War crimes in Gaza - targeted killings and ethnic cleansing

Evidence of the allegedly deliberate massacre of up to 70 Gazan civillians has echoes of Balkan Serb/Croat/Bosnian tragedy of the '90's and more recently Kosovo, and is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. In similar conflicts involving large conventional armies fighting unconventional, low-tech guerrilla forces in urban battlefields, more horror stories like this one are likely to follow. It can't simply be put down to battlefield stress. 'Chris Gunness, a spokesman for Gaza's main U.N. aid agency, said "it would have to be known to any military planner as a matter of certainty that such an overwhelming and disproportionate use of force would inevitably lead to civilian casualties." http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gcUECSml8TBNV82UJjUVkYddt2zgD95IAHT00 Make your own mind up about the likely outcome of the unfolding tragedy in Gaza, but moment by moment it is becoming ever more clear that the Israeli intent is to ethniclly cleanse the Gaza Strip of Hamas, the civil and political infrastructure and as many Palestinian civillians as possible, to create a bottle neck on the border with Egypt that will eventually "pop". Yesterday (06/01/09)UNHCR High Commissioner António Guterres called for strict adherence to humanitarian principles in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, including respect for the universal right of those fleeing war to seek safety in other states. So far there has been no large-scale movement out of Gaza because of the Israeli blockade. Mr. Guterres said those who are compelled to flee Gaza should be able to do so and to find safety and security in other countries according to international law, and Noted that right now, this is the only conflict in the world in which people are not even allowed to flee (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/UNHCR/0baffc9bcf1a08c39d6bdfe563997525.htm) State terror is the only way to describe the Israeli action, sanctioned as it is by a quiescent world leadership, particularly in the US. Israel has long had a policy of "targeted killings" (follow this link: ) but never before on the sort of scale that we're witnessing now. Human Rights watch say the same (http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/12/30/israelhamas-civilians-must-not-be-targets)

Chemical Weapons on Gaza - Why White Phosphorus?

It has occurred to me that white phosphorus has some of the following qualities, particularly useful in urban warfare:

1. It is absolutely terrifying with the result that the populace will flee before it - great for inducing panic and herding a populace away from an urban area when preceeded by leafleted warnings
2. It is absolutely deadly and perfect for denying territory to your enemy, laying waste to property and clearing bunkers and tunnels
3. It doesn't seed the land with unexploded ordinance like cluster munitions do, thus making the land unuseable for months and years afterwards; great if you want to settle there afterwards
4. The smoke screen effect (especially useful at night) makes it almost legitimate to observers from afar...

This link has proved interesting: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/9/164137/436

Chemical Weapons on Gaza

The logical conclusion of the current action (to which the US administration appears to have given implied consent - see link below) is for, at the very least, the depopulation of the northern Gaza strip and the complete annihilation of Hamas and its supporters by any means necessary. Logically, anything less than the removal and/or the complete neutralisation of Hamas would amount to a pointless exercise. A great deal of damage has already been done to the Israeli public persona. The Israeli policy of detention and assassination of Palestinian political and military leaders to date serves to underline the cynicism with which this campaign is being waged. Particularly worrying is the deployment of chemical weapons over ‘bona fide civilian structures, dwellings and places used for civilian purposes’ [see Geneva Conventions], images of which appeared in today’s press. I write specifically about the use of White Phosphorus munitions, which produce phosphorus gas that reacts vigorously with water and oxygen, effectively burning human, animal and vegetable tissue but leaving structures including clothing intact.. Ostensibly, the Israeli military claims these munitions are being used to produce smoke screens; however this seems highly unlikely where they are being deployed at night over built-up areas. The munitions are by their very nature indiscriminate. Could we perhaps be witnessing the build-up toward another Fallujah type scenario in Gaza city itself, in which case could this ultimately lead to the complete ethnic cleansing of the Gaza strip and the West Bank? The 21st century micro war is still being waged in the name of peace and justice, mercilessly and without quarter but the strategies are no less bold, cynical or brutal than in any other era. In this case the propaganda of denial will give just enough time for Israel to complete the campaign before the public outcry and backlash becomes too loud to ignore... Saying nothing simply condones the outrages. I’ve included some links to support this comment. You’ll need a strong stomach for some of them but that shouldn't need an apology. LINKS Succinct analysis of the Arab/Palestinian – Israeli conflict to date: http://www.juancole.com/2009/01/gaza-2008-micro-wars-and-macro-wars.html Forced removal of Palestinian people from Gaza - ETHNIC CLEANSING by another name [document]: http://arablinks.blogspot.com/2009/01/next-step-in-gaza-forced-evacuations-of.html Very graphic documentary about the use of the white phosphorus chemical weapon used in Iraq and now being deployed in Gaza: http://justice4lebanon.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/use-of-napalm-like-white-phosphorus-bombs-in-lebanon/ For description and analysis of white Phosphorus munitions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus

Check this out for hard-line, fundamentalist religious opinion....

Check this out for hard-line, fundamentalist religious opinion....