Document - Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel/Gaza conflict, July 2014

[Jefferson23]

PUBLIC DOCUMENT

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Index: MDE 15/017/2014

25 July 2014

Israel/Gaza conflict, July 2014

What is Amnesty International’s position on the resolution passed by the Human Rights Council on 23 July? Now that the Human Rights Council has mandated a commission of inquiry, what should happen next?

Amnesty International urged the Human Rights Council to urgently dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law, as well as violations and abuses of international human rights law by all parties to the current hostilities. Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1, which was adopted with 29 states voting in favour, one (the USA) voting against, and 17 (including all EU member states currently on the Council) abstaining, established a commission of inquiry to investigate all violations of international law “in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014, whether before, during or after”. Amnesty International notes that this language allows the commission of inquiry to examine violations by all parties, including those committed by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and those committed by Palestinian armed groups, such as the firing of indiscriminate rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. Amnesty International thus welcomes the establishment of the commission of inquiry, and expects the commission to examine all violations and abuses by all parties in the context of the current hostilities.

snip*The Israeli authorities claim that Hamas and Palestinian armed groups use Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “human shields”. Does Amnesty International have any evidence that this has occurred during the current hostilities, and what obligations of Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups are relevant?

in full: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/017/2014/en/5b79b682-8d41-4751-9cbc-a0465f6433c3/mde150172014en.html

[Jefferson23]

2. Propaganda is a strong tool..recongnizing it is important. That is not to say that Hamas has not

been called out for their crimes against their own people as well as Israeli Jews...they have
and rightfully so.

Always best to seek impartial reports, and here you will see push back that AI is biased. Truthfully,
human rights groups get criticism from both sides. HRW was recently called out for what some
felt were weak condemnations of Israeli crimes...sorting it all out is not easy, there are many
factors to examine. Overall, the majority of their work is excellent.

[hack89]

3. Hamas does have an organized military wing

Can you try to be accurate?

[COLGATE4]

4. And ruin the prescribed narrative? Nah. nt