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UN probe: Evidence of war crimes in Gaza conflict
Ynet and AP
Published: 15.09.09, 22:22
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1. So now the UN will revert to doing nothing
JPS ,   Efrat   (09.15.09)
Yet another expensive report. Yet another useless attempt by the UN to show that it has some kind of effectiveness. It doesn't. Of course there will be cries around the world to put Israeli leaders on trial. And of course those same criers will ignore the Palestinian war crimes - especially those that caused the war in the first place.
2. What a surprise! Shocking, really.
David ,   Switzerland   (09.15.09)
3. Whether Israel is ever found guilty of any war crime ...
Ron B. ,   Lod   (09.15.09)
Whether Israel is ever found guilty of any war crime hardly matters. Hamas gets propaganda win simply by having the charge made often and loudly enough. In this, Israel finds itself in much the same position the United States found itself in Iraq. There, al Qaeda realized that it was in its interests to provoke sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni – no matter what the cost to innocent Iraqis. That is the nature of terror. And what we are seeing in Gaza is just one front in this much larger war. As to the IDF “war crimes”: http://xrl.us/bemnkt
4. The United for Nothing but terrorists UN
Steven Wilson ,   Anchorage, Alaska   (09.15.09)
is helping the terrorists again? Go figure! That bad Jew moved her tricycle out of the road, so his tank wouldn't run it over. Violation number one! A Jew did it.
5. An anti-Semitic / anti Israeli report!
Yehudit ,   London   (09.15.09)
Why when Israel suffered for 8 years from being hit by thousands of rockets from Gaza, no such reports where written. Then when Israel finally defends itself, we have this.
6. When is Goldstone going.....
Marco ,   South Africa   (09.15.09)
do an investigation into USA & U.K. war crimes commited in Iraq and Afganistan?? My bet-NEVER. Only Israel Is investigated, they wouldnt be allowed to investigate "innocent "USA AND U.K.
7. Even the UN admits Palestinian rocket fire sparked the war
Jake   (09.15.09)
Talk about stating the obvious. After all, it wouldn't be fair to write a scathing 575 page report about the British firebombing of Dresden, Luebeck, and Hamburg, without making even a brief mention of the London Blitz that preceded it.
8. More "shocking" proof the UN is worthless.
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (09.15.09)
9. halloooo un.....
Dana Rothschild ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (09.15.09)
I am waiting for the your investigetion in the irak and afganistan wars... it will be interesting to read about the war crimes and crimes against humanity of usa, france, great britain and all other countries taking part in the pacification of this two countries...
10. Would it be in Israel's interest
Robert Haymond ,   Ashdod, Israel   (09.15.09)
to remove itself from the UN? I wonder what the possible repurcussions might be. Do any of you readers have an opinion or perspective on the subject or can any of you refer me to any articles which do?
11. Brilliant report
SF2OAK ,   Oakland, USA   (09.15.09)
Make no mention of Hamas not being a nation state, soldiers are unmarked, military targets unmarked and mixed in with civillian population. All hamas rockets, the precipitator of the war, were war crimes. Curious if they investigated the battle between hamas & fatah. where's Gilad and when did the Red Cross see him last. Never, I thought so.
12. To #10
M. Hartley ,   Atlanta, US   (09.15.09)
Here's a link to the UN Charter. In the stark light of reality it's a great work of fiction.... http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/
13. They determined this before they started
steve from raleigh   (09.15.09)
They SAID they had determined this before they started.
14. We Must Resign From the UN
Reuven Brauner ,   Raanana, Israel   (09.15.09)
We should have done it in 1967 when they voted Zionism equals Racism - but we didn't. Now, 42 years later, the UN is again blaming the Jews for defending themselves. How dare they? Our best response is to just quit this idiotic organization once and for all. What do we gain by trying to appease the Goyim?
15. The U.N. is a war crime
Dan ,   Titusville, FL USA   (09.15.09)
There are a legion of instances where UN troops sworn to protect innocent civilians ran like cowards when an opposing force approached. Today, the UN shows it cowardace by not holding the muslims fully accountable for their crimes against humanity. I would burn the report in front of a UN checkpoint and then piss on it to put the fire out further showing the regard I have for the UN and its "finding".
16. Israel's attempt to divert attention
david ,   los angeles   (09.15.09)
Of course Israel's pathetic answer is that of Rivlin, that "No nation in the world would allow daily shelling of its cities to go unmet." But this is not what the report suggests. It doesn't say that Israel had no right to a military response to the war crimes that ignited the war: It states that a set of specific incidents, a small subset of Israel's "defending itself," were war crimes. Israel will do everything it can to avoid dealing with this. It will attack Goldstone as a self-hater and a traitor, it will say that the report denies Israel the right to defend itelf. Anything but admit that the IDF isn't 24/7 "the most moral army in the world."
17. Now Hamas digs tunnels
David ,   Rhode Island   (09.15.09)
Near and under UN buildings and the UN says they don't care.
18. Goldstone and Gaza.
Aryeh ,   Arad,Israel   (09.15.09)
What exactly did you expect from the U.N. ? Have you learned nothing yet ?
19. War = Crime
Ron ,   L.A., USA   (09.15.09)
So, is it the U.N.'s policy to label all wars a crime? I would agree to that, but thats' not exactly what they are saying. It's like saying, Murder is wrong, but Israel is more to blame these murders... Also, the Arabs are responsible for these murders over here, but don't look at that. Stupid U.N., still trying to keep your phony ballony jobs???
20. #16:David in LA the clueless
JC ,   USA   (09.15.09)
If this article was just about "a small subset of Israel's "defending itself," were war crimes", then it pales in comparison to the majority of war crimes committed by its neighbor(s). You are clueless David to blame Israel as this article does on "a small subset" concerning the whole war.
21. War crimes?
Sarah B ,   New York City, USA   (09.15.09)
If you really want to dig and hunt for war crimes, you need look no further than: (a) Eight years of daily missile barrages from Gaza into Israel's civilian centers (b) Suicide bomber infiltration of the border designed purely to murder as many Jews as possible (c) Illegal kidnappings and kidnapping attempts by terrorists (d) Hamas using civilians as human shields during armed conflict and hiding weapons in hospitals, schools and mosques (e) Illegally smuggling arms into a supposedly demilitarized zone. Those are your war crimes. Israel did nothing but protect its citizens and put an end to the daily missile barrages and suicide bombing attempts.
22. To: #16 David
Good ,   FL, USA   (09.15.09)
Divert attention? For eight whole years the terrorists in Gaza fired thousands of rockets and we did not hear a word of condemnation from the UN and now they come in because Israel dared do something about it. War is ugly and no one is perfect during a war but Israel did not commit these crimes and if civilians were hurt it was not deliberate. The UN has forgotten to mention that the Hamas terrorists were hiding among civilians, they were using mosques and schools as arms depots, they were hiding behind women and children carrying white flags, they were dressed as civilians, they were launching their rockets from school yards and mosques, they used ambulances for transportation and on and on, which are all war crimes. Why should Israel even consider such a biased report?
23. be honest
Fabian ,   Düsseldorf, Germany   (09.15.09)
It is not the UN that throws dirt at Israel, but those who commited war crimes in the name of the IDF. Every citizen in Israel should take care that those who are responsible will be punished for their terrible actions. Only then morality is on your side! You know very well that you have your Kahanes in your rows. Fight extremism, racism and inhumanity here, there and everywhere!
24. unless Israel besieges them.
observer   (09.15.09)
Israel shouldn't allow daily shelling of its cities to go unmet.
25. goldstone report
marcel   (09.15.09)
Goldstone apparently had hamas by his side when he conducted his interviews. Witnesses had to be intimidated. Now, he says israel should not have done this or that like a timeout could be taken and ph.d. conference held on whether a target in the dead of the night should or should not be hit. This is war caused by gaza,s upported by the civilian ppopulation who pass out sweets when israelis are killed or who offer to sacrifice more of their children to suicide bomberts. Using goldstone's critieria as a guide, the nazis would have defeated russia and goldstone and his mother, father , brothers and sisters would now be ashes in the crematoria. What a shmuck!
26. UN report
J.K. ,   Brooklyn USA   (09.16.09)
In war like in war.I was told this story by a Jew who witnessed the event,as a member in a Romanian slave batalion,during ww2.One day the Germans gathered all the inhabitants of a Russian willage, old men, women and children, and marched them of toward the Russian position,while the Germans were hiding behind the people with arms,the women and chidren were crying,as soon the people got close to the position,the Russian comander ordered his troops to fire on his own people and the Germans,if Mr Goldstone were this Russian comander,what would he do ? 1 surrender the position to Germans, 2 command firing on his own people,3 call up ACLU.
27. UN Human Rights Council ...
Christy ,   Boston, US   (09.16.09)
is a joke. If anyone doubts this, use your favorite search engine and see for yourself what nations are on this council. The inmates are running the asylum. I'd like to see the US, and other democracies, pull out of the UN and create a body only open to countries that have a democratically elected leadership.
28. Goldstone report
Spencer ,   Israel   (09.16.09)
Look at who the panel of investigators were! As for Goldstone, he's a smooth talker but not even his smooth talk can hide is anti Israel bias. This report is worth less than used toilet paper and should be flushed down the toilet.
29. war criminality
cook ,   S'ville sc usa   (09.16.09)
No nation has ever gone to war and kept it pretty, protected it's troops harmlessly engaging the enemy, accomplished goals without setbacks, seen action without violence. Israel responded, not retaliated. Any other nation, under constant attack, would have pushed a scorched earth policy toward it's opponent. As likely as it is that lines were closely neared if not crossed in the type of guerilla war the Gaza affair was, considering the constant position of rhetoric and action and prodding and attack that Israel underwent before responding, we are lucky Gaza is not a parking lot.
30. Israel had been breaching the truce; what do you expect?
observer   (09.16.09)
The Israeli government steadily sought to break down the ceasefire, not just in Gaza since early November, but also in the West Bank. Israeli forces have carried out an average of 33 incursions, 42 arrests or detentions, 12 woundings and 0.84 killings a week in the West Bank during the ceasefire. The tactic has been to continue attacking Hamas and other militants in the West Bank, provoking responses in Gaza, and to use the responses as the pretext for the massive attack. Palestinians in Gaza actually fired rockets in retaliation for Israeli military attack on a tunnel between Gaza and Egypt in early November, which killed at least 6 people. The IDF at that point 'unilaterally violated' the ceasefire, and it was this action that led to the increase in rocket attacks on Israel. In addition, Barak shows that Operation 'Cast Lead' had been planned for up to six months and cannot be adequately explained as a response to Palestinian military strikes.
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