Posted on 06/21/2006 7:50:35 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch accused an Israeli army investigation on Wednesday of ignoring evidence that challenges its decision to clear the military of blame for a blast that killed seven Palestinians on a Gaza beach.
The deaths on June 9, a day of heavy Israeli shelling designed to stop militants firing rockets from Gaza, drew international condemnation and prompted the ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to call off a 16-month-old truce.
Major-General Meir Califi, who led the army investigation, dismissed the accusations by the U.S.-based rights watchdog, which has carried out its own inquiry into the explosion that killed seven family members on an outing to the beach.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch said the Israeli army (IDF) had excluded all evidence gathered by other sources. It had either called into question or declined to accept evidence collected by the group, the statement added.
"An investigation that refuses to look at contradictory evidence can hardly be considered credible," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch.
"The IDF's partisan approach highlights the need for an independent, international investigation."
Israel has ruled out an international probe.
The army has said shelling of the area, in response to rocket fire into the Jewish state, had ended before the beach blast. Retrieved shrapnel samples also ruled out the possibility of a direct Israeli artillery barrage, it said.
Evidence collected by Human Rights Watch researchers indicated the civilians were killed within the time period of the shelling, the statement said. That evidence included computerized and hand-written hospital records showing the time when some of the wounded were admitted.
Califi, who met Garlasco earlier this week, said the army had accounted for all shells fired during the time period.
He said nothing Garlasco presented had undermined the army's investigation.
"All his evidence is circumstantial. The evidence was either brought to him or not collected at the scene," Califi told reporters in Tel Aviv, partly referring to shrapnel from victims that Human Rights Watch had obtained.
The Human Rights Watch statement followed a report by Israeli television on Tuesday that said the delayed explosion of a dud Israeli shell might have killed the beachgoers.
The army has not ruled this out.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the explosion and violence has increased since. Three children were killed on Tuesday in an Israeli air strike against militants behind rocket fire. The militants escaped.
A Palestinian girl holds a poster of Huda Ghaliya, whose family was killed in an Israeli-blamed strike on a Gaza beach on June 9, 2006, during a Palestinian children mock trial for the Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz in front of the United Nations office in Gaza city June 18, 2006. (Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)
These palestinians elect terrorist who are constantly attacking their neighbors. Their neighbors shoot back and MAYBE that was the cause of some civilians getting killed. So what? If they don't want that happening anymore, they ought to change their government. Until then, tough sh-t.
Hey markie, whatcha hav to say about what the sand savages did to our two kidnapped troops this last weekend? What's that? nothing?
Reuters for decades has on a daily basis outrageously ignored the cause of death and injury to thousands of Israelis - that cause stares stares Reuters in the face, yet they avoid saying it: Islamic teaching of hate and promotion of mass murder throughout the world.
Reuters for decades has on a daily basis outrageously ignored the cause of death and injury to thousands of Israelis - that cause stares stares Reuters in the face, yet they avoid saying it: Islamic teaching of hate and promotion of mass murder throughout the world.
Reuters for decades has on a daily basis outrageously ignored the cause of death and injury to thousands of Israelis - that cause stares stares Reuters in the face, yet they avoid saying it: Islamic teaching of hate and promotion of mass murder throughout the world.
How about the video evidence where one of the "dead" guys sits up under his own power?
Almost a 1,000 rockets have been fired on Israel and these pukes ignore that fact.
I truly don't care what they think. I also hope the Israelis treat them as what they are, should they decide to go to Israel: as enemy combatants.
"Human Rights Watch"
Consider the source. They are wrong. Let us move on smartly.
Human rights groups silent on death of Americans ^
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1652864/posts
I don't give a rat's ass if it's Israel's fault. The Palis elected Hamas, so piss on 'em.
Hey! Since when have the Palestinians believed killing innocent civilians was wrong?
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