, has cost Sharon his parliamentary majority and left him fighting for political survival.
Police put the turnout as 70,000 but organizers spoke of 150,000 participants. Israeli media estimates ranged from 70,000 to 130,000, including some members of Sharon's own Likud Party. ...
Excite News: "Israelis Form Human Chain Across Gaza | Jul 26, 6:27 AM |
By PETER ENAV
NEVE SHALOM, Israel (AP) - Singing the national anthem and waving Israeli flags, tens of thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters joined hands to form a human chain along a 55-mile route, serving notice they will fight Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers shot to death six members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in a gunbattle in the town of Tulkarem, the military said. Palestinians officials said five militants and a teenage bystander were shot in a restaurant. The Aqsa movement, which is loosely linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, has claimed responsibility for many suicide bombings in Israel."
...
Sunday's demonstration was the largest yet against the plan to dismantle Jewish settlements and pull Israeli forces out of the Gaza Strip. The plan, which has strong international support, including from the United States, has cost Sharon his parliamentary majority and left him fighting for political survival.
Police put the turnout as 70,000 but organizers spoke of 150,000 participants. Israeli media estimates ranged from 70,000 to 130,000, including some members of Sharon's own Likud Party. ...
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Abu Ghraib, Whitewashed: Army report makes no attempt to find who sexually humiliating hooded men
The New York Times > Opinion > Abu Ghraib, Whitewashed: "Abu Ghraib, Whitewashed | Published: July 24, 2004
A week ago, John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was satisfied that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was keeping his promise to leave no stone unturned to investigate the atrocities of Abu Ghraib prison. A newly released report by the Army's inspector general shows that Mr. Rumsfeld's team may be turning over stones, but it's not looking under them.
The authors of this 300-page whitewash say they found no "systemic" problem - even though there were 94 documented cases of prisoner abuse, including some 40 deaths, 20 of them homicides; even though only four prisons of the 16 they visited had copies of the Geneva Conventions; even though Abu Ghraib was a cesspool with one shower for every 50 inmates; even though the military police were improperly involved in interrogations; even though young people plucked from civilian life were sent to guard prisoners - 50,000 of them in all - with no training.
Never mind any of that. The report pins most of the blame on those depressingly familiar culprits, a few soldiers who behaved badly. ... And it made no attempt to find out who had authorized threatening prisoners with dogs and sexually humiliating hooded men, to name two American practices the Red Cross found to be common. The inspector general's see-no-evil team simply said it couldn't find those "approach techniques" in the Army field manual.
...
... The only way to learn why innocent Iraqis were tortured by American soldiers is a formal Congressional inquiry, with subpoena power.
The New York Times > Opinion > Abu Ghraib, Whitewashed: "Abu Ghraib, Whitewashed | Published: July 24, 2004
A week ago, John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was satisfied that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was keeping his promise to leave no stone unturned to investigate the atrocities of Abu Ghraib prison. A newly released report by the Army's inspector general shows that Mr. Rumsfeld's team may be turning over stones, but it's not looking under them.
The authors of this 300-page whitewash say they found no "systemic" problem - even though there were 94 documented cases of prisoner abuse, including some 40 deaths, 20 of them homicides; even though only four prisons of the 16 they visited had copies of the Geneva Conventions; even though Abu Ghraib was a cesspool with one shower for every 50 inmates; even though the military police were improperly involved in interrogations; even though young people plucked from civilian life were sent to guard prisoners - 50,000 of them in all - with no training.
Never mind any of that. The report pins most of the blame on those depressingly familiar culprits, a few soldiers who behaved badly. ... And it made no attempt to find out who had authorized threatening prisoners with dogs and sexually humiliating hooded men, to name two American practices the Red Cross found to be common. The inspector general's see-no-evil team simply said it couldn't find those "approach techniques" in the Army field manual.
...
... The only way to learn why innocent Iraqis were tortured by American soldiers is a formal Congressional inquiry, with subpoena power.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
150-6 vote: Israel will no doubt continue defying international opinion: enduring peace with Palestinians, or enduring conflict
: "Israel shows contempt for international opinion | Wu Yixue | 2004-07-22 06:18 | China Daily 07/22/2004 page6
A resolution, a breach, then a new resolution.
That seems to be the unbreakable cycle in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
In this seemingly endless process, helpless Palestinians have never given up hope on United Nations resolutions to end their suffering, though the resolutions have rarely improved their situation.
As the stronger side, Israel has gained a reputation in the international community for not putting much stock in UN resolutions.
Tuesday was another inspiring date for most Palestinians. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding Israel comply with a world court ruling to tear down the West Bank 'security barrier' being built deep into Palestinian territory.
Palestinians have reason to cheer because the 150-6 vote in the 191-member world body shows that international sympathy is overwhelming on their side.
...
Israel, backed by the United States, will no doubt continue defying international opinion.
But the Israelis should ask themselves where this will lead - to enduring peace with Palestinians, or enduring conflict.
: "Israel shows contempt for international opinion | Wu Yixue | 2004-07-22 06:18 | China Daily 07/22/2004 page6
A resolution, a breach, then a new resolution.
That seems to be the unbreakable cycle in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
In this seemingly endless process, helpless Palestinians have never given up hope on United Nations resolutions to end their suffering, though the resolutions have rarely improved their situation.
As the stronger side, Israel has gained a reputation in the international community for not putting much stock in UN resolutions.
Tuesday was another inspiring date for most Palestinians. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution demanding Israel comply with a world court ruling to tear down the West Bank 'security barrier' being built deep into Palestinian territory.
Palestinians have reason to cheer because the 150-6 vote in the 191-member world body shows that international sympathy is overwhelming on their side.
...
Israel, backed by the United States, will no doubt continue defying international opinion.
But the Israelis should ask themselves where this will lead - to enduring peace with Palestinians, or enduring conflict.
