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Erekat: Beit Hanoun attack war crime
Aviram Zino
Published: 08.11.06, 16:22
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51 Talkbacks for this article
1. Israel needs to know....
SAEB ERAKAT ,   PALESTINE   (11.08.06)
Remember jews....its a war crime when you accidently kill civilians even though you appologize immediately....but when we intentionally kill your civilians...well .... this is not a war crime and no one even tries to portray it as that. We are so lucky that you jews are held to a higher level of accountability than us by the world.
2. As Long As The Rockets Keep Coming, Israel Must Continue
H ,   Jerusalem   (11.08.06)
attacking them. Israel is nice (read stupid) enough to leave that area and stop their military actions, while the Arabs are just continuing to fire rockets. Israel needs a solid STRONG government with POWER to stop the Arabs. Olmert's apologizing makes Israel look like a weakling. TIme for new elections.
3. where's the belated discussions about suicide terror?
mike ,   israel (formerly usa   (11.08.06)
why islamic terrorism has been completely ignored and swept under the rug is incredible in light of the fact that the palestinians are complaining. if the world "discusses" the war criminality of terrorism in the name of islam, then we can talk about this incident. until then, consider it a taste of their own medicine.
4. Time to tell the truth
David Derovan ,   Israel   (11.08.06)
The death of any human being is a tragedy. And the deaths resulting from a wayward artillery shell are all the more regrettable. However, it is time for someone in the Israeli government to stand up and tell the truth: If the Palestinians would stop shooting Qassams at Israelis and stop acts of terror against Israelis, then the IDF would not be shelling Gaza. The tremendous destruction in Beit Hanoun and the deaths this morning were the direct result of Palestinian aggression against Israelis. If they'll stop, then we'll stop. If the Palestinians persist, then they can expect more deaths and more destruction. So, when will Olmert or Livni or Peretz stand up and say this so the whole world can hear it?
5. SUICIDE BOMB AT HEBREW UNIVERSITY - A WAR CRIME
ANDREW ,   MIAMI,FL   (11.08.06)
6. never your fault
yosef   (11.08.06)
i must say its said to follow this conflict. i remember when erekat was a well spoken young man making the same bogus arguements trying to use international law to condemn israel. now he is becoming an old man, he went from being invited to the white house to growing old never achieving anything for his people becasue he could never admit that he and the arabs are wrong. stop firing rockets you idiots and we will stop having to take actions to stop you from firirng rockets. the terrorists use terror and when the army responds they cry to the un.
7. Israel is a criminal state
Karim ,   Morocco   (11.08.06)
Apology? Israeli apologizing? They think we Arabs can accept an apology from the LAND THEFTS and the RACIST APARTHEID OCCUPIERS. No peace with Israel, period.
8. War crimes, LOL
Avraham ,   Netivot   (11.08.06)
The only war crimes comitted are by the PAL terrorists using women & children as human shields.
9. response to erakat- I do not get it
mick bates ,   canada   (11.08.06)
Hamas and the Palestinians are lobbing qassams daily into Israel to kill jewish civilians. the Israelis send a tank shell to kill palestinian terrorists but kill palestinian civilians instead. The Palestininians say Israel is guilty of war crimes. Am I missing something here? Is it OK to kill Jewish civilians with qassam rockets but war crimes when Israel retaliates. Somebody please help me understand. I am baffled
10. Proportionate response
New Yorker ,   NY   (11.08.06)
This was the most proportionate response imaginable from Israel. You fire at my cities, I'll fire at yours. It's fair. Though consequences are not always pleasant, of course. But that's inherent in the nature of the game itself. This is the war accrding to the rules forced on the Jews by the Arabs. And people really need to stop using the cliched absurdities like "war crimes". Or if one insists on on applying this term, then let's do it in a more sensible way: how many rockets were fired at Israeli residential areas, indiscriminately, with the intent to hurt and kill? Each such firing constitutes one individual war crime. Then go ahead and multiply this by the number of indiscriminate firings. And there we go. But that's a non-issue for human rights organizations, a worthless, fraudulent bunch, who lives off human misery, who themselves should be put on trial for incitement to and continuation of bloodshed. But no such thing will ever happen. As for IDF action, please keep firing back. Give them hell until firing from their side stops completely. War is hell. There is no reason why the other side should be spared the worst. This is no circus, no theater. It's real, boys and girls.
11. How many times must we go through this?
DR ,   Florida, USA   (11.08.06)
Palis never learn, only get dumber and dumber. Now they call for renewd attacks agaist israel, are they really that stupid. When an Israeli bus or cafe is blown up by one of their crazed, brainwashed, Allah-Loving idiots, we never hear the world cry out, but when Israel goes after terror, everyone screams, why? I guess the world holds Israel to a very high standard, one that won't allow her to defend herself.
12. COWARDS
(11.08.06)
could not face Hizbullah so they turned against Palestinian children.
13. War crimes and definitions
jorge ,   Comayaguela   (11.08.06)
Intention to harm populations, intentions to destroy populations, intention to destroy a country are war crimes, the firing at random of rockets with the sole purpose of harming civilians is a war crime, all of the above are openly expresed by Palestinian spokepersons and are practiced daily by Palestinians against Israeli civilians. If trying to defend againt someone or someones openly wanting and expresing that their intention is to destroy you is not a legitimate act of SELF DEFENSE, then, soon Israel, if one of its citizens catches a cold and a Palestinian gets it from him, its going to be acussed of speading disease. Mr. Erekat even in a propaganda war should have to balance his facts. and then, Mr. Erekat, stop nodding aprovingly every time the loony president of Iran talks about wiping out Israel
14. IDF must keep up the pressure
Mikle White ,   Canada   (11.08.06)
till pals halt their kassam shelling on Israeli civilians inside Israel. Is that so hard to understand? IDF must use all legal means, including preventative fire on kassam sources and locations... IDF must deal with pals using the only language they understand, which is FORCE.
15. Hamas
Harris ,   Kentucky   (11.08.06)
The world supports Hamas may they deliver justice to israel :)
16. Israel's missles are just better than the Arabs'
Besalel ,   Kew Gardens, NY   (11.08.06)
Both the Israelis and the Arabs have shelled civilian population centers with missles. The Arabs, who actually started, have been firing missles from Gaza to Southern Israel non-stop for two weeks. The Israelis just once emulated the Arabs. So can Israel help it if Arab bombs are pathetic and that Israelis' are better than Arabs'? If its shelling the Arabs want then everyone gets to party, if the Arabs want to stop the shelling then by all means, stop, party's over.
17. What utter nonsense
Sidney ,   USA   (11.08.06)
On a daily basis Palestinians are firing rockets at Israel with the intention of killing civilians. If they kill Israelis it is justice, if Israel kills them it is a "war crime".
18. Firing Qassam to Israel is an act of sending 'Love Letter'?
KMR ,   Middle East   (11.08.06)
19. BOTH SIDES ARE EQUALLY GUILTY
Michael ,   Seattle, WA   (11.08.06)
Stop now.
20. #12...nameless coward...
DR ,   Florida, USA   (11.08.06)
I though it was Hezballah and Hamas that were cowards because they hide behind women and children. Israeli soldiers bring the fight to them wherever they are, but its hard to shoot at someone when they use a child as a human shield.
21. Stop the PALS
Avi ,   New York   (11.08.06)
Every arab country throws them out and Israel is forced to babysit these people. They are children with weapons and use civilians to hide their crimes against the Israeli Nation. Israel has stood by too many years and taken crap and death from palestinians and arab countries. NO MORE, you can all go to hell before Israel will stand down from defending itself. Israel will not listen to the idle threats of the weak. Israel shall exist no matter what!
22. Moral Inequality
BJL ,   Appleland USA   (11.08.06)
It used to be, that at least the world would apply a very sick and perverted form of moral equivalence towards the arab-Israeli conflict. Now it has degenerated to moral inequality. Where Hamas-Hizbollah-Iran can fire missiles, by the thousands, into Israeli cities, with no outrage by the world community. NONE. No mention of the war crime that it is. none. BUT when Israeli defends itself and G-d forbid, kills innocents, because Hamas-Hizbullah-Iran hides in civilian areas, THEN, it is a war crime. Sorry, no more games. It is not a war crime for a nation to defend itself. If innocents die, Hamas is at fault.
23. To No. 19, Michael in Seattle
New Yorker ,   NY   (11.08.06)
Michael, who are you, to pass out this kind of judgement of "equally guilty"? Are you some kind of expert on or have a recent experience of what it's like for residents of a town, next to the border to live under daily barrage of deadly rockets? Do you have an idea what it's like having to be ready to run for a bomb shelter and make it within barely few swconds before a rocket strikes. Do you have a clue of what it is like to live and be able to function like a normal human being, one day after another, from day one, under constact attack? You know not what you're talking about, fellow.
24. Not War Crime But Repeated Immorality
ussishkin ,   London UK   (11.08.06)
By international legal crietria, this morning's atrocious act is not the war crime Erekat wants it to be unless it is shown that it was intentional. Of course if the Qassam's, heretofore no more damaging than fireworks, can be poved to have been fored from civilian populated areas, those firing them must share culpability. But none of that excuses or defends the IDF shelling in any way. There have been legal questions about ranges of IDF artillery fire in Gazan populated areas before without conclusive answers. What would help is if Israeli spokespeople after such a terrible incident showed some humility for the innocent victims, or is it our policy never to show humility unless its for our own?
25. A Tragic ACCIDENT- Israel Always tries to avoid harming...
Linda Rivera ,   New York   (11.08.06)
civilians. G-D who is the silent witness knows how many times Israel has placed the lives of PA Muslim civilians above the lives of Jews and Jews have been repeatedly killed because of Israel's policy. Jewish communities which border Gaza are under constant rocket attack from the enemy. Israel has the legitimate right of self-defense and responsibility before G-D for protecting her citizens from non-stop war waged against her civilian population. Any other country except Israel would have eliminated the rocket attacks years ago. It is immoral to allow these attacks on Israel's civilian population to continue.
26. #15, the hillbilly
Yonatan ,   USA   (11.08.06)
Go back to your hills and keep drinking your moonshine. Your statement was so ignorant, it doesn't deserve any kind of serious response.
27. International Law is the last refuge of a scoundrel
Barry   (11.08.06)
Before X attacks Y, he will consider the repercussions of doing so including the severity of Y’s response. Such possible repercussions will deter X from acting if he believes that Y’s response will be more painful than any gain it might obtain from attacking. International Law interferes with that simple logic by limiting the severity of a permitted response by Y to X’s action however extreme, thereby making X more likely to attack in the first place. Indeed because X knows of the limit of the severity of response, X will be encouraged to use the most extreme action it can to offset the limited response it suffers eg if you are going to have economic sanctions imposed on you for killing blacks in Dafur, you should as well kill as many as you can so that when one day those sanctions are lifted, you will have fewer blacks to deal with
28. Beit Hanoun attack war crime
silvio ,   italy   (11.08.06)
But the crimes of the Moslems on the People from Israel, do they have been forgotten already?
29. saeb arekat
israeli ,   israel   (11.08.06)
is an educated lier, an inflammatory propagandist, one of the Oslo accords architect. He was always bleating about Israel's "unleashing its military might on the defenseless Palestinians", mostly when Israel was retaliating for terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. That's his area of expertise, as he was able to prove countless times during Arafart's bloody reign.
30. #25: put a sock in it
Jamlo ,   USA   (11.08.06)
If your country is such a humanitarian, then abide by the UN resolutions and pull out to the pre-1967 border. The truth is that you don't want peace, and you don't want a Palestinian state no matter what. You want this conflict to continue to slowly (but surely) complete a genocide against the palestinians.
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