United Nations refused to evacuate civilians from Gaza war zone

Israel Matzav ^ | 9/4/14 | Carl in Jerusalem

[Nachum]

Mark Langfan posts part of a fascinating interview with Penelope Ironside. Ms. Ironside heads up the UNICEF field office in Gaza. UNICEF is the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, and is meant to help children all over the world, including in both Gaza and Israel. Ms. Ironside reports that the UNICEF and the United Nations were asked by the IDF to evacuate civilians who were being used as human shields by Hamas in Gaza. The organizations refused to act.

At 29 minutes into the briefing, Ms. Ironside landed what could be an absolute bombshell in any future war-crimes tribunal. In response to a question of how she, and the entire UN Gaza staff, remained “neutral” in the face of Gaza children’s and civilian hardships, Ms. Ironside stated that, “There have been attempts to instrumentalize the UN in Gaza in this conflict. Including, there have been attempts [by Israel] to try to facilitate military operations against the [Palestinian] civilian population by facilitating the clearance of certain neighborhoods. The UN has refused to be a party to that.” (Emphasis added to convey Ms. Ironside’s emphasis.) Ms. Ironside, on a follow-up question, clarified that it was the Israelis that sought the UN’s help in clearing civilian neighborhoods of civilians in advance of imminent Israeli military operations directed at military targets imbedded in those civilian neighborhoods. She explained that the Israelis had informed them through “text messages, phone calls, and leaflets from Israel,” with “notice of some hours.” From her briefing statements, Ms. Ironside appeared to believe that “some hours” of Israeli notice to her meant “short notice.”

[BlueNgold]

They are so inherently and deeply anti Israel that they can’t save women and children lest they be seen as cooperating with the Jews.
Disgusting.

Of course, if they cleared the neighborhoods they wouldn’t be able to claim the Israelis had killed children. No children means less opportunity to fake and/or exaggerate the effects.

They don’t realize by their own admission that they effectively prove that...
A. The Israelis actively sought to minimize collateral damage, and
B. Specifically targeted military/terrorist assets

[pepsionice]

I’d disagree. The question is....where would you move them to....outside of Gaza?

No country wants them, and the UN probably tried talking to both Jordan and Egypt....who detests the current agenda of the Gaza leadership. Other than putting them on ships and just sitting there for weeks on the water....there’s no place else to go.

[Objective Scrutator]

"it was the Israelis that sought the UN’s help"

That's a mistake right there. Unless you want instructions on how to turn your country into a Communist Islamist regime, don't ask the UN for anything.

[Adder]

They just needed to be moved for a few hours...til after the steel tornado passed...

[BlueNgold]

The clearing of neighborhoods did not require relocation outside of Gaza.
They could have simply gotten them down the street to a safe distance.

[Timocrat]

Gaza isn't just Gaza City where most of the reporters ( And the UN) are based, there is plenty of room within the Gaza territory to temporarily move non-combatants. Gaza in fact has four main cities or towns. The interview is astonishing because she is admitting that the UN is complicit in the civilian casualties incurred by lawful Israeli responses to attacks on their territory.

The fact that US taxpayers foot a large chunk of the bill for employing these nutcases is annoying to say the least.