A report issued by the Israeli government has called the war on Gaza "necessary and appropriate." The war, in which over 1,400 Gazans and 13 Israelis died, has been highly criticized by both the international community and groups within Israel. The report did state that the Israeli government has launched over 100 inquiries into the conduct of the war, including 14 criminal investigations. However, in the past, Israel has claimed that internal investigations into the conduct of the armed forces have found no evidence of misconduct.
The report stated that the war was necessary in order to protect its citizens against rocket fire from Hamas into southern Israel. The report states:
Israel had both a right and an obligation to take military action against Hamas in Gaza to stop Hamas' almost incessant rocket and mortar attacks.The report claims that over 12,000 rockets and mortars have been launched into Israel by Hamas since the year 2000. Furthermore, the report places the blame for damage to UN facilities in Gaza on Hamas and completely dismisses allegations of the use of white phosphorus. The government also alleges that precautions were taken to protect the civilian populations, including the use of phone calls and leaflets.
However, according to the United Nations, the war on Gaza destroyed 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties and 200 schools damaged or destroyed, as well as 39 mosques and two churches. To investigate the conduct of the Israeli government and Hamas, the United Nations has appointed former South African judge Richard Goldstone to determine whether war crimes were committed. The UN report, which Israel has not cooperated with, is to be published in August.
John Ging, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, welcomed the Israeli report as an "acknowledgment that an investigation has to be done into what happened" during the conflict, but also saied that the report has taken "far too long." He repeated his call for an independent investigation, adding:
The litmus test is that [any investigation] has to be credible to both sides. As is well documented, both sides have certain concerns and they have to be addressed. We have to see the rule of international law applied and upheld, even-handedly, with the confidence of both populations.In addition to the United Nations, other international groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned Israel's conduct in the conflict. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Jerusalem, says:
What we've seen in the past few months since the end of the war are various human rights reports from Amnesty International, the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, as well as testimonies coming out from army soldiers themselves. What really ties all of these reports together is the idea that there was no proportionality and a deliberate use of force against the civilian population in Gaza.Furthermore, the Israeli report differs from Palestinian accounts on the number of civilians killed. Israel claims that only 295 of the 1,417 Palestinians killed were civilians, while Palestinian sources cite the civilian number as 926.
HEADLINES
Israel dismantles illegal West Bank outpost: report (Xinhua)
Not quite as gloomy as they look (The Economist)
Qahwaji orders troops on high alert to face any Israeli threat (Daily Star)
Settlement Foes Take Fight to Israel's High Court (The Washington Post)
Palestine and the Palestinians
Hamas threatens to boycott unity talks with Fatah (Ha'aretz)
Haniyeh: PA arrests leave next round of talks in doubt (Ma'an)
Nine families receive demolition warnings south of Nablus (Ma'an)
Palestinians ‘fully support Red-Dead project’ - PA (Jordan Times)
Israel
Israel targets foreign gov't NGO funds (The Jerusalem Post)
Israel wants nuclear power plant (Ynet)
IDF abuse probe widens (Ynet)
Settlement Foes Take Fight to Israel's High Court (Washington Post)
The Neighbors
Egypt's peace role – and its influence – under fire (Christian Science Monitor)
Saudi Arabia Speaks Out (Khaleej Times)
Iranians defy authorities to mourn those slain in the unrest (LA Times)
Turkey wants Palestinian mediation role (JTA)
Nasrallah: New cabinet will be one of true partnership (Daily Star)
US Foreign Policy
U.S. wants Syria help in Israel-Palestinian talks (Reuters)
U.S. briefs Israel on new Iran nuke sanctions (Ha'aretz)
Obama extends sanctions against Syria (Ha'aretz)
Ros-Lehtinen: Palestinians need to recognize Israel as ‘Jewish state’ (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
International Relations/Law
Japan - Visit to the Middle East by H.E. Mr. Yutaka Iimura, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East (ISRIA)
Water and Cooperation in the Middle East (PRI)
UK Trying to Freeze Israeli Settlements (The Trumpet)
Arts and Activism
Fight Over Corrie Film Rocks San Francisco Film Festival (Jewish Exponent)
Leonard Cohen to donate concert profits (UPI)
Misc.
Thousands of Gaza children fly kites on Beit Lahiya beach (Ma'an)
Gaza children go for world record for kite flying (AP)
Commentary
Editorial: Obama's evenhanded Mideast policy (LA Times)
Harel: US losing faith in usefulness of dialogue with Tehran (Ha'aretz)
Obama's evenhanded Mideast policy (LA Times)
Buchanan: Tell Israel: Cool the Jets! (Anti-War)
The settlements issue (New York Times)
Views expressed on this post or on linked web pages do not represent the Palestine Center, the educational program of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development. All content is for educational purposes only.
