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"A genocide is taking place in Gaza. This morning, 2 September, another three citizens of Gaza were killed and a whole family wounded in Beit Hanoun. This is the morning reap, before the end of day many more will be massacred. An average of eight Palestinian die daily in the Israeli attacks on the Strip. Most of them are children. Hundreds are maimed, wounded and paralyzed." "In a clear statement of support for assassination, The New York Times' 15 July editorial "Playing Hamas' Game" advised Israel "to focus its fire much more directly at the leaders and fighters of these two groups [Hamas and Hezbollah]". Most human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, condemn extrajudicial execution as a violation of international law because it is conducted "without offering proof of guilt or right of defence." "Many commentators will say that Israel is entitled to take strong action to prevent suicide bombings. However, there are limits to the extent to which human rights may be violated in the name of "counter-terrorism". In the current international context, in which anti-terrorism measures challenge human rights principles, it cannot be denied that a balance must be struck between respect for human rights and the interests of security." "In Rafah alone, Israeli forces killed this year at least 60 Palestinians. Among them Ali Ghuraiz (8), Sami Zo'rob (50), Ahmad Abu Elwan (13), Aziza al-Qassir (50), Mohammed Hamaida (14), Ahmad al-Najjar (45), Wissam al-Sha'er (24), Walid Liddawi (19), Ibrahim Abu Shallouf (18), Abed Abu al-Sa�id (14), Mohammed Hamdan (16), Ibrahim Qrainawi (8), Sami Salah (15) and Mahmoud Abu Koush (15). Who asks Israel to explain?" "... four out of the five recent suicide bombings came within a week of Israel's recent assassinations or attempted assassination of such high level militant commanders. All of them came during or in the process of negotiating the three-month truce against attacks on Israeli civilians that was implemented on June 29. Palestinian militants group had very clearly stated that they would consider Israeli assassinations to be a violation of the truce and that they reserved the right to respond accordingly." "In [an] atmosphere of total impunity, the Israeli government has now carried out an enormous new war crime in Khan Yunis, in the occupied Gaza Strip. Horrifying details are emerging of the attack, which killed 13 people, at least four of them children, and injured dozens when Israeli tanks and helicopters raided a residential neighborhood. Not only did Israeli helicopters fire missiles into crowds of civilians, causing many of the deaths, but Israeli occupation troops fired at a hospital injuring many more people." ©2000-2007 electronicIntifada.net unless otherwise noted. Content may represent personal view of author. This page was printed from the Electronic Intifada website at electronicIntifada.net. You may freely e-mail, print out, copy, and redistribute this page for informational purposes on a non-commercial basis. To republish content credited to the Electronic Intifada in online or print publications, please get in touch via electronicIntifada.net/contact |