Arms Trade Treaty's Purpose: Block Arms Sales to Israel:
A recent statement by the International Action Network on Small Arms, the world's leading gun prohibition lobby, states that the Arms Trade Treaty, currently being drafted in the United Nations, would prohibit arms sales to Israel and to Hamas. Rebecca Peters, the head of IANSA, accuses both Hamas and Israel of violating international law, and explained that the ATT would outlaw weapons sales to both parties. According to the press release:
[Peters said:] "Yet some states continue to supply weapons to the protagonists. Some of these transfers are 'legal', meaning approved by the exporting and importing governments. The most obvious case here is the continuing US supply of arms to Israel."
Last week IANSA reported that the US tried to ship 989 containers of ammunition, explosives and other munitions to Israel, through European ports.
A strong and effective global Arms Trade Treaty would have prevented these transfers, and more importantly would have prevented transfers in the past few years, reducing the protagonists' capacity to wage their deadly war.
Under the rules of war, attacks should not be indiscriminate, and precautions must be taken to minimise civilian casualties. Around 1300 Palestinians were killed in the recent attacks by Israel on Gaza. Most of these victims were non-combatants, including nearly 500 children. Israel claimed these attacks were militarily necessary, because the military targets were located within civilian settlements. But the massive number of casualties resulted in part because Israel failed to give sufficient warning to civilians.
As John asks, "are these people teenagers yet?" Rebecca Peters and all the rest of the gun control supporters - domestic as well as international - have this naive idea that criminals will obey gun control laws and that the peaceable kingdom will be ushered in. To date, it hasn't worked out that way. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't bet my life or goods or those of my family on such a proposal....
Only Israel exports arms instead of importing them. This is just another attempt to ban export of anything to Israel.
Most any organization with the word "International" in its names is a conspiracy to destroy Israel.
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Why won't those damn Jews just up and die already.
If a guy launching mortars from your neighbor's rooftop doesn't serve as a significant warning, is a leaflet, phone call, giant bill board or sky writing stating "we're about to blow the crap out of the guy launching mortars from your neighbor's rooftop" likely to improve the situation?
And while I'm asking, when does hamas bear some responsibility for not knocking on some doors and telling the residents "Hey, we're about to launch some mortars from your neighbor's rooftop. A small percentage of people have noticed some minor side effects like smoke inhalation, sleeplessness from repetitive thumping noises and houses collapsing around them. You may want to consider taking preventive action. In severe cases, your HOA can pass bylaws restricting the use of rooftops for mortaring."?
Then again, nobody should be fooled into believing that anti-Israel "international activists" of this type care in the least about the well-being of anyone other than themselves--least of all residents of Gaza.
The PLO and Hamas are stupid. They would be much better off now and then before Israel was created if they stop terrorism and pursue peace. The problem is that they have too much pride and exist only to fight. They dont know how to live in peace.
Bad things have happened to lots of people in the past. Millions of Jews, Chinese and Russians were murdered in WWII. Millions of Cambodians were killed after the Viet war. The Palestinians are not unique in there suffering and fighting on is pointless. Look how far it has gotten them.
Hamas principle purpose is to fight and totally destroy Israel (gee...kinda sounds like Amadinajad?)
Until and unless the Arab and Muslim world accepts Israel and changes their way of viewing outsiders (read as "INFIDELS") peace will be impossible.
Wake up and see the reality!
I frankly don't think that the prohibition of arm selling to Israel will lead to the destruction of the state =) Let's not forget the fact that Israel was, is, and most likely will always be backed by the US.
The war in that region is a bloody mess. Most likely it sucks to live under constant rocket/mortar threat, but that's just another reason to stop this damn war somehow. Stopping the arms exports to Israel and Hamas is, in my opinion a good start.
No one is ignoring it, only laying the blame at the feet of the real problem: Hamas. Combatants have an obligation to avoid endangering civilians by setting up military operations next to them, or if they must, telling the civilians to get out. Not doing so, and intentionally, means that it's hamas, not Israel, that is at fault.
as to war. i quote general william tecumseh sherman "war is hell" and if israel were to follow the approach of his march from atlanta to the sea, the palestinians would come to understand that too.
Just saying that this war has been on for way too long, and that the only ones who suffer from it are civilians, jews and arabs both. Fortunately for the israelis, they weren't at the sharp end of the stick, this time at least.
Hamas is a dangerous movement to Israel and, by affiliation, other countries as well. However, this sort of actions, where hundreds of children die in israeli fire can only lead to Hamas' strenght growing in the area..weird considering that as you said, hamas is basically responsable for making the bloodshed happen. But understandable still..
There are prohibitions in war against the use of human shields. Violating that prohibition, especially as part of your primary strategy, does not require the other side to cease it's actions.
Well dont get me wrong but if you stop and look all military bases most all of them US and forien they are all located in the civilan citys around the world. So if any one of those bases gets hit there will be a large number of civilan DEATHS.
Just look at my point i live in the us and the city here has 5 bases in and around it so what are my chances of getting killed in a attack.
Remember all the crimes done in the name of christianity..the killings in the name of a God of peace. Religion doesn't make a man better, or worse. The way we interpret what we read has the potential to, though.
Back to the topic on hand, I still think the UN's measure is a good one.
Almost all of these posters are pushing Zionist Apartheid arguments.
The biggest lie is that Israel is "defending itself" by roasting civilians with White Phosphorus artillery rounds. Israeli actions are plainly not defensive. The Israeli are holding over 10,000 in prisons under horrific conditions. They are holding around 4,000,000 Palestinians in concentration camps scattered around the lands that were taken from them by force by racist Zionists. Israeli leader speak openly about punishing the civilian population forcing them to submit to complete domination and annexation by paramilitary forces ( called settlers by the Zionists)
When these people raise a hand to defend themselves from this brutal apartheid regime they are accused of being the attacker. Absolutely nobody in the world but the Americans and the Israeli believe this nonsense.
The rest of the remarks are designed to show how "uncivilized" and "barbaric" the Palestinians or Arabs generally are. This take the form of shock propaganda about this horrible act or other by some deranged person. Israeli are counter posed as beacons of Western values fighting against the Arab hordes. Kinda like the 300 fighting off the savage Persians huh ?
It is a shame to see a noble religion like Judaism sacrificed to erect a false god like nationalism.
Its a shame to see so many dying to fulfill others passionate ideas
And that is the most stunningly wrong-headed, misinformed, ignorant, thoughtless, hyperbolic, and generally stupid porsting I've seen all year.
Hell, it may be the dumbest collection of apparently grammatical sentences in that length I've ever seen, and that includes some of Brian Leiter's gems and a long time spent reading USENET back to before the Great Namespace Reorganization.
In some sense you should be proud of yourself.
In he mean time, however, please renounce your drivers license and voting registration and apply to a Court for a guardian or voluntary committment, as you clearly can't be trusted to care for yourself and are a danger to others.
Clearly, crb, you know know almost nothing about military bases, the history of warfare, the recent defense of Isreal or modern weapons. If you did, you would not have written the above. For example, look at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other Hawaiin military bases. Compared to military deaths, there were few civilian deaths. The problem with the arabic terrorists is not the way they locate their "military bases". They have no delineated military bases. There is a vast difference between the use of a military base and the use of distributed launch sites in residential areas. Even on a military base, command posts and weapons storage areas are not located in churches and hospitals.
How does reducing the armaments of states while leaving non-state actors largely unaffected increase peace and order in the world?
Laughinglarry, let's suppose that I think your house belongs to me. Based on your logic, I am justified to fire rockets into your property until you hand it over. If you try to stop me, you are the aggressor. Hmmm...I kind of like that idea. Can you tell me more about your house?
What we can see Israel being at war since 194? and having the expense of war and casualties since then. Obviously Israel's leader have been unable to obtain peace, even with the worlds superpower in full support.
The Israelis chose the neighborhood but can't live with the neighbors.
You'd think after 60 years (or so) a new approach would be attempted.....
The Palestinians, on the other hand, don't even have their own state, let alone peace with their neighbors. In Gaza, where they're the most belligerent, their economy is virtually non-existent, and they depend almost entirely on international aid donations for basic sustenance. You'd think after 60 years (or so) a new approach would be attempted.
However, the question is what needs to be done about the situation. My own (largely pessimistic) view is that the situation will not improve until there is a Palestinian state with an economic future and a credible government. Given the fact that the current approach has been to put organized criminals in charge of the PA, it seems that we need a major change of direction.
I PERSONALLY think it is going to take a decade-long international occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, along with serious attempts at building national infrastructure, political systems, etc. It is going to take a long time and it needs a CLEAN start.
All Israel is doing in recent military engagements is knocking over anthills. A very new direction is needed. Unfortunately, Israel did not do what was necessary during the last occupation and the result was that the PA was handed to the PLO rather than to the Palestinian people. I don't think they have the credibility to do this again. Maybe a joint Israeli/Turkish/Egyptian force in Gaza?
these liberals idiots that never have or ever will fight for anything that means anything are idiots.
I think it was Moses that chose the neighborhood. There's some intervening history, but the UN didn't randomly pick a spot after WWII.
The first part is easy. The second an third require the Palestinian people to make it work for themselves. Gaza's election of Hamas leaders is not going to move them closer to it. There is now the opportunity to compare palestinian positions regarding Israel and the reactions that each engenders. Fatah in the West Bank has been significantly more diplomatic in going about it's business. I haven't heard of Zionist bombs raining down on them.
Perhaps, although that may be asking a bit much, given that Syria and Lebanon have a long history of violence and hostility towards each other. (Syria has always considered Lebanon--like Israel--a renegade territory of "Greater Syria". If I'm not mistaken, They still don't have diplomatic relations.)
I PERSONALLY think it is going to take a decade-long international occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, along with serious attempts at building national infrastructure, political systems, etc.
In fact, the Palestinians have received far more international aid per capita, for far longer, than any other population in history. All that aid has done nothing but fuel corruption, undercut local economic development, fund a massive population explosion, and shield Palestinians from accountability for their eternal extremist belligerence. Simply weaning them from their mass wefare dependency and making them bear the consequences of their individual and collective choices may well be the only international "intervention" necessary. It's certainly never been tried.
Unfortunately, Israel did not do what was necessary during the last occupation and the result was that the PA was handed to the PLO rather than to the Palestinian people.
Actually, Likud-led governments tried very hard during the 1980s to create alternative political structures to the PLO in the West Bank. These were known as "village leagues", and they were roundly denounced by progressives both within and outside Israel as puppet governments of quislings betraying the true representatives of the Palestinians, the PLO. The Israeli left much preferred to deal with Arafat, and got their chance in 1992. The rest, as they say, is history.
I can understand why Israel took the measures it did. I can also understand why the israelis wouldn't care much about enemy civilian losses, but YOU guys can't ignore the fact that more than 1000 gazan civilians died in the conflict.
There's credible reason to believe that it's not a fact, as this report from the Telegraph makes note. As the article states:
In other words, the number of deaths widely reported has been to a very considerable degree a misinformation campaign engineered by Hamas much like that seen in the imaginary “massacre of Jenin.”
"Under the rules of war, attacks should not be indiscriminate, and precautions must be taken to minimise civilian casualties."
Or is this statement an example of lawfare?
Minimize is a very strong word, To me that means if there is a possibility of a civilan in the area you could not attack or fire into it.
The relevant section of the Geneva Convention. It is Article 51, 5.2 that Israel can most easily be accused of violating, but also the most subjective. Hamas' violations less so.
Chapter II: Civilians and Civilian Population
Article 50: Definition of Civilians and Civilian Population
1. A civilian is any person who does not belong to one of the categories of persons referred to in Article 4 A 111, lIl, (31 and 161 of the Third Convention and in Article 43 of this Protocol. In case of doubt whether a person is a civilian, that person shall be considered to be a civilian.
2. The civilian population comprises all persons who are civilians.
3. The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character.
Article 51: Protection of the Civilian Population
1. The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against dangers arising from military operations. To give effect to this protection, the following rules, which are additional to other applicable rules of international law, shall be observed in all circumstances.
2. The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.
3. Civilians shall enjoy the protection afforded by this Section, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.
4. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Indiscriminate attacks are:
1. those which are not directed at a specific military objective;
2. those which employ a method or means of combat which cannot be directed at a specific military objective; or
3. those which employ a method or means of combat the effects of which cannot be limited as required by this Protocol; and consequently, in each such case, are of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction.
5. Among others, the following types of attacks are to be considered as indiscriminate:
1. an attack by bombardment by any methods or means which treats as a single military objective a number of clearly separated and distinct military objectives located in a city, town, village or other area containing a similar concentration of civilians or civilian objects; and
2. an attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
6. Attacks against the civilian population or civilians by way of reprisals are prohibited.
7. The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favor or impede military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not direct the movement of the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield military operations.
8. Any violation of these prohibitions shall not release the Parties to the conflict from their legal obligations with respect to the civilian population and civilians, including the obligation to take the precautionary measures provided for in Article 57.
Wanna bet?
Anyhow, if the Jews cannot live in that corner of the world, then what is the justification for the Arabs in Dearborn?
The real joke is that the ATT proponents have stated that the treaty would not prevent a nation from defending itself. But it also would allow for one side of a conflict to be stopped from getting arms from abroad if a majority of the UN decide it would only prolong the conflict. Well, Israel has its own arms industry and makes some very good weapons. They learned in the beginning that they had to have an indigenous arms industry just so they wouldn't be cut off. What people in America need to understand is that the gun control movement here has already declared that we don't need indigenous arms makers. They stated years ago that we could loose the industry and simply go on the world market when we needed to increase the Army. Then they began supporting the ATT because it would require the disarming of most Americans. Now the ATT people are saying that it will prevent nations from acquiring arms even if these arms are necessary for the survival of the nation.
Several years ago there was an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. A true win-win treaty that earned all the signatory nations good press in MSM. But right after the treaty was signed the woman behind the treaty suddenly blurted out that all signatory nations had gone on record that they were willing to suffer higher casualties in their armed forces then to use landmines. She then began sticking her tongue out at the cameras. What will be the revelation after the ATT is signed and implemented by the UN?
2. Various estimates put the Gaza death count from 600 to 1200. The war lasted 22 days. If you accept the 1200 figure, it works out to about 2.3 deaths per hour. Hardly the raging fury that the press is going on about.
All the aid in the world going to the PA is not going to change the situation if it all goes to either the Fafia or the Hafia (Fatah or Hamas). Organized crime has its own momentum.
I will grant that Shamir did try to some extent to build alternative organizations, but this occurred against a backdrop of settlement expansion, etc. You have to admit this sends the wrong message to the Palestinian populations. At this point, things are sufficiently screwed up that I dont think that Israel is capable of solving the problem and MUST ask for help from its regional allies.
Likud has ALWAYS been the best party at really laying the foundation for progress towards peace, BTW. The only questionable exception there is Rabin, but the foundation really was laid by the former terrorist who had preceded him.
As Alexander Cockburn reported at the time, members of the House of Common rose and cheered at news that Fascist planes had bombed British merchantmen.
Because Dearborn acts as a border protective state for suburbs, keeping the hordes looting and pillaging within their own city instead of in the civilized areas.
The arabs there are doing the job others won't, and doing it quite well.
Israel, on the other hand, was born in the blood of others.
British providing a jewish hameland but insisiting on fairness and good, civil conduct towards all people? Jewish terror groups kidnap and torture to death British NCOs and officers, for daring to try to be fair and keep the rule of law intact--then when attacking British troops was too risky they instead bombed British officer's families.
Jews want the arabs gone so they can have more elbow room? Sieze their homes and land and carry on a terror reign to throw them out of the country.
Then the new jewish state selected these terrorists as their first leaders and instituted a combo state religion and race, with bias towards all others.
Now Israel wants to whine because their victims have learned to fight the way they were taught, by Israel.
I don't have a dog in this fight, and right now Islamic terror is a bigger threat to me so I am half in Israel's corner, but Israel called the tune in the first place so crying about having to dance is weak.
While I recommend listening to all the remarks Peres defends the Israeli position a the 40 minute mark of this video (DAVOS Gaza forum)(Transcription of Peres'comments).
What would you call 6,000-plus rockets fired by Hamas at civilian Israelis except indiscriminate attacks?
Reprinted with permission from Maariv, originally published Jan. 25, 2009
An Open Letter To A Citizen Of Gaza : I Am the Soldier Who Slept In Your Home
By: Yishai G (reserve soldier)
Hello,
While the world watches the ruins in Gaza , you return to your home which remains standing. However, I am sure that it is clear to you that someone was in your home while you were away.
I am that someone.
I spent long hours imagining how you would react when you walked into your home. How you would feel when you understood that IDF soldiers had slept on your mattresses and used your blankets to keep warm.
I knew that it would make you angry and sad and that you would feel this violation of the most intimate areas of your life by those defined as your enemies, with stinging humiliation. I am convinced that you hate me with unbridled hatred, and you do not have even the tiniest desire to hear what I have to say. At the same time, it is important for me to say the following in the hope that there is even the minutest chance that you will hear me.
I spent many days in your home. You and your family’s presence was felt in every corner. I saw your family portraits on the wall, and I thought of my family. I saw your wife’s perfume bottles on the bureau, and I thought of my wife. I saw your children’s toys and their English language schoolbooks. I saw your personal computer and how you set up the modem and wireless phone next to the screen, just as I do.
I wanted you to know that despite the immense disorder you found in your house that was created during a search for explosives and tunnels (which were indeed found in other homes), we did our best to treat your possessions with respect. When I moved the computer table, I disconnected the cables and lay them down neatly on the floor, as I would do with my own computer. I even covered the computer from dust with a piece of cloth. I tried to put back the clothes that fell when we moved the closet although not the same as you would have done, but at least in such a way that nothing would get lost.
I know that the devastation, the bullet holes in your walls and the destruction of those homes near you place my descriptions in a ridiculous light. Still, I need you to understand me, us, and hope that you will channel your anger and criticism to the right places.
I decided to write you this letter specifically because I stayed in your home.
I can surmise that you are intelligent and educated and there are those in your household that are university students. Your children learn English, and you are connected to the Internet. You are not ignorant; you know what is going on around you.
Therefore, I am sure you know that Quassam rockets were launched from your neighborhood into Israeli towns and cities.
How could you see these weekly launches and not think that one day we would say “enough”?! Did you ever consider that it is perhaps wrong to launch rockets at innocent civilians trying to lead a normal life, much like you? How long did you think we would sit back without reacting?
I can hear you saying “it’s not me, it’s Hamas”. My intuition tells me you are not their most avid supporter. If you look closely at the sad reality in which your people live, and you do not try to deceive yourself or make excuses about “occupation”, you must certainly reach the conclusion that the Hamas is your real enemy.
[cont'd]
http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=42581
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