'Israel's white phosphorus use legal'

[toomuchtime_]

The International Red Cross said Tuesday that Israel has fired white phosphorus shells in its offensive in the Gaza Strip, but has no evidence to suggest it is being used improperly or illegally.

The comments came after a human rights organization accused the Jewish state of using the incendiary agent, which ignites when it strikes the skin and burns straight through or until it is cut off from oxygen. It can cause horrific injuries.

The International Committee of the Red Cross urged Israel to exercise "extreme caution" in using the incendiary agent, which is used to illuminate targets at night or create a smoke screen for day attacks, said Peter Herby, the head of the organization's mines-arms unit.

"In some of the strikes in Gaza it's pretty clear that phosphorus was used," Herby told The Associated Press. "But it's not very unusual to use phosphorus to create smoke or illuminate a target. We have no evidence to suggest it's being used in any other way."

In response, the IDF said Tuesday that it "wishes to reiterate that it uses weapons in compliance with international law, while strictly observing that they be used in accordance with the type of combat and its characteristics."

Herby said that using phosphorus to illuminate a target or create smoke is legitimate under international law, and that there was no evidence the Jewish state was intentionally using phosphorus in a questionable way, such as burning down buildings or knowingly putting civilians at risk.

However, Herby said evidence is still limited because of the difficulties of gaining access to Gaza, where Palestinian health officials say more than 900 people have been killed and 4,250 wounded since Israel launched its offensive late last month. The operation aims to halt years of Palestinian rocket attacks over the border.

Human Rights Watch accused Israel of firing phosphorous shells and warned of the possibilities of extreme fire and civilian injuries. The chemical was suspected in the cases of 10 burn victims who had skin peeling off their faces and bodies.

White phosphorus is not considered a chemical weapon.

 

[jillian]

amazing how once you cut through the israel hater's absurd rhetoric, you get a realistic assessment.

but how interesting that once again none of the jew bashers bother posting here.

guess it doesn't suit their prejudice.

 

[Modbert]

amazing how once you cut through the israel hater's absurd rhetoric, you get a realistic assessment.

but how interesting that once again none of the jew bashers bother posting here.

guess it doesn't suit their prejudice.

You do realize that they aren't even sure right?

Or do you not bother to read the full articles anymore?

 

[FistyTheBadger]

Who the fuck cares if it is legal or not? Israel, do whatever the fuck you want. I, and every other rational human being, is behind you.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

You do realize that they aren't even sure right?

Or do you not bother to read the full articles anymore?

Which would mean the claims they are using it improperly are not SURE either. But that is NOT how you rejects post it here.

 

[jillian]

You do realize that they aren't even sure right?

Or do you not bother to read the full articles anymore?

has that stopped the jew bashers from posting thread after thread?

i think it's certainly better than the trash truthdoesn'tmatter posted. Did you complain that was speculation?

just wondering...since you want to be all fair and all.

 

[DiveCon]

has that stopped the jew bashers from posting thread after thread?

i think it's certainly better than the trash truthdoesn'tmatter posted. Did you complain that was speculation?

just wondering...since you want to be all fair and all.

nope, i dont think he did post that it was speculation in that thread

 

[Modbert]

has that stopped the jew bashers from posting thread after thread?

i think it's certainly better than the trash truthdoesn'tmatter posted. Did you complain that was speculation?

just wondering...since you want to be all fair and all.

Right, so you're going to gauge all and any opposition to Israel based off what Truth and Sunni say. That's real smart and logical; not.

It's a fuckin fact at this point they used white phosphorus. They originally denied it, now they're stating it's being used legally.

I remember seeing a picture of it being used if I remember correctly. Let me see if I can find it.

Edit: Here you go:



That is from January 3, above Gaza.

Besides, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places in the world. When White phosphorus is used, you can bet the civilians are being hit and Israel just doesn't give a fuck.

 

[Modbert]

Who the fuck cares if it is legal or not? Israel, do whatever the fuck you want. I, and every other rational human being, is behind you.

I do hope you're just a loony troll.

 

[DiveCon]

Right, so you're going to gauge all and any opposition to Israel based off what Truth and Sunni say. That's real smart and logical; not.

It's a fuckin fact at this point they used white phosphorus. They originally denied it, now they're stating it's being used legally.

I remember seeing a picture of it being used if I remember correctly. Let me see if I can find it.

Edit: Here you go:

View attachment 6639

That is from January 3, above Gaza.

Besides, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places in the world. When White phosphorus is used, you can bet the civilians are being hit and Israel just doesn't give a fuck.

when did they deny using it?

 

[Modbert]

when did they deny using it?

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel denies banned weapons use

Good picture right up top.

Medics in Gaza say latest casualties include at least 60 people affected by suspected phosphorus shells fired illegally near civilian areas.

An Israeli army spokeswoman strongly denied the report, saying all its munitions complied with the law.

An Israeli spokesman also denied Human Rights Watch allegations of multiple use of white phosphorus in the bombing.

White phosphorus can burn down houses and cause horrific burns when it touches the skin," said Human Rights Watch analyst Marc Garlasco.

The Israeli army said operational secrecy prevented disclosure of its weaponry, but emphasised it "only employs weapons permitted by international law".

White phosphorus sticks to human skin and will burn right through to the bone, causing death or leaving survivors with painful wounds which are slow to heal.

The international convention on the use of incendiary weapons says it should not be used where civilians are concentrated.

And what the fuck would one call the Gaza Strip? An area where civilians are concentrated perhaps?

The US military in Iraq admitted using white phosphorus as a weapon in the assault on Falluja in 2004 - after initial denials, although it insisted the use was legal.

Afterwards, officials for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons stressed white phosphorus use was permissible only if it was to produce smoke.

The U.S does it too.

And some other food for thought:

In August 1997, five Israeli soldiers burned to death during a battle with Lebanese guerrillas when they were trapped in a frontline valley by a brush fire ignited by phosphorous rounds fired by their own artillery.

 

[DiveCon]

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel denies banned weapons use

Good picture right up top.





And what the fuck would one call the Gaza Strip? An area where civilians are concentrated maybe?



The U.S does it too.

And some other food for thought:

In August 1997, five Israeli soldiers burned to death during a battle with Lebanese guerrillas when they were trapped in a frontline valley by a brush fire ignited by phosphorous rounds fired by their own artillery.

uh, that wasnt Israel denying the use of it
it was denying they used it illegally

 

[Modbert]

uh, that wasnt Israel denying the use of it
it was denying they used it illegally

Well you tell me Dive, stop playing dumb for three seconds.

If international law says you don't use in a concentrated area of civilians, then what the fuck would you call the Gaza Strip?

According to Wikipedia (best quick source):

Population: 1,481,080

Area: 139 square Miles

Density: 10,665 people per square mile

 

[DiveCon]

Well you tell me Dive, stop playing dumb for three seconds.

If international law says you don't use in a concentrated area of civilians, then what the fuck would you call the Gaza Strip?

According to Wikipedia (best quick source):

Population: 1,481,080

Area: 139 square Miles

Density: 10,665 people per square mile

take it up with whoever wrote the OP quote
they said it wasnt illegal

 

[Modbert]

take it up with whoever wrote the OP quote
they said it wasnt illegal

Well you're the one who is asking me, I'm merely asking you questions back.

Face it Divecon, Israel fucked up and continues to by using this stuff.

The Gaza Strip isn't a god damn war zone full of just enemies, it's a place where people; innocent mothers, children, innocent men all live.

Israel shouldn't be doing this shit, it's illegal and wrong.

Let me share you this with you and everyone else:

Gaza: Israel under fire for alleged white phosphorus use | csmonitor.com

Some tidbits:

On Tuesday, the Israeli army denied using white phosphorus munitions. A Norwegian doctor claims Israel is using Gaza as a 'test laboratory for new weapons,' including Dense Inert Metal Explosives, or DIME.

The use of white phosphorus is banned as a weapon that causes 'unnecessary suffering,' " says Mark Ellis, director of the International Bar Association in London. "It isn't to be used in civilian areas, or indeed against people since it creates horrible damage to the human body, and unnecessarily so."

Israel, which has been charged with using white phosphorus in Lebanon, says it is not using white phosphorus in its war against Hamas in Gaza, now in its 18th day

But Garlasco says that phosphorus is clearly being used in the Jabaliya refugee camp, one of the most crowded areas in Gaza.

"I can see them; we are very certain, whatever the Israeli Defense Forces may say, that white phosphorus is being used. It was used by Israel in Lebanon in 2006, but not until the population fled. In Gaza, the population can't flee."

Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert, who worked in Gaza's main Shifa hospital during the first weeks of the conflict, and who spoke to media in Egypt and Norway in recent days, is the main source for allegations of DIME use.

"This is a new generation of very powerful small explosive that detonates with extreme power and dissipates its power within a range of five to 10 meters," he told reporters. "There is a very strong suspicion I think that Gaza is now being used as a test laboratory for new weapons."

Al Jazeera, which has reporters in Gaza, has described hospital cases that appear to conform to the clean tearing of limbs that DIME can cause.

Italian scientists from the New Weapons Research Committee, which examines emerging military technology, said in a statement that "evidence is mounting" of DIME usage, saying the wounds may be "untreatable" due to metals like tungsten that enter the body. DIME is packed with tungsten dust that forms micro-shrapnel upon detonation.

Paola Manduca, a geneticist at the University of Genoa, says she has seen "four photos from Gaza hospitals since December that look like the effects of DIME. We want to stress as professionals that we need to be able to verify what is happening, and we can't do that if Gaza is blocked."

But Israeli experts deny any such usage of DIME by the IDF in Gaza. Shlomo Brom, former brigadier general who consulted international legal experts on weapons use as head of the IDF's Strategic Planning division, derided human rights groups' allegations on white phosphorus and DIME as political propaganda.

"The weapons itself are not illegal. Whether they are used in keeping with international law is a matter of interpretation. To judge you need all of the operational considerations and intelligence available. Of course, they don't have it, so they are playing a very irresponsible role," he says.

Course, it's easy for Israel to say such things when they are keeping Journalists out of the Gaza Strip.

But in 1994, the US State Department reported that there were "credible accounts of IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] use of phosphorous shells against military and civilians targets" in South Lebanon.

Last year, Fadel Shanaa, a Reuters cameraman, was killed in Gaza by a "flechette" round fired by an Israeli tank that Mr. Shanaa was filming at the time.

The article and this evidence speaks for itself.

But of course, I'm sure David, Jillian, or some other blind supporter of Israel will be around soon to yell Jew Basher or Hitler soon enough.

 

[AmericaFirst]

 

[FistyTheBadger]

I do hope you're just a loony troll.

If Israel doesn't finish it, undeclared war will continue for many, many, many generations.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Right, so you're going to gauge all and any opposition to Israel based off what Truth and Sunni say. That's real smart and logical; not.

It's a fuckin fact at this point they used white phosphorus. They originally denied it, now they're stating it's being used legally.

I remember seeing a picture of it being used if I remember correctly. Let me see if I can find it.

Edit: Here you go:

View attachment 6639

That is from January 3, above Gaza.

Besides, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places in the world. When White phosphorus is used, you can bet the civilians are being hit and Israel just doesn't give a fuck.

The picture clearly shows it being used to create smoke. NOT to hit ground targets, Which is LEGAL and ACCEPTED use of the weapon. You may want to try another tack.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Well you're the one who is asking me, I'm merely asking you questions back.

Face it Divecon, Israel fucked up and continues to by using this stuff.

The Gaza Strip isn't a god damn war zone full of just enemies, it's a place where people; innocent mothers, children, innocent men all live.

Israel shouldn't be doing this shit, it's illegal and wrong.

Let me share you this with you and everyone else:

Gaza: Israel under fire for alleged white phosphorus use | csmonitor.com

Some tidbits:













Course, it's easy for Israel to say such things when they are keeping Journalists out of the Gaza Strip.



The article and this evidence speaks for itself.

But of course, I'm sure David, Jillian, or some other blind supporter of Israel will be around soon to yell Jew Basher or Hitler soon enough.

You use Biased sources that post unproven allegations and you support their claims with NO RESERVATION. But we have a legal finding by the Red Cross that White Phosphorous is NOT being used illegally and you claim they do not know what they are talking about. The only idiot here is you. The only blindly partisan is you.

 

[DiveCon]

You use Biased sources that post unproven allegations and you support their claims with NO RESERVATION. But we have a legal finding by the Red Cross that White Phosphorous is NOT being used illegally and you claim they do not know what they are talking about. The only idiot here is you. The only blindly partisan is you.

and especially since its the IRC saying it isnt illegal, and since they are usually VERY anti-Israel, i would say anyone trying to say it was, is a fool