War graves hit over Iraq 'abuse'

BBC News ^ | Monday, 10 May, 2004 | BBC News

[James_UK]

War graves hit over Iraq 'abuse'

Anger has flared at photos of Iraqi captives allegedly being abused Vandals have attacked more than 30 Commonwealth war graves in Gaza City in an apparent act of retaliation for the abuse of prisoners in Iraq. Some 33 graves were desecrated or destroyed in the cemetery for troops from the two world wars.

Photographs of US and British soldiers allegedly abusing Iraqi prisoners were hung from some of the tombstones.

The British Consulate General in Jerusalem said it was investigating the incident.

Flowers were uprooted and the message "We will take revenge" was written across one tombstone.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which runs the graveyard, said the attack had been carried out by about 10 men, three of them armed with rifles, who arrived there at about 1500 BST on Sunday.

Commission spokesman Peter Francis said the cemetery's Palestinian head gardener, Issam Jaradeh, and his father, Ibrahim, did all they could to stop them but they went ahead and attacked 33 tombstones.

Mr Jaradeh said the vandals claimed they were carrying out the destruction as an act of retribution for the alleged mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq by the US-led coalition.

But he deplored their actions, saying: "Our religion as Muslims and our tradition as Palestinians forbid such acts." Soldiers killed in both world wars are remembered at the Gaza City cemetery

Mr Francis said: "Shock, disgust and anger are the emotions that spring to mind, tinged with relief that Mr Jaradeh and his father were unharmed.

"The gravestones we can replace but we cannot replace them."

Mr Francis said vandalism against the graveyard was a "totally inappropriate" political gesture against a non-political organisation whose purpose was humanitarian and historical.

"It must be extremely distressing for the relatives of those commemorated in the cemetery and we would like to reassure them that we will do everything possible to replace the tombstones as soon as possible," he added.

Almost 4,000 soldiers, most of them of Commonwealth soldiers of various nationalities killed in the two world wars, are buried in the plot in Gaza City.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman condemned the attack, saying: "We are aware of reports suggesting a link between this and what is happening in Iraq but as far as we are concerned it doesn't excuse what's happened in Gaza.

"There's no justification for what has happened to these graves."

A Palestinian security source strongly condemned the desecration and promised "the necessary measures" against those responsible.

Reports of abuse in US-led prisons in Iraq have reverberated throughout the Arab world, including the Palestinian Territories, further fuelling the anti-Western sentiment already surrounding the US-led invasion of Iraq.

[alnitak]

I'm not excusing what happened, but alas, war graves do not last forever. The world is covered with cemeteries and battlefields that later generations didn't care for. Their destruction and/or decay is an inevitable process.

[Lijahsbubbe]

I'm surprised they didn't dig up the dead and drag them around town.

These degenerates try to top themselves every day.

[sauropod]

I expected them to hang the corpses, in whatever state they are in, off a bridge somewhere....

The whirlwind is coming...

[BOOTSTICK]

I say "God Bless her", it's time to cut the crap, she did nothing wrong, as did her fellow MP's. This whole story reeks of hypocrisy. Anyone remember what happened to the major Al Quaeda operatives caught in Pakistan, and Afghanistan? I remember plenty of Free Republic posters snickering about how those prisoners were to be treated once turned over to Egyptian Security Technicians, and how those folks would not be interrogated by US forces, since the foreign interrogators can get away with much more abuse. How quickly some forget.

[RightthinkinAmerican]

>the message "We will take revenge" was written across one tombstone<

They wanted "revenge" already. These people blindly hate us as much is inhumanly possible already. What did they want revenge for before the POW scandal? Because we're America, and they're not. Now they just have an excuse.

[Lijahsbubbe]

I see we're thinking along the same vein. The whirlwind to me is the evil frenzy they feed off of, which is consuming them more and more and becoming more frenzied.

I swear I would not be surprised if they dug people up and ate them.

[RightthinkinAmerican]

Terrorists are not subject to the Geneva Convention, as were the Iraq POW's in question. In that case (Al Qaeda), whatever is necessary to save American lives is OK by me.

[cripplecreek]

Has anyone else noticed how unwilling Al Jazeera is to show the courage of westerners. They called the murder of an Italian too graphic after he fought them and spit in the faces of his captors.

Now we find the the murder of Daniel Pear was "re enacted" and that he also fought his captors.

[skeeter]

These pieces of trash usually prefer attacking unsuspecting women & children. I'm surprised they actually screwed up enough courage to attack soldiers this time.

[texasflower]

Our religion as Muslims and our tradition as Palestinians forbid such acts

Part time cemetery gardener, part time comedian.

[texasflower]

What do you mean, "re-enacted?

I hadn't heard about that.

[cripplecreek]

Sorry about the spelling, I'm in a bad mood over this crap today.

Heres a story about the Perl case.

http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/09/wpearl09.xml

[Joe_October]

If you think the nonsense that you've heard regarding this torture is the "worst" that can be done to a person, you have obviously lead a sheltered life.

Hey, how about we find a plastic shredder and feed them through it while still alive?

Hey, how about we kill their children in front of them?

Nah, that could never happpen. Other countries couldn't possibly do that.

Yea, being forced to wear Victoria's Secrets, that sure is terrifying.

[hosepipe]

[ The whirlwind is coming... ]

That wirlwind needs to START and finish in Washington D.C...
If so, then the primitives would quiet right down after that. I mean the other primitives, in the near east.

[joesnuffy]

Once the world including the USA wakes up and admits that the fight for the survival of the west is really against global Islam..

Then maybe they will also figure out that when they say they desire to take back the territory the last crusade cost them plus 100% extra...that islam is serious...

And with unlimited petrol dollars and the west's serious addiction to oil....we will never be rid of them...unless we either 'nuke their ass and take the gas' or give in to them...

Given our politicans attraction to doing business with them...and placing some muslim terrorists off limits (The Saudis for example) and other politicans outright pocketing of muslim graft....

I'd say we will give in to them...and fight a war for the cameras with select muslim groups here and there..but never ever go after the root cause..

Of course now if the whole world could come under one central ruling authority...and agree to live by one ruling authorites governing body...then there will be peace.....

NOT...

We either conquer them or they us...unless the World Govt of anti Christ saves us...
or at least we get conned into making it happen...but then its ARRIVEDERCI America of our founding fathers...

imo

[texasflower]

Thank you for that link. I read it and it is disturbing.

I have to admit that I would have to be sedated.

May God Bless his widow and the rest of his family as they try to absorb this news.

I know what you mean about all of the crap. I hope they release every thing that is going to be released right away.

It is going to be better to get it all out and let us move past the sensationalism.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Alouette]

"Our religion as Muslims and our tradition as Palestinians forbid such acts."

"We much prefer murdering pregnant Jewish women and their babies."

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel ping list.

WARNING: This is a high volume ping list

[MEG33]

How very unIslamic./sarcasm/ They speak against desecrating the dead and their graves, but speak not a word against murdering children or sending out their children to murder other children.