Brussels, 22/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - Returning from a mission to the region (17-21 January), several human rights organisations denounced Israel's serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (REMDH) and the International Commission of Jurists all pointed out that there had been breaches of the 4th Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in times of war and customary international law on the conduct of hostilities.
Their delegation of eight experts was unable to go to Gaza itself because access had been denied them by both the Israeli and Egyptian authorities. Information gathered from their member organisation in the field and via numerous meetings with Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian representatives has not been challenged, explained members of the mission during a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday 22 January. They emphasised that operations carried out by the Israeli army had not spared the civilian population (women and children) or civil and religious infrastructure (hospitals, schools and mosques) and cannot by justified by attacks perpetrated by Hamas.
They denounced the inability of the US and European Union to take strong measures to end the 22 day offensive and called for the international community to put pressure on Israel to lift the siege of Gaza. They also call on Europeans and Americans to support the implementation of an independent inquiry into allegations of human rights violations. Although a UN Human Rights Council resolution called for such an inquiry to be set up, the EU member states based in Geneva abstained during the vote (the resolution does not, however, mention Hamas rocket attacks). The mandate for such a committee should allow for individual liability to be established that could lead to court proceedings. Raji Sourani, the director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza insisted: “We have no right to forget or to forgive” and those responsible should be taken to court. Despite the decision of the international community to ostracise Hamas, the latter still controls Gaza. Mr Sourani was “appalled” by the EU's position and said that by not accepting the fact that Hamas had won the elections fairly, the people had been denied any chance at all. (A.B./transl.rh)