All The News Anti-Israel Posters Will Not Read Or Discuss

[Sixties Fan]

After a deluge of dire warnings from Hamas, its mouthpiece, Qatar’s AlJazeera (especially in Arabic), most of the Israeli media, and an array of politicians on the Israeli left, the violent eruption expected to be produced by the festive parading by Israelis of flags near the Damascus Gate turned out to be a non-event. The announcement by Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar and Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas of yet another “day of rage” failed to ignite either Jerusalem’s Arab residents or Israel’s Arab citizens elsewhere in the country.

The day after stands in sharp contrast to what happened when Israel made two major concessions one month ago—postponing both a civil court matter over ownership and usage of property in Sheikh Jarrakh and the march of the flags on Jerusalem Day, which honors the unification of Jerusalem under the sovereignty of the State of Israel. To these concessions, Hamas responded by firing rockets toward Jerusalem, and some of Israel’s Arab citizens unleashed vicious attacks on their fellow Israeli Jewish citizens over a period of several days (compared to a much smaller number of equally barbaric attacks on Arabs in response). The violence escalated to 11 days of serious fighting in which over 4,000 missiles were launched at Israeli civilian targets.

Israel’s relatively short history is full of evidence that concessions to implacable enemies lead to violence and increased costs in terms of human life and property, while holding firm leads to calm.

(full article online)

Concessions to Hamas Lead to Violence. Holding Firm Leads to Calm

Israeli concessions in Jerusalem led to the recent outbreak of serious fighting, but insisting on the flag parade led to relative calm. Will the new leadership of Bennett and Lapid take this to heart,

besacenter.org

 

[P F Tinmore]

[ Be prepared for the 2021 Olympics where some commentators may behave just like this one ]

On social media and in some left-wing publications, Basiana’s commentary was celebrated as a rare case of demanding accountability from Israel. The news site Contrainformacion praised it as “truths that hit like fists.”

ACOM, a pro-Israel organization in Spain, accused TV3 of singling out Israel due to antisemitism.

The event’s second-place winners were from Belarus, often referred to as Europe’s last dictatorship and where mass arrests and violence against pro-democracy protesters took place earlier this year.

“It is unsurprising that TV3, a mouthpiece for supremacist and hostile feelings toward Spanish people, again disseminates antisemitic libels,” ACOM wrote on Twitter. It was a reference to the perceived support of TV3 for the Catalonian separatist cause, which in 2017 led to a failed attempt by the government to break away from Spain.

Daniel Sirera, a former politician for the center-right Popular Party and a journalist in Catalonia, tweeted that Basiana had engaged in “unethical behavior by dragging politics into sports.”

And Marc Villanueva, a writer for the El Nacional paper, said that linking the athletes to the politics of their country “is as unfair as linking Basiana, who competed in the Spanish national team, to the taking of political prisoners by Spanish authorities” in Catalonia, he wrote.

(full article online)

As Israeli swimmers took 4th place in Olympic trial, TV commentator blasts their country

Spanish TV commentator on state broadcaster claims Israeli athletes are used as 'whitewash' for 'genocide' of Palestinians.

www.israelnationalnews.com

ACOM, a pro-Israel organization in Spain, accused TV3 of singling out Israel due to antisemitism.

The antisemitism card is no longer the ace of trump.

 

[Hollie]

[ Be prepared for the 2021 Olympics where some commentators may behave just like this one ]

On social media and in some left-wing publications, Basiana’s commentary was celebrated as a rare case of demanding accountability from Israel. The news site Contrainformacion praised it as “truths that hit like fists.”

ACOM, a pro-Israel organization in Spain, accused TV3 of singling out Israel due to antisemitism.

The event’s second-place winners were from Belarus, often referred to as Europe’s last dictatorship and where mass arrests and violence against pro-democracy protesters took place earlier this year.

“It is unsurprising that TV3, a mouthpiece for supremacist and hostile feelings toward Spanish people, again disseminates antisemitic libels,” ACOM wrote on Twitter. It was a reference to the perceived support of TV3 for the Catalonian separatist cause, which in 2017 led to a failed attempt by the government to break away from Spain.

Daniel Sirera, a former politician for the center-right Popular Party and a journalist in Catalonia, tweeted that Basiana had engaged in “unethical behavior by dragging politics into sports.”

And Marc Villanueva, a writer for the El Nacional paper, said that linking the athletes to the politics of their country “is as unfair as linking Basiana, who competed in the Spanish national team, to the taking of political prisoners by Spanish authorities” in Catalonia, he wrote.

(full article online)

As Israeli swimmers took 4th place in Olympic trial, TV commentator blasts their country

Spanish TV commentator on state broadcaster claims Israeli athletes are used as 'whitewash' for 'genocide' of Palestinians.

www.israelnationalnews.com

ACOM, a pro-Israel organization in Spain, accused TV3 of singling out Israel due to antisemitism.

The antisemitism card is no longer the ace of trump.

You can be comforted by the knowledge that it has been a staple of islamic ideology for1,400 years.

 

[Hollie]

I suppose Naftali Bennett is sending a message both to Iran and to the Islamic terrorist franchises in Gaza and the West Bank. If he choose to follow through with, for example, a devastating air campaign of targeted hits on the Islamic terrorist leadership when they attack again, that might go a long way toward making Mr. Muhammud's neighborhood a quieter place.

Bennett warns Hamas: ‘Our patience has run out’

Sporadic rocket fire won't be tolerated, PM says at memorial event for 2014 war in Gaza; vows to return remains of soldiers held by Hamas since conflict

www.timesofisrael.com

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, speaking Sunday at a memorial ceremony for those killed in the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip, sent a message to the Hamas terror group, warning that Israel’s “patience has run out.”

In his first public state ceremony since taking over as prime minister, Bennett stressed that the new government would take a more aggressive approach in responding to violence from Gaza.

 

[Sixties Fan]

All indications are that the Arabs of Area A are happy to do business with the Jews of Area C. And the reality is that the Jews on the hilltops of Efrat can't come to Mohammed in Dheisheh, so Mohammed is coming to Efrat.

Some Efratians are naïve. They see the local Arab desire for Jewish custom as tiny seeds of peace.

Other Efratians are more like me. We think: They're happy to take our money, as long as we're here. They take pains to encourage our business. But they would, of course, much prefer we Jews would sink into the earth, disappear, and be gone for good, their giant Hebrew-lettered "Peace Center" signs notwithstanding. And they wouldn't mind lending a hand to making that happen, when push comes to shove.

(full article online)

What are Relations Really Like Between Jews and Arabs in the Wild Wild Not West Bank (Judean Rose)

Are Jews and Arabs living completely separate lives in the territories?

elderofziyon.blogspot.com

 

[P F Tinmore]

All indications are that the Arabs of Area A are happy to do business with the Jews of Area C. And the reality is that the Jews on the hilltops of Efrat can't come to Mohammed in Dheisheh, so Mohammed is coming to Efrat.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Twenty years ago, in September 2001, the United Nations Human Rights Commission held a conference ostensibly to mark the end of the apartheid in South Africa and to adopt an auspicious plan to eliminate racism and discrimination worldwide. Instead, this mega-event, held in Durban, South Africa, launched a virulent wave of hate and antisemitism that continues to spread deadly poison.

Durban had three frameworks -- diplomatic, youth and NGOs. At the diplomatic conference, when the proposed text -- singling out Israel with accusations of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and similar language -- was tabled, the American and Israel delegations walked out. The Europeans and Canadians stayed and brokered a revised text that greatly reduced but did not eliminate the anti-Israel focus. Whether or not this was the right decision continues to be debated -- by staying and compromising, the officials gave legitimacy to an illegitimate process.

(full article online)

20 Years after the UN’s Durban event, the antisemitism continues to grow

Today, the Durban NGO strategy is being implemented through attacks on different fronts.

www.jpost.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

In 2020, the European Union handed UNRWA some $157,059,235—that’s in addition to the $1.52 billion paid through the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) channeled through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support, the main E.U. financing instrument for Palestine, between 2017-2020, plus various other funds.

In addition to that, last year, Germany donated $210,384,339 to UNRWA (which has oversight of schools in the Palestinian territories), the U.K. donated $64,129,434, Sweden donated $60,420,012, France donated $22,986,067, Italy donated $17,714,100 and the list goes on.

With such vast sums flowing from Europe to the Palestinians, the Commission is coming under mounting pressure to prove that its funding is, as claimed, laying the groundwork for creating a viable independent Palestinian state that serves Palestine’s citizens. Education has been of particular concern, thanks to persistent evidence that the school system is being used to indoctrinate children.

---
Meanwhile, the P.A.—whose senior members have grown fabulously wealthy from all the funding poured into their coffers—is trapped between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, if they give in to demands to deliver a fit-for-purpose curriculum, the drive behind their Palestinian nationalist narrative will quickly falter, leading eventually to normalization with Israel and to their rule being toppled in favor of true moderate rule. On the other, if they brazen it out and have funding pulled, they risk an impoverished Palestinian population turning on them.

Either way, the true winners in both scenarios would be the children of Palestine, who might, at last, have a chance of receiving a reasonable education, setting them up for a prosperous life.

(full article online)

Pressure on Europe about Palestinian textbooks is working

The European Commission, whose commitment to the Palestinian cause is ideological, has nowhere to hide on the issue of the indoctrination of children in the P.A. to fear and hate Israelis.

www.jns.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

 

[P F Tinmore]

In 2020, the European Union handed UNRWA some $157,059,235—that’s in addition to the $1.52 billion paid through the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) channeled through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support, the main E.U. financing instrument for Palestine, between 2017-2020, plus various other funds.

In addition to that, last year, Germany donated $210,384,339 to UNRWA (which has oversight of schools in the Palestinian territories), the U.K. donated $64,129,434, Sweden donated $60,420,012, France donated $22,986,067, Italy donated $17,714,100 and the list goes on.

With such vast sums flowing from Europe to the Palestinians, the Commission is coming under mounting pressure to prove that its funding is, as claimed, laying the groundwork for creating a viable independent Palestinian state that serves Palestine’s citizens. Education has been of particular concern, thanks to persistent evidence that the school system is being used to indoctrinate children.

---
Meanwhile, the P.A.—whose senior members have grown fabulously wealthy from all the funding poured into their coffers—is trapped between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, if they give in to demands to deliver a fit-for-purpose curriculum, the drive behind their Palestinian nationalist narrative will quickly falter, leading eventually to normalization with Israel and to their rule being toppled in favor of true moderate rule. On the other, if they brazen it out and have funding pulled, they risk an impoverished Palestinian population turning on them.

Either way, the true winners in both scenarios would be the children of Palestine, who might, at last, have a chance of receiving a reasonable education, setting them up for a prosperous life.

(full article online)

Pressure on Europe about Palestinian textbooks is working

The European Commission, whose commitment to the Palestinian cause is ideological, has nowhere to hide on the issue of the indoctrination of children in the P.A. to fear and hate Israelis.

www.jns.org

If they let the Palestinians go back home they would not have that expense.

 

[P F Tinmore]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

FDD is an Israeli propaganda organization.

 

[Hollie]

In 2020, the European Union handed UNRWA some $157,059,235—that’s in addition to the $1.52 billion paid through the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) channeled through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support, the main E.U. financing instrument for Palestine, between 2017-2020, plus various other funds.

In addition to that, last year, Germany donated $210,384,339 to UNRWA (which has oversight of schools in the Palestinian territories), the U.K. donated $64,129,434, Sweden donated $60,420,012, France donated $22,986,067, Italy donated $17,714,100 and the list goes on.

With such vast sums flowing from Europe to the Palestinians, the Commission is coming under mounting pressure to prove that its funding is, as claimed, laying the groundwork for creating a viable independent Palestinian state that serves Palestine’s citizens. Education has been of particular concern, thanks to persistent evidence that the school system is being used to indoctrinate children.

---
Meanwhile, the P.A.—whose senior members have grown fabulously wealthy from all the funding poured into their coffers—is trapped between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, if they give in to demands to deliver a fit-for-purpose curriculum, the drive behind their Palestinian nationalist narrative will quickly falter, leading eventually to normalization with Israel and to their rule being toppled in favor of true moderate rule. On the other, if they brazen it out and have funding pulled, they risk an impoverished Palestinian population turning on them.

Either way, the true winners in both scenarios would be the children of Palestine, who might, at last, have a chance of receiving a reasonable education, setting them up for a prosperous life.

(full article online)

Pressure on Europe about Palestinian textbooks is working

The European Commission, whose commitment to the Palestinian cause is ideological, has nowhere to hide on the issue of the indoctrination of children in the P.A. to fear and hate Israelis.

www.jns.org

If they let the Palestinians go back home they would not have that expense.

Jordan won't take them back.

 

[Hollie]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

FDD is an Israeli propaganda organization.

That's becoming another of your cut and paste slogans.

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

Benny Morris’s Untenable Denial of the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

Israeli historian Benny Morris denies the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, but his own research shows that this was indeed how Israel came into being.

www.foreignpolicyjournal.com

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

When Israel gives up their F16s

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

Israel: Sharon Investigation Urged

A criminal investigation into Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon´s role in the massacre of civilians in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla should be launched, Human Rights Watch urged.

www.hrw.org

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

Consider first the case of an Israeli named Ami Popper. In May 1990, two years after the original publication of this book, Popper put on his army uniform and asked men waiting at a bus stop in a southern Israeli town for their identity cards. After confirming they were Arabs he lined them up and opened fire, killing seven. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir immediately declared that the killings had no political significance, but were instead the act of a "deranged individual." Popper, however, was found sane and fit to stand trial. He is now serving a long prison sentence for murder and recently married the adopted daughter of Rabbi Meir Kahane's son, Benjamin Kahane, leader of the Kahane Chai (Kahane Lives) movement. Popper's sentence is the subject of regular appeals by settlers and other Jewish fundamentalists who demand his release as a "political prisoner."

Approximately six years later, on February 28, 1994, Dr. Baruch Goldstein woke up early in Kiryat Arba, an Israeli settlement on the West Bank near the ancient Jewish town and contemporary Palestinian Arab city of Hebron. Goldstein was an American Jewish immigrant to Israel also affiliated to Meir Kahane's organization. The previous day he had meticulously updated his patients' files and composed a farewell note to his coworkers thanking them for the opportunity to work with them toward the fulfillment of the "complete redemption." He donned his army uniform, picked up his assault rifle and several clips of ammunition, and went to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the center of Hebron, where Abraham (Ibrahim to Muslims) is believed buried.

With a marksman's headset protecting his ears Goldstein brushed aside the unarmed Arab guard and entered the portion of the site reserved as a mosque. The room was packed with Muslims reciting their prayers for the holy month of Ramadan. Goldstein pointed his gun and began killing the kneeling men and boys. When his gun jammed he was beaten to death by desperate survivors, but not before he had shot twenty-nine people to death, wounded dozens more, and unleashed a torrent of violence that seriously jeopardized the budding peace process.

Taken out of context, both these murderous acts would appear as the deeds of madmen. Indeed in his first reaction to the Hebron mosque massacre, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin accompanied his expressions of shock and shame, and of condolences to relatives of the victims, by echoing Yitzhak Shamir's characterization of the perpetrator as a "deranged person." But perhaps the most shocking and least well understood aspect of these massacres is that they were not the acts of deranged persons, but of psychologically normal individuals-individuals acting, however; in the context of a fundamentalist belief system so radically different from the liberal-humanitarian ethos shared by most Israelis and Americans that it can transform even the slaughter of defenseless people into a virtuous act. Goldstein's widow, for example, strongly objected to characterizations of her husband as deranged. "Don't let anyone say he was a psychopath," she said. "He planned to do this in order to stop the peace talks. He did this for the sake of the people of Israel

For The Land and The Lord: Preface

www.sas.upenn.edu

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

According to this new research, the conflict resulted in at least 1,109 Lebanese deaths, the vast majority of whom were civilians, 4,399 injured, and an estimated 1 million displaced. Hezbollah's indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israel, the subject of a separate Human Rights Watch report, Civilians under Assault: Hezbollah's Rocket Attacks on Israel during the 2006 War, resulted in the deaths of 43 Israeli civilians and 12 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, as well as the wounding of hundreds of Israeli civilians

Why They Died

In this 249-page report Human Rights Watch examines military operations by Israeli and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon during the armed conflict that lasted from July 12 until August 14, 2006. In five months of research, Human Rights Watch investigated 94 cases of air, artillery and ground attacks...

www.hrw.org

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

Israel: In-Depth Look at Gaza School Attacks

www.hrw.org

 

[Stuartbirdan2]

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, several outside observers reported publicly on Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields for its weapons and fighters. The Associated Press found that “Palestinian fighters are clearly operating in built-up residential areas and have positioned tunnels, rocket launchers and command and control infrastructure in close proximity to schools, mosques and homes.”6 Each rocket launched at Israeli civilians from such sites entails two separate war crimes, violating the law of armed conflict’s prohibition on targeting civilians as well as the prohibition on using civilians as human shields.7 The Office of the United Nations Special Commissioner for the Middle East Peace Process likewise said: “Hamas & other militants’ indiscriminate launching of rockets & mortars from highly populated civilian neighborhoods into civilian population centers in Israel violates [the law of armed conflict] and must cease immediately.”8

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) catalogued numerous specific examples of human-shields use by Hamas, which included the following:

• military intelligence headquarters installed next to a kindergarten;
• weapons depots placed in various houses and apartment buildings;
• civilian apartment buildings used for military planning and operations; and
• weapons factories situated in the heart of densely populated civilian areas.9

The IDF released photographs of several additional examples of human-shields use by Hamas, including:

• 14 rocket launchpads in a Gaza schoolyard;10
• a Hamas rocket launcher located next to a civilian building;11
• Hamas rockets launched from near a school;12
• Hamas military tunnel openings located near a hospital and a school;13
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located near a kindergarten and a mosque;14
• a Hamas military tunnel entrance located underneath a Gaza beachside hotel;15 and
• a Hamas military tunnel under a school.16

(full article online)

Hold Hamas Accountable for Human-Shields Use During the May 2021 Gaza War

www.fdd.org

Israel: Apparent War Crimes in Gaza

Israeli forces’ repeated use of lethal force in the Gaza Strip since March 30, 2018, against Palestinian demonstrators who posed no imminent threat to life may amount to war crimes.

www.hrw.org