Posted by: Sammi Ibrahem Chair of West Midland PSC
Dear All,
Today’s initial report of the 3 below is infuriating. In 2002 an Israeli air force pilot dropped a one-ton bomb on a building to catch a single man. Not one but 15 people (I don’t know why it says 13 in the article) were killed. Among the 9 children and others killed, was a mother of 12 children in her 9th month of pregnancy.
The act shocked many, including media reporters. But Dan Halutz, at that time Commanding Officer of the air force, told his pilots that they should sleep well, and when queried on what he felt when he bombed he responded ‘a click as the bomb leaves the plane.’ So much for the ‘most moral army in the world’!!!
But of course in Israel air force pilots are untouchables. And so the panel that ‘investigated’ the incident whitewashed the affair. Well why not? After all the civilians killed were merely ‘collateral damage’ (as Bush the younger disgustingly termed such events).
It is not clear whether the building on which the bomb fell was an apartment building or a house (reports differ on this), but the bomb was dropped in a crowded neighborhood—of that there is no doubt. It must have been anticipated that many innocents would die. But obviously innocent lives did not matter.
Item 2 is a brief report on 2 cases in which, apparently, there has been negligence in medical care in prison.
Item 3 invites students and faculty to come to an INTERNSHIP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUST PEACE.
All the best,
Dorothy
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1. Haaretz,
February 27, 2011
‘Israel’s 2002 hit of Hamas leader was justified, despite civilian casualties’
While criticizing decision makers for underestimating the risk of civilian injuries, probe panel says Israel’s Gaza assassination of Salah Shehadeh was a necessary part of its war on ‘murderous terrorism.’
Israeli military and political officials should not be forced to assume personal responsibility for the 2002 Gaza assassination of a Hamas strongman which resulted in the death of 13 innocent Palestinians, a panel probing the incident said in its report on Sunday.
On July 22, 2002 an Israeli plane dropped a 1-ton bomb on a house in Gaza City in which Hamas military wing commander Salah Shehadeh was staying. In addition to Shehadeh and his aide, 13 civilians, including eight children were killed in the incident.
A committee was appointed by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008 to investigate the incident, following a High Court appeal by left-wing activist and member of Yesh Gvul, Yoav Hass.
In their appeal, Hass and other Yesh Gvul members insisted that criminal investigations be initiated against then Israel Air Force chief Dan Halutz, then Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon, then Defense Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer and former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
In the report culminating the panel’s probe submitted to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, committee members justified the strike, saying that the “preventive strike against Shehadeh was a direct result of the intensification of terrorist group activity since 2000, which had reached war-like proportions.”
The panel added that the Hamas strongman had been the motivational, ideological, and operational force of Hamas and was aware of being wanted by Israel.
Referring to the massive collateral fatalities brought upon by the bombing, the report said that the “side effects had been unintentional, involuntary, and unpredictable,” adding that the civilian deaths were not the result of a “disregard for human life.”
According to the panel’s conclusions, all those involved in the operation were aware of the possibility that civilians could be hurt, ensuring that civilian injuries and casualties would be kept at a minimum.
“Despite all these, a discrepancy had formed between the expected results and those on the ground,” the report surmised, adding that the main reason for that gap was “insufficient, unfocused, and uneven intelligence on whether or not the houses adjacent Shehadeh’s were populated, the location of most of the subsequent casualties.”
The report was critical of defense establishment officials, criticizing their estimates and judgment, as well as pointing out miscommunications in regards to the pass of intelligence between the security forces involved.
“Weight was given to the strike on Shehadeh, while not enough weight was given to the possibility of civilian casualties,” the report said.
However, despite the flaws mentioned by the report, the committee established that there were no grounds to pursue a criminal investigation of officials involved in the incident, whether in the military or in the government.
“The committee does not recommend taking personal action against those involved in the operation,” the report said.
As for the reasons behind that decision, the report cited “the many years that had passed since the operation,” as well as “the fact that decision makers, including Shin Bet head Avi Dichter and IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon culminated their duties.”
Dichter currently serves as a Kadima MK, while Ya’alon is a Likud minister and deputy premier.
According to the report, Israel had weighed “more moderate steps geared at terminating Shehadeh’s activities,” such as a ground-troops operation, but those measures were not implemented since they put the operation’s success at risk as a result of the possible injury of both IDF soldiers and uninvolved civilians.
“Therefore, the bombing was chosen as a course of action that would result in a what was expected to be proportionate civilian injury,” the report said.
The report concluded by saying that “despite the results of this incident, the preventive hit was and remains a legitimate tool in the war on murderous terror, if and only the operation takes place in accordance to the principles and regulations determined in both international and Israeli regarding those operations’ ethical and moral foundations.”
More on this topic
Israeli pilot describes ‘good strike’ that killed 15 Gazans in 2002
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2. Deteriorating Health Conditions of Palestinian Prisoners
RAMALLAH, February 27, 2011 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Prisoner’s Club report Sunday showed that two Palestinian prisoners suffer from severe health conditions inside Israeli prisons.
Prisoner’s Club lawyer Mohammad Safiya said during a visit to Israeli Shatta prison that prisoner Mazuz Bisharat from Tubas, north of the West Bank, suffered from an explosion in a part of his stomach as a result of medication prescribed by the prison doctor. Bisharat is suffering serious complications since then.
He added that Bisharat underwent critical surgery and needs another due to escalations in his condition.
Bisharat was arrested in 2003 and is married with 3 children.
Raed Tarabay, another prisoner from Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza who was arrested in 2002, has cancer and needs immediate treatment, according to Safiya.
The number of prisoners who have cancer is increasing in Israeli prisons.
Through the Prisoner’s Club, prisoners appealed to legal institutions to follow up their health conditions, pointing out the heavy deterioration in their health situation in Israeli prisons due to medical negligence.
M.H./F.J.
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3. Dear student/faculty and friends,
We want to invite you to join one of FFIPP educational programs in Palestine/Israel this summer.
For students:
INTERNSHIP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND JUST PEACE: JUNE 24th to JULY 30th, 2011
This is the internship program for university and college students. It includes a weeklong educational course and tour of Palestine/Israel, and a month interning at a grassroots, research and/or human rights organization in Palestine/Israel. Previous placements include the Freedom Theater in Jenin, the Alternative Information Center, B’Tselem, OCHA, Al Quds University, Tent of Nations, Palestinian Hydrology Group, and Palestinian Farmers Union, among others. The program fee is $1500, and includes housing, tuition, and the educational tour. It does not include airfare or food and transportation during the volunteer period.
For faculty and students:
EDUCATIONAL TOUR: JUNE 25th to JULY 1st, 2011
This is a weeklong educational delegation for faculty and students around Palestine/Israel. Previous sited visited include East Jerusalem with ICAHD, a meeting with Omar Bhargouti in Ramallah, Yad Vashem, al Quds University, Dheishe refugee camp, the villages of Bilin and Beit Omar, Hebron, Tel Aviv University, and Haifa. The cost is $150/day. FFIPP will provide transportation, guides, make hotel reservations, and arrange all meetings. Airfare, food, and hotel are not covered by FFIPP.
TO APPLY: Visit www.ffipp.org/internships to download an application and view application instructions. APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED ON A ROLLING BASIS.
We strongly encourage accepted applicants to fundraise from their communities, and we can offer assistance with fundraising. Additionally, we offer moderate need-based financial aid, and we have a new group discount offer this year: To encourage students from the same university to join the internship program, we have the following discounts: 2 accepted students from the same university will receive a $100 discount each. 3 accepted students from the same university will receive a $150 discount each. 4 or more accepted students from the same university will receive a $200 discount each.
Please pass along this information and the brochure to any people or groups who might be interested. Thank you.
