_____

From:
Subject: Israel's bombardment of Gaza is not self-defence - it's a war
crime, actually a massacre, a genocide, an occupation, a colonization.....



Do Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against a 60 year old
invasion and occupation, gradual genocide and land/resource theft, daily
terrorism by Zionists against them, etc.???



http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article5488380.ece



From The Sunday Times

January 11, 2009


Israel's bombardment of Gaza is not self-defence - it's a war crime





ISRAEL has sought to justify its military attacks on Gaza by stating that it
amounts to an act of "self-defence" as recognised by Article 51, United
Nations Charter. We categorically reject this contention.

The rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas deplorable as they are, do not, in
terms of scale and effect amount to an armed attack entitling Israel to rely
on self-defence. Under international law self-defence is an act of last
resort and is subject to the customary rules of proportionality and
necessity.

The killing of almost 800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than
3,000 injuries, accompanied by the destruction of schools, mosques, houses,
UN compounds and government buildings, which Israel has a responsibility to
protect under the Fourth Geneva Convention, is not commensurate to the
deaths caused by Hamas rocket fire.

For 18 months Israel had imposed an unlawful blockade on the coastal strip
that brought Gazan society to the brink of collapse. In the three years
after Israel's redeployment from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket
fire. And yet in 2005-8, according to the UN, the Israeli army killed about
1,250 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children. Throughout this time the
Gaza Strip remained occupied territory under international law because
Israel maintained effective control over it.

Israel's actions amount to aggression, not self-defence, not least because
its assault on Gaza was unnecessary. Israel could have agreed to renew the
truce with Hamas. Instead it killed 225 Palestinians on the first day of its
attack. As things stand, its invasion and bombardment of Gaza amounts to
collective punishment of Gaza's 1.5m inhabitants contrary to international
humanitarian and human rights law. In addition, the blockade of humanitarian
relief, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and preventing access to
basic necessities such as food and fuel, are prima facie war crimes.

We condemn the firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel and suicide bombings
which are also contrary to international humanitarian law and are war
crimes. Israel has a right to take reasonable and proportionate means to
protect its civilian population from such attacks. However, the manner and
scale of its operations in Gaza amount to an act of aggression and is
contrary to international law, notwithstanding the rocket attacks by Hamas.

Ian Brownlie QC, Blackstone Chambers

Mark Muller QC, Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales

Michael Mansfield QC and Joel Bennathan QC, Tooks Chambers

Sir Geoffrey Bindman, University College, London

Professor Richard Falk, Princeton University

Professor M Cherif Bassiouni, DePaul University, Chicago

Professor Christine Chinkin, LSE

Professor John B Quigley, Ohio State University

Professor Iain Scobbie and Victor Kattan, School of Oriental and African
Studies

Professor Vera Gowlland-Debbas, Graduate Institute of International and
Development Studies, Geneva

Professor Said Mahmoudi, Stockholm University

Professor Max du Plessis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban

Professor Bill Bowring, Birkbeck College

Professor Joshua Castellino, Middlesex University

Professor Thomas Skouteris and Professor Michael Kagan, American University
of Cairo

Professor Javaid Rehman, Brunel University

Daniel Machover, Chairman, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights

Dr Phoebe Okawa, Queen Mary University

John Strawson, University of East London

Dr Nisrine Abiad, British Institute of International and Comparative Law

Dr Michael Kearney, University of York

Dr Shane Darcy, National University of Ireland, Galway

Dr Michelle Burgis, University of St Andrews

Dr Niaz Shah, University of Hull

Liz Davies, Chair, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyer

Prof Michael Lynk, The University of Western Ontario

Steve Kamlish QC and Michael Topolski QC, Tooks Chambers







*** exposing the hidden truth for further educational research only ***
CAVEAT LECTOR ***

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed
without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes. NOTE: Some links
may require cut and paste into your Internet Browser.

Please check <http://tinyurl.com/33c9yr> http://tinyurl.com/33c9yr
<http://groups.google.com/group/total_truth_sciences/topics?gvc=2>
http://groups.google.com/group/total_truth_sciences/topics?gvc=2 for more
real news posts and support the truth! (sorry but don't have time to email
all posts)

free book download: <http://www.lulu.com/content/165077>
http://www.lulu.com/content/165077 or
http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_63/165000/165077/21/print/165077.pdf

<http://blogs.albawaba.com/alexanderjames>
http://blogs.albawaba.com/alexanderjames
http://blogs.albawaba.com/Alexanderjames/page/links
http://bb.domaindlx.com/alexjames999

*** Revealing the hidden Truth For Educational & Further Research Purposes
only. *** Welcome to Real News Edited excerpts, non-partisan,
pro-truth-honesty-peace, and anti-war-lies-crime. The purpose is to expose
corruptions, frauds, deceptions, lies, criminal plans, cover-ups and
free-speech silencing by powerful people in governments, foundations,
corporations and media, which are done using the name of democracy, human
rights, false interpretations of religions, cults, occults, patriotism,
economy, business, media, elections, justice, charity, etc., and are used to
trick the public into hatred & wars and out of their lives, money and
freedoms, while the propaganda we are subjected to makes us believe that we
have evolved to where such things cannot happen [remember slavery,
apartheid.]. Please share what you learn with others who do not have access
to the internet. This is only a tip of the iceberg. Stop the hatred that is
used to promote the dehumanization of the victims of predatory
aggressions;spread the truth;free your mind from being a Zioncon occupied
territory of the neo-feudal lords by rejecting the mainstream news
propaganda. Caution: real news may induce a kind of schizophrenia because it
provides a true vision of reality which is so different from the one we are
presented by the mass media spins. Latest real infonews available at
alternate news. ***** Check whatreallyhappened.com, inforwars.com, whtt.org,
savethemales.ca & other alternative news sites for latest news flashes. In
Truth We Trust! The opinions expressed herein contain positions and
viewpoints that are not necessarily those of the recipient, disseminator or
others mentioned in the information. These are offered as a means to
stimulate dialogue and discussion.

NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency
(NSA) may have read emails without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do
this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse,
nor protection.......... IF anyone other than the addressee of this e-mail
is reading it, you are in violation of the 1st & 4th Amendments to the
Constitution of the United States. Patriot Act 5 & H.R. 1955 Disclaimer
Notice: This post & all my past & future posts represent parody & satire &
are all intended for entertainment and amusement only.

To be removed from the list, please reply with the subject line "REMOVE"

To receive email at another address, please reply with subject line "CHANGE"

To receive email, please reply with "WEEKLY"







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]