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Jenin:
Israel must answer questions
- Is Sharon A War Criminal?
Sean
Smyth
19.5.2002
'The Palestinians must be hit and it must be very painful. We must cause them losses, victims, so that they feel a heavy price'. Ariel Sharon, Israeli Prime minister, speaking to the press on March 5th 2002. Since 27th February 2002 the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) have launched two waves of incursions into the Palestinian areas occupied by Israel since 1967, using tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APC’s) and Apache helicopters. In the six weeks up to 11th April 2002 more than 600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3000 have been injured (Amnesty International). Jenin is not the first war crime and massacre in Ariel Sharon’s bloody career. In 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon. Sharon was in charge of armed operations. Israel’s troops surrounded the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla in the Lebanese Capital Beirut. They allowed the armed militia of the Lebanese Phalangist fascist organisation to enter the camps and massacre some 2,000 Palestinians. Sharon then “handed more than 1,000 survivors over to those same murderers to be slaughtered over the following two weeks.
29/04/02. (Jerusalem) An Amnesty International high level delegation led by the organization's Secretary General Irene Khan has confirmed that there is strong evidence indicating that grave breaches of international humanitarian law and violations of human rights in Jenin camp were committed by the Israel Defense Force. 'What we are looking at is facts and the facts are: civilians, including children, were killed; humanitarian assistance was blocked and the wounded were denied medical assistance. Extensive demolition of houses rendered three thousand people, the majority children, homeless," said Irene Khan.
Ms
Khan re-iterated her call for the UN fact-finding mission to be allowed to carry
out its work without further delay or obstacles. UN monitors should be put in
place urgently in Jenin mandated to report on any tampering of evidence that
might be needed by the fact-finding mission in carrying out its work. She also
clarified that there is no legal definition in international law of the word
'massacre' and that its use in the current circumstances is not helpful.
'Whatever
terms one uses, the situation in Jenin begs for a full, impartial and independent
investigation,' stated Ms Khan. 'The full facts must be made known to the victims
and their families in their quest for justice. The International Red Cross said
the scale of devastation was so great that Israel should allow international
rescue teams into Jenin. And now the Israeli government won't even let the UN
in to Jenin despite intense international pressure, Sharon and Israel are already
defying some 99 UN resolutions.
Surely
now the UN must act to stop the genocide against Palestinians and bring to trial
the war criminal SHARON and his Government. The USA say that the Arab league
of Nations are a threat to Israel and the western world. This is a bogus claim,
So George W Bush can attack Iraq and finish daddy’s unfinished business
with Saddam. The crisis in the Middle East is the product of America capitalist
foreign policy of imperialism. If the Arab league were such a threat surely
they would at the very least have cut oil production by now.
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