“Those Responsible Must Be Held Criminally Accountable”
This incident should serve as a wakeup call for a complicit international community. There are three political imperatives that need to emerge with a sense of urgency: condemnation of the Israeli attack and an accompanying demand for the immediate end of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, appropriately by a decision in the UN Security Council; an authoritative launching of an investigation of war crimes allegations against Israel by the International Criminal Court; the widest possible endorsement and strengthening of the already growing worldwide boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign directed at Israel’s occupation policies in Palestinian Territories.
GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Richard Falk, urged Monday the international community to bring to justice those responsible for the killing of some 16 unarmed peace activist, when Israeli armed commandos stormed a convoy of ships carrying aid to Gaza.
“Israel is guilty of shocking behavior by using deadly weapons against unarmed civilians on ships that were situated in the high seas where freedom of navigation exists, according to the law of the seas,” Mr. Falk said. “It is essential that those Israelis responsible for this lawless and murderous behavior, including political leaders who issued the orders, be held criminally accountable for their wrongful acts.”
There are confirmed reports of lethal interference by Israeli military units on the high seas with the Freedom Flotilla of six ships carrying some 10,000 tons of medicine, food, and building materials to the civilian population of Gaza. Preliminary reports suggest as many as 16 unarmed activists were killed, and dozens more wounded.
“This peaceful humanitarian initiative by citizens from 50 countries is an urgent response to the continuation of an unlawful blockade that has been maintained for almost three years causing great physical and mental harm to the whole of the 1.5 million people entrapped within Gaza,” the UN independent expert said. “Such a massive form of collective punishment is a crime against humanity, as well as a gross violation of the prohibition on collective punishment in Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
“As Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, familiar with the suffering of the people of Gaza, I find this latest instance of Israeli military lawlessness to create a situation of regional and global emergency. Unless prompt and decisive action is taken to challenge the Israeli approach to Gaza all of us will be complicit in criminal policies that are challenging the survival of an entire beleaguered community.”
Mr. Falk urged the world community “to take urgent action in response to this flagrant flouting of international law. It is time to insist on the end of the blockade of Gaza. The worldwide campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel is now a moral and political imperative, and needs to be supported and strengthened everywhere.”
Richard Falk , Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and author of “Crimes of War: Iraq” and “The Costs of War: International Law, the UN, and World Order after Iraq” Also, current UN Rapporteur for Palestine.
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Felony Murder
By notme, at Jun 01, 2010 23:20 PM
In terms of Israel's excuses for the massacre of these people, think about felony murder.
In US law, lets say I went in to rob a ligour store. In the course of the armed robbery, the clerk tries to grab for the gun to defend himself. In that case, under US law, I would be charged wtih felony murder. If someone dies in the commision of a crime, then the person who set the chain in motion by committing the crime is responsible.
And I most certainly would not be allowed to plead self-defense by saying that I had to shoot the clerk who grabbed my gun to defend my own life.
At the very least, Israel is responsible for felony murder in these deaths.
The boarding was illegal. The ship was in international waters some 40 miles off the coast. There is no legitimate claim of self defense. The ship was carrying building supplies and peaceful unarmed people. The key point is that this floating pile of lumber and cement blocks that was 40 miles off the coast was no threat to Israel. To claim self-defense, Israel would need to be under immenient threat of attack, and this ship had no way of attacking Israel from 40 miles away.
Since the boarding was illegal, any deaths and injuries that resulted are Israel's responsibiility. Its exactly the same case as with a liquor store clerk who struggles with a robber's gun. To say that Israel had the right to machine gun to death nearly 20 people and injure 60 more because someone who was being threatened in the commission of a crime tried to defend themselves is total nonsense.
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Re: “Those Responsible Must Be Held Criminally Accountable”
By Khan, Nasir at Jun 01, 2010 20:32 PM
Professor Richard Falk, I thank you for your principled stand on the issue, as you have always done before. We are aware that Israeli crimes like the present one are in line with the Zionist agenda.
Without the economic, military and political support of the U.S. government, Zionist Israel will think twice or many times over before committing despicable barbarian crimes like the present one because the only thing that virtually matters to the Zionist-Israeli leadership is the global role of imperialist America over which they hold the reins of power. They know they control American government and its foreign policy, and in this they are absolutely right. This fact is no secret and every political observer is aware of it. At the same time, they also resort to their unending lies and propaganda gimmicks to cover their crimes from the rest of world, but in reality the 'rest of the world' has little impact or bearing on what they do.
Without a change in the role and policies of American imperialism, Zionism will continue to manipulate and exploit. What this means is simply this: to wage a common struggle and mobilise all democratic and antifascist forces at local and global level against American imperialism, unbridled militarism and Zionism. American imperialism and Zionism are intertwined and they are inseparable politically in the United States of America and the Middle Eastern region.
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Yes
By Aronson, Sanda at Jun 01, 2010 18:16 PM
Yes. Quickly.
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Elections
By notme, at Jun 01, 2010 23:26 PM
Elections are coming. And we need a new Congress. Lets defeat every pro-Israel, pro-AIPAC congressperson. If they've been voting fo every AIPAC resolution applauding Israeli war crimes, now is the time to defeat them. Party label doesn't matter.
In some ways it should be an easy campaign. A poiltican that puts another nation's interests ahead of its own is by definition a traitor.
What we need is for everyone who's outraged with this to agree that they will not vote for a supporter of Israel. It doesn't matter if its a (D) or an (R) after the name. Don't vote for them.
If we send back a Congress of Independents, Libertarians and Greens next time, American policy will most certainly change.
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