Israel’s air campaign in Gaza may violate international laws prohibiting the targeting of civilians, the U.N.’s top human rights official said Friday.
Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said the Israeli military, which claims to have hit more than 1,100 targets that it says are mostly rocket-launching sites, and the Gaza terrorists, who have fired more than 550 rockets against Israel, must abide by international law.
“We have received deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes,” Pillay said. “Such reports raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
Pillay says she’s seen for herself in Gaza how traumatic the airstrikes and rocket attacks are for civilians, particularly children. Her office says civilians bear the brunt of the conflict now — and all sides must refrain from launching attacks or putting military weapons in densely populated areas.
“Israel, Hamas, and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza have been down this road before, and it has led only to death, destruction, distrust and a painful prolongation of the conflict,” Pillay said.
Targeting civilian homes violates international humanitarian law, but not if the homes are used for military purposes. But even then attacks on a home used by a military must be proportionate.
(AP)
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15 Responses
Human rights means firing on Jews is allowed that is the docterant of the UN firing that Arab terrorist that is a crime is that right
What does Mrs Pillay call proportionate in response to hundreds of missiles being shot idiscriminatly against civilian targets across the whole country? And not just for a week but for 14 years. Who is to blame that Hamas places their rocket launchers in schools, hospitals and highriser residential buildings? Where are all these hundreds of dangerous weapons stored? In Schools etc! How do they transport them? In ambulances! I would like to invite Mrs Pillay to come and spend a week in Sderot…
all the UN have to go to hell if hamas told the civillions to stay in door & the PA peaple are doing so is not violates international humanitarian law.
I wonder if she was walking down harlem and was approached by a thief with a gun if she would shoot first…..
This news is not really new . In fact its about 2000 years old . This is the modern version of the ancient peasant grumbling about Jews spilling pure christian blood. The pitchfork is replaced by a mic and the old fashion words are exchanged by ‘voicing deep concern’. Good old antisemitism under the veneer of ‘Human Rights’.
yes defending yourself is a crime
Article 28 of the Geneva Conventions, to which “Palestine” is legally bound, says “The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.” That is exactly what the Hamas human shields are doing.
Wow! One sided is inadequate to describe this idiots analysis of the situation at hand. I believe she should return to Gaza to experience the “trauma” a bit more. We should fly her first class.
I greatly appreciate the fact that Yeshiva World used a stick figure instead of her evil, ugly face for the accompanying photo.
I would like to compliment the staff of the United Nations. Each day they show up to participate in a meaningless organization to do meaningless work. They pass resolution after resolution against Israel versus terrorist aggressor states. Their resolutions are meaningless. Yet they continue to show up day after day to participate in this farce. Possibly unemployment is high where they come from and here they receive a paycheck. Either way it’s impressive. I would have walked away after my first day there, yet they come back day after day to engage in total tripe.
I guess when Hamas targeted three teenagers and killed them, that was within international law. But defending yourself against murderers in against the law, especially if you are Jewish.
The UN is full of the world’s worst garbage. Look who is talking. Does garbage talk? No but it does stink.
הן עם לבדד ישכון ובגויים לא יתחשב
We need to just get read all of them by sending them away back to all the Arab countries
And rocket attacks are legal?
Does anyone really care what the un says?? When are they gonna realize how irrelevant they are and stop talking!!