by Amnesty Int'l • Friday July 12, 2002 at 12:19 PM This is the first time that Amnesty, an organization that so far only watched governments issued a report about NGOs. This is the first time that Amnesty, an organization that so far only watched governments issued a report about NGOs. This is a turning point in the so called "war on terror" In the US there is a progressive effort to issue a petition that will label any country that uses Nuke a war crime, I wrote them and asked what if it is used by an NGO - they did not had any answer for me. Here is the Amnesty report on the new type of crimes against humanity. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE AI Index: MDE 15/104/2002 (Public) News Service No: 116 Israel / Occupied Territories / Palestinian Authority: Amnesty International report calls on Palestinian armed groups to stop civilian killings Since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa intifada in September 2000 at least 350 civilians, most of them Israeli, have been killed in over 128 attacks by Palestinian armed groups and Palestinian individuals, Amnesty International documented in a report launched in Gaza. The report "Without distinction: attacks on civilians by Palestinian armed groups" is the seventh major report on the human rights situation in the region published by the organization since the beginning of the intifada. "Whatever the cause for which people are fighting, there can never be a justification for direct attacks on civilians," said Amnesty International. The victims of these attacks ranged from children as young as five months to elderly people. The oldest was Chanah Rogan, aged 90. She was killed in the bombing of a hotel at the celebration of Passover on 27 March 2002 in Netanya. Most victims were killed by suicide bomb attacks within Israel claiming 184 victims of the 350 civilians killed. Palestinian armed groups offer a variety of reasons for targeting Israeli civilians from retaliating against Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians to fighting an occupying power. Other justifications claim that Israeli settlers are not civilians or that striking at civilians is the only way to make an impact on a powerful adversary. Under international law, there is no justification for attacking civilians. Targeting civilians is contrary to fundamental principles of humanity enshrined in international law, which should apply in all circumstances at all times. Amnesty International unreservedly condemns attacks on civilians, whatever reason the perpetrators give to their action. "Civilians should never be the focus of attacks, not in the name of security and not in the name of liberty. We call on the leadership of all Palestinian armed groups to cease attacking civilians, immediately and unconditionally," Amnesty International stressed. The organization urges the Palestinian Authority to arrest and bring to justice those who order, plan or carry out attacks on civilians. The Palestinian Authority and Israel have a duty to take measures to prevent attacks on civilians. Such measures must always be in accordance with international human rights standards. Amnesty International also calls on Israel to ensure that all its actions against armed groups and individuals suspected of involvement in attacks against civilians comply with international human rights and humanitarian law standards. Amnesty International calls on the international community to assist the Palestinian Authority to improve the effectiveness of its criminal justice system and its compliance with international human rights standards, in particular by offering international experts to advice on and monitor investigations into attacks against civilians and legal proceedings against those alleged to be responsible. A growing number of Palestinians believe that targeting civilians is morally wrong. Amnesty International welcomes Palestinian and other voices that publicly condemn attacks on civilians and urges Palestinians and people around the world to appeal to armed groups to end attacks on civilians. Background: Amnesty International has for many years has documented and condemned violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by Israel directed against the Palestinian population of the Occupied Territories. They include unlawful killings, extra-judicial executions, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and collective punishments such as punitive closures of areas and destruction of homes. Palestinian armed groups and Palestinian individuals who may not have been acting on behalf of a group are estimated to have killed more than 350 civilians since the 29 September 2000. Among the victims were over 60 children and 64 of the people killed were older than 60 years of age. Of the 128 lethal attacks against civilians studied by Amnesty International in this report, 25 were committed by people who had strapped explosives to themselves and died in the attacks. On six other occasions civilians were killed by explosives that were planted, thrown or fired. Other incidents involved shootings and stabbing. The great majority of attacks took place in the Occupied Territories. While there were far fewer attacks within Israel, they claimed 210 victims of the 350 civilians killed. Armed groups reportedly claimed responsibility for about half of the lethal attacks on civilians of the 128 attacks surveyed by Amnesty International. The main groups involved were Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas), Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLPF). See http://www.jenin.org/ The UN General Assembly has recognized the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples against foreign occupation in the exercise of their right to self-determination and independence. However, international law requires all parties involved in a conflict to always distinguish between civilians and people actively taking part in the hostilities. They must make every effort to protect civilians from harm. The report, without distinction - attacks on civilians by Palestinian armed groups, is available on-line at: http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/MDE020032002! Open For the latest information on Israel/Occupied Territories visit: http://web.amnesty.org/web/web.nsf/pages/iot_home Public Document **************************************** For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org/ http://www.jenin.org/ add your comments AI Report: AI Delegates now in Jerusalem. by Marat • Friday July 12, 2002 at 01:03 PM Amnesty International has never taken this stance - alleging crimes against humanity - in condemning groups like the FARC, the IRA, the ETA, or the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) when these resistance groups conducted attacks against 'soft'- read civilian - targets in the past. One wonders if AI finally capitulated to the enormous pressure that Sharon, the Zionist organizations and the Bush administration brought to bear, sacrificing their vaunted "objectivity' for sheer political expediency, in order to appear even handed. Still the fact is that the Israeli propaganda machine is working overtime to make the most of this in the press. They are particularly anxious right now to divert international attention away from the "Land for Jew's Only" legislation now pending in the Knesset, since the European and US corporate press are beginning to describe this legislation as a racist and 'apartheid' policy and the latest wave of IOF assassinations orchestrated by that arch war criminal Ariel Sharon. Incidentally, if you want to deliver feedback to Amnesty delegates currently in occupied Palestine for this outrageous report, an AI delegation is currently in Palestine. They were in Al Quds as of Thursday morning. Their contact info is listed below. (excerpted from a AI press email blast) Feel free to recirculate this info. - Text of AI Email: As part of the on-going campaign to stop the killing of civilians on both sides, an Amnesty International delegation will be visiting Gaza today and tomorrow and Jerusalem on Thursday. This visit is in connection with the release of a new report "Without distinction: attacks on civilians by Palestinian armed groups". By releasing its report in Gaza, the organization aims to contribute to the emerging debate in Palestinian civil society condemning attacks against civilians. Amnesty International welcomes Palestinian voices who unreservedly condemned attacks on Israeli civilians. The delegates include Daniel Bolomey, Director of Amnesty International's Swiss section, and Abdel Salam Sidahmed; deputy Director of the Middle East Program and Liz Hodgkin, researcher in the Middle East Program at the International Secretariat. They will be meeting with leaders and representatives of Palestinian armed groups, non-governmental organizations and human rights activists. The delegates will be available for interviews of Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning and early afternoon. For interviews or any further information, contact the Amnesty International press office: + 44 20 7413 5808, mobile: +44 7774 486 235. add your comments AI has had problems before by rene • Friday July 12, 2002 at 09:54 PM A few days ago, I read in my local newspaper that Randa Hindi, a Gaza, Palestinian women and her 2-year-old daughter, were killed by gunfire from an Israeli tank. An unarmed Palestinian man was also killed by the Israelis while walking to his home. These terrorist killings by the IDF are the latest in the past 21 months. During this time period, 1750 Palestinians and 550 Israelis have been killed in this conflict. As in all modern wars, most of the victims on both sides have been innocent civilians. The American mainstream media and Israeli right-wing propaganda would have us believe that all killings of Palestinian are due to Palestinian terrorism, and that all killings of Israelis are due to Palestinian terrorism. AI has been fooled before. You may remember the infamous Iraqui baby killing lies that were peddled by the warmongers just prior to the Gulf war vote in Congress. AI was taken in on this completed fabrication, which has been called to most important factor in getting enough Democrats to join the Republican in waiting for war. After the war and after the baby killing was discovered to have been completely made up in order to further demonize Sadam, AI had to print an apology to its members. add your comments Good, amnesty ! by barbie • Saturday July 13, 2002 at 08:06 AM At last, amnesty isn't biased add your comments HAH by Danny • Sunday July 14, 2002 at 01:46 PM I think the Jenin.org bit at the bottom says it all about this article. Pro Israeli trash.