BBC on Israel’s reprimands re white phosphorus attack:
Israel has revealed it has reprimanded two top army officers for authorising an artillery attack which hit a UN compound in Gaza last year.
In the attack on 15 January 2009 the compound was set ablaze by white phosphorus shells.
If you read the Goldstone report (Chapter XII, paragraphs 887 on..) Israel used white phosphorus on countless occasions during the ground phase of the operation: against Beit Lahiya, a crowded urban area in the north, with the result that several members of a huddled family, the Abu Halimas, were burned alive; in Khuza’a, a more rural area at the east of the Gaza Strip, in amongst many homes; and in the attack on Al-Quds Hospital. So why only cop to it with respect to the U.N. facilities? In the Abu Halima case, Goldstone said an exploding shell was used. Completely indiscriminate.
Update: B’Tselem describes the investigation as a "coverup" and points out that the reprimands were not for the white phosphorus itself but for the artillery barrage:
B’Tselem: Cover-up of phosphorus shelling in Gaza proves army cannot investigate itself; Open criminal investigation into phosphorus shelling of UNWRA facility…
B’Tselem has sent an urgent letter to the judge advocate general, Maj. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, demanding that he immediately order a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of the firing of phosphorus shells at the UNWRA compound in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. This morning, the media reported that the commander of the Gaza division, Brig. Gen. Eyal Eizenberg, and the commander of the Givati brigade, Col. Ilan Malka, were disciplined for authorized the shelling. The report that Israel submitted to the UN last weekend omitted details of the incident, stating only that the two officers had been brought before disciplinary hearings for exceeding their authority in a way that endangered lives, by permitting shelling of populated areas, contrary to the army’s regulations.
Of course only a reprimand, of only two officers (albeit high-ranking), for the crime of “exceeding authority”, on only one occasion – that just happened to involve a UN structure and an injured UN employee. Wow! Who needs Goldstone? These Israelis are tough enough on themselves, without any help from “evil evil traitors to the Jewish people” (to quote the Dersh).
Shmuel, you know what is funny about that “evil” stuff? Of course, the whole scenario of “good and evil” is nothing but a setup for massacres – but, when you keep pronouncing “evil” in the world it only means one thing, that you are “good” by default, it is the unspoken. It becomes the license to do what they please, in this eradication of the supposed evil. But you knew that already.
Who ordered extra White Phosphorus shipments from the US while the shelling was taking place?
It certainly wasn’t those two officers.
Yeah, who loaded them on the helicopter and so on and so forth?! Israel has about another 100 steps to take with Gaza before they can be taken seriously. It’s a start, and let’s see what happens.
I think they are coming to terms with their occupation. They see it isn’t going to bring dividends at this point. Might as well come clean, return the illegal land and give up the colonial occupation. It’s half-baked at this point.
UPDATE… “The Haaretz newspaper on Monday reported the officers had been reprimanded for exceeding their authority in allowing the use of highly flammable white phosphorus shells during the offensive. The army denied the report that the men had been disciplined for firing white phosphorus over the U.N. compound where hundreds of Palestinian civilians were taking cover.”
from VOA
You beat me to it by 2 minutes, jimby. My source is Haaretz – report by Anshel Pfeffer.
The Israeli Army is now denying that the two officers were reprimanded for the use of white phosphorous – although that “fact” appears in two official Israeli reports submitted to the UN. According to the Israeli Army Spokesman, the two (Eisenberg and Malka) were tried for the improper firing of artillery in an inhabited zone, although there were “no known casualties” in the incident. The military spokesman still insists that there was no improper use of white phosphorous.
Funny. The army went from claiming it never used WP, to using it as an obscurant and now they actually acknowledge (partially) they used it illegally.
It’s clear that the main concern of the IDF is not justice (roll on floor laughing) but the protection of its officers from criminal charges. They’re really worried about their guys being snatched off the streets in some foreign city and put in the dock.
They are apparently assigning lawyers to all units for upcoming massacres, to make sure that no one is legally liable for any action or decision.
here’s the whole:
link to www1.voanews.com
best part: “Israeli military authorities have launched investigations of more than 150 cases, some of which remain open. The probes have resulted in one criminal conviction so far, in the case of two soldiers found guilty of stealing a Palestinian civilian’s credit card.”
They investigate the most tame of offenses, American media report it – “see, they ARE the most moral army” – and the generals who issue directives to shoot anything that moves get off scot-free.
Now that’s good propaganda.
In 2008 Brian Williams reported about an incident in which an Israeli solder shot a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian in the foot, for no apparent reason.
Brian Williams stated that the solder was awaiting trial at the time of the report.
But, in fact, it had been 3 or 4 days already since the court had decided to simply reassign that soldier to a different unit.
When I e-mailed Brian Williams an explanation and providing him with an Ha’aretz article that corroborated my e-mail, he never responded.
I also went on the Nightly News feedback page and posted the information only to be met with a “Your post awaits moderator approval” message.
Of course, it was never approved.
Meanwhile, some hack who posted “It’s nice to see the Israeli army holding its own soldiers accountable” was approved.
NBC sure have strange journalistic integrity to say the least.
“Journalistic integrity” has been an oxymoron in the US media for some time.
The US no longer employs journalists;they are weeded out early–only hasbara stenographers are hired. Everybody knows it except the stenographers.
Contrast the BBC’s headline,
with the Guardian’s,
The answer to Mr. Weiss’s question is that people are not as important as buildings. That is because the Palestinians are not worth the kind treatment you might afford to dogs. This has always been the position of the Palestinians in these massacres. of course, if you attribute worth to the Palestinians in one instance than they know that they are liable in all instances of atrocities of this nature. There was phosphorus used even when there was no troop movements in regard to the IDF, so it cannot be claimed that it was used as cover – it was used specifically to burn the tender flesh off the bodies of the Palestinians. We all knew that they were going to slap a few hands in the Israeli “investigation,” and deny that it was the aim of high command or their specific aim to burn Palestinians alive.
Israel produced a 42 page report to the UN on Friday, to exonerate themselves from allegations made in the Goldstone Report. One notorious incident was the deliberate targeting of the El Badr flour factory, countered by the Israeli excuse that Hamas militants were in the area, and that the selective damage to the flour factory was caused by stray artillery shells.
Then, today, this, from The Guardian:
The Israeli report looked in detail at a handful of incidents, including the attack on the al-Badr flour mill in northern Gaza, which was severely damaged.
The UN mine action team, which handles ordnance disposal in Gaza, has told the Guardian that the remains of a 500-pound Mk82 aircraft-dropped bomb were found in the ruins of the mill last January. Photographs of the front half of the bomb have been obtained by the Guardian.
This evidence directly contradicts the finding of the Israeli report, which challenged allegations that the building was deliberately targeted and specifically stated there was no evidence of an air strike. Goldstone, however, used the account of the air strike as a sign that Israel’s attack on the mill was not mere collateral damage, but precisely targeted and a possible war crime.
…………..
But the Guardian visited the mill days after the war last year and on the first floor of the building saw what appeared to be the remains of an aircraft-dropped bomb in the burnt-out milling machinery.
The UN mine action team said it identified an aircraft-dropped bomb at the mill on 25 January last year and removed it on 11 February. “Item located was the front half of a Mk82 aircraft bomb with 273M fuse,” according to the team. “The remains of the bomb were found on an upper floor in a narrow walkway between burnt-out machinery and an outside wall.” The bomb was made safe by a technical field manager and removed.
The team also provided two photographs of what it said were the bomb remains, marked with the date and time it was identified: “25 Jan, 14:38″. The team did not do a damage assessment of the building to see what other ordnance hit because that was not its task.
link to guardian.co.uk
And this, from Haaretz today on white phophorous use:
But the IDF on Monday flatly denied that Division Commander Brig. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg and Givati Brigade Commander Col. Ilan Malka been subject to disciplinary action by GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yoav Gallant. It did not deny that the munitions were in fact used during the war, however.
link to haaretz.com
IDF soldier accused of stealing Palestinian credit card:
link to commondreams.org
Here’s a photo gallery of Israeli war criminals:
link to uruknet.de
“I was only following orders.”
Oh, a very clear statement of Israel’s motivation – to protect its military personnel from criminal charges and lawsuits. These are the true rulers of the state, it must not be forgotten.
Kawther Salam (author of the rogue’s gallery link to uruknet.de
has a very extensive gallery of portraits of IDF ًWar Criminals & Terrorists at her own website at:
link to kawther.info
Each officer’s name (red) is clickable to link to a detailed résumé of his activities.
It is useful to be able to put names, faces, and activities together.
The full Israeli whitewash of Cast Lead can be read at:
link to mfa.gov.il
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