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Israel, Hamas committed Gaza war crimes: Amnesty International report

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Both Hamas and Israeli forces committed war crimes during fighting in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, according to Amnesty International (AI). A report issued by Amnesty Thursday alleges that Israeli attacks killed 1,400 Palestinians, including 300 children. The report says Israel is bound by the international human rights treaties it has ratified, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Human rights obligations allegedly breached during the conflict include respect for the right to life (ICCPR, Article 6), the right to adequate food and housing (ICESCR, Article 11), and the right to education (ICESCR, Article 13). An AI researcher said that Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups committed war crimes when they fired rockets into southern Israel, killing three. Israel Defense Forces said AI's report seemed "unbalanced". Hamas has criticized AI's report as "unfair." In December, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemned what she called Israel's "disproportionate use of force" against Hamas targets in Gaza. Pillay's call followed two days of Israeli airstrikes that killed 270 people and wounded more than 600, including many civilians, according to a UN report. In April, Israel announced it would not comply with a UN Human Rights Council investigation into fighting in the Gaza Strip. AI then accused Israel of war crimes, citing the use of white phosphorous in civilian areas.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 03, 2009 (boomark / email).