UN investigator sees evidence of war crimes in Gaza

Reuters ^ | Jan 22, 2009 | Jonathan Lynn

[Tailgunner Joe]

There is evidence that Israel committed war crimes during its 22-day campaign in the Gaza Strip and there should be an independent inquiry, U.N. investigator Richard Falk said on Thursday.

The mental anguish of the civilians who suffered the assault is so great that the entire population of Gaza could be seen as casualties, said Falk, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Falk, speaking by phone from his home in California, said compelling evidence that Israel's actions in Gaza violated international humanitarian law required an independent investigation into whether they amounted to war crimes.

"I believe that there is the prima facie case for reaching that conclusion," he told a Geneva news conference.

Falk said Israel had made no effort to allow civilians to escape the fighting.

"To lock people into a war zone is something that evokes the worst kind of international memories of the Warsaw Ghetto, and sieges that occur unintentionally during a period of wartime," Falk, who is Jewish, said, referring to the starvation and murder of Warsaw's Jews by Nazi Germany in World War Two.

"There could have been temporary provision at least made for children, disabled, sick civilians to leave, even if where they left to was southern Israel," the U.S. professor said.

Falk said the entire Gaza population, which had been trapped in a war zone with no possibility to leave as refugees, may have been mentally scarred for life. If so, the definition of casualty could be extended to the entire civilian population.

Falk, who was denied entry to Israel two weeks before the assault started on Dec. 27, dismissed Israel's argument that the assault was for self-defence in the light of rocket attacks aimed at Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip.

[Logical me]

Screw the UN.

[Ramius]

What a bunch of frap.

[squidly]

So “mental scarring” is a war crime now? That’s what I got from this.

[headstamp 2]

Maybe Israel should just shoot UN Investigators then.

[Right_Wing_Madman]

I loathe our mainsteam media, but Al Reuters is the worst.

[DoughtyOne]

Can someone link me to the report of the U.N. calling for war crimes trials for those who shot over 100 missiles per day into Israel each day for a solid year before Israel took action?

My problem is that the U.N. only investigates Israeli war crimes. It couldn’t care less about Arab war crimes.

Israel should boot all U.N. personnel from the West Bank and Gaza. They are members of a front organization for the terrorists.

[Ingtar]

... dismissed Israel's argument that the assault was for self-defence in the light of rocket attacks aimed at Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip. ...

He might have gotten one thing correct in all his ranting: it was more about garnering votes than really setting the Arab nomads back.

[Domandred]

Israel could just sit there with big targets and let every missile hit perfectly, saying thank you terrorists may I have another, and the UN would find fault in Israel for not putting the rockets back together so the terrorists can launch them again.

[Rennes Templar]

“The mental anguish of the civilians who suffered the assault is so great...”

Just incredible.

[ApplegateRanch]

I had to self-delete my first three posts. Enuff said.

[Nachum]

I’ll be more interested in what our new administration does to all this propaganda.

[goldstategop]

There is no thing as a "war crime" against a Jew. He deserves to be slaughtered, you understand. The UN has never condemned the murder of a single Jew. That says it all.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ReneeLynn]

Israel’s enemies sit at the UN roundtable. It’s time we kicked this dump out of the US. Hey, maybe we can put the Gitmo people there? Any difference?

[GeronL]

did he write his proclamation on the first day of the war? or before? Probably just printed it out from a form letter and added a date and a signature.

[GeronL]

The UN was aiding and abetting the Palestinians. So lets not consider them impartial.

[lilycicero]

How about becoming a UN investigator?

[goldstategop]

Richard Falk said Israel should have negotiated with Hamas. What about? Her destruction?

The man is a complete fool - an anti-Semite of the first order and a Charter Member of the Jews For A Second Holocaust.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[doc1019]

Having read the whole thing … you are right … metal scarring is the only complaint. guaranteed to be a future UN war crime.

[gwilhelm56]

So far the only War CRIME I see is
#1 ...Israel allowing the UN into Gaza

#2 ..Israel allowing the UN into ISRAEL
#3 .. Israel allowing UN to leave Gaza in any form other than a CASKET.

Do I sound a Little Sour against the UN ... NAH, Not me!! No Never!!

[SoldierDad]

Um, “Barf Alert” tag?

[Fred Nerks]

FOX NEWS JULY 2008

Critics are calling for the resignation of a U.N. official who publicly supports investigating theories that the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were an "inside job."

Richard Falk, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, investigates alleged Israeli violations of human rights law for the U.N.'s Human Rights Council.

But the former Princeton professor would also like to investigate whether "some sort of controlled explosion from within" destroyed the Twin Towers, he told FOXNews.com.

"I do think there are questions that haven't been answered, questions about the way the buildings collapsed and the failure to heed a variety of signals that there was danger coming," Falk said.

"I think [his beliefs are] fruitcake city, but among many delegations to the U.N. it's probably the conventional wisdom," said John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. known for his straight talk on U.N. hypocrisy.

But Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, a non-governmental organization that monitors the U.N., wants Falk removed from his job...

[headstamp 2]

Oh I don’t.

[sageb1]

“Falk said Israel had made no effort to allow civilians to escape the fighting.”

That is a blatant lie.

[ApplegateRanch]

"There could have been temporary provision at least made for children, disabled, sick civilians to leave, even if where they left to was southern Israel," the U.S. professor said.

A little cooler headed now.

FIRST: Has ANY nation, at ANY time, ANYWHERE, let enemy "refugees" shelter within its borders, while actively fighting that enemy?

SECOND: Didn't Egypt use FORCE OF ARMS to keep them from sheltering in Egypt?

THIRD: Israel DID have Gazan wounded transported to Israeli hospitals for treatment.

FOURTH: It was a SMALL PART of Gaza that was actively attacked, and it was heavily leafletted for days before the attacks; and specific buildings targeted were WARNED BY PHONE whenever possible, as well.

FINALLY: The damned, worse than useless, UN is FULL of Pali "militants" and their active sympathizers, and act in complicity with them, either actively or by turning a blind eye.

[Big_Monkey]

"“The mental anguish of the civilians who suffered the assault is so great...”"

I'm not one to play the race card, but the antisemitism at the UN is really something to behold. No mention of the "war crimes" committed daily by the ELECTED political party of the so-called Palestinian people.

[sageb1]

Plus, Hamas hit an Israeli school. Just because the kids weren’t there, doesn’t make it any better and I don’t recall Hamas warning Israel to get the kids out.

[ApplegateRanch]

Thanks Fred; I needed that.

[Fred Nerks]

...know your enemy...

[cowdog77]

Is there anyone who takes the UN seriously any longer?
What a farce....move it to Dubai where it belongs.

[Bobibutu]

I could have written this the week before it happened. Surprise, surprise!

[midway]

Wow, not one word about any possible Hamas war crimes.

Whodathunkit!

[notaliberal]

Hans Blix

[taxesareforever]

How would anyone from the U.N. know? They are never around when fighting is going on.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Falk is a hardcored communist. He betrayed us on Vietnam and has never stopped doing it to America. His record of support for various communist fronts would fill books.

He is to “human rights” as Goebbels was to journalism.

[dsc]

The Israelis could be washing the mooselimb’s feet and giving them back rubs, and the UN would see war crimes.

UN out of the US; US out of the UN.

[dsc]

The Israelis could be washing the mooselimb’s feet and giving them back rubs, and the UN would see war crimes.

UN out of the US; US out of the UN.

[piasa]

What a dumb Falk.

[carumba]

I had to self-delete my first three posts. Enuff said.
Before or after spell check?

[verklaring]

The mental anguish of the civilians who suffered the assault is so great that the entire population of Gaza could be seen as casualties

On this basis the entire nation of Israel has been the object war crimes since the beginning of its existence, with every assault, terrorist bombing, rocket attack included. So where is the study of Hamas, etc. war crimes and against Israel, or other Palestinians?

[oscars300]

Lucky that the guy appears so nutty that he sort of disqualifies himself. He would have been more effective as a Hamas dupe if he had put up a more reasonable facade.

[Joe Boucher]

I’d bet the farm the u.n. won’t find fault with hamas using populated areas to launch their rockets from.
It’s all them damned Jews fault.

[Jabba the Nutt]

Falk, from his home in California? Is this guy an American?

The UN is worse than a zero, its an absolute dead weight loss. The UN creates more evil than there would be, if there were no UN.

[Freiherr]

So “mental scarring” is a war crime now? That’s what I got from this.

Rightly so. We should bring the UN to the International War Tribunal Court for war crimes battering all of us, no only days but years in succession. The mental state of distress I’m in because of them. Think only about the global warming scaremongering.

[ritewingwarrior]

Yes unbelievable.

How about the civilians of Israel of have suffered for decades with this MENTAL ANGUISH.
Down with the UN. If the Messiah starts to let the UN dictate rules to America, we are finished. Remember they already have suggested an international banking regulation agency.

[TXnMA]

"It’s time we kicked this dump [UN] out of the US."

[SJackson]

Middle East and Terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

[Slings and Arrows]

Maybe Israel should just shoot UN Investigators then.

There's my "warm fuzzy" for today.

[Slings and Arrows]

The only thing that would make me happier than seeing Israel withdraw from the UN would be seeing Israel and the USA withdraw from the UN.

[snowman1]

This dirtbag wrote this from his California home, it’s little wonder that he takes the palis side.