As the United Nations wrapped up the testimony gathering portion of its investigation into the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip, an Israeli human rights group today described the “disgraceful” treatment of some of the detainees held during the war.
The group reported that the Israeli military kept the detainees in ditches, handcuffed and blindfolded, with no access to food, water or restroom facilities. The detainees were subjected to violent interrogations by Shin Bet, and their families were threatened. Many are still being held with no access to their lawyers.
The Israeli government has declined to cooperate in any way with the probe, and abandoned its own probe despite several Israeli soldiers making serious accusations. The official position is that the military acted appropriately and even admirably in the war and the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians. All the human rights group reports which have accused them of war crimes have been condemned as unfair.
Despite the enormous evidence to support it, the UN team says it is “too early” to determine if Israel actually committed any war crimes during the war. They are expected to submit a report sometime next month.
Now this sort of malefic behavior is what defines Israel as a failed nation. The reluctance to accuse Israel of war crimes is motivated by political cowardice and fear of retribution, including character assassination, financial ruin and let your imagination run fill in other possibilities..
Israel has shown repeatedly that it is a criminal, thug nation, intent on stealing Palestinian land and water in the West Bank and East Jerusalem while maintaining a starvation blockade on the Gaza Strip. Israel's promises are worthless and there will never be peace until the U.S. cuts off the financial, military and political aid to this warmongering nation.
F*ck Israel. If this isn't terrorism I don't know what terrorism is. The commenter above is right this is political cowardice. But in the end it's because of US pressure and the only people who can affect that is us, US citizens.
http://www.fiveforpalestine.org/site/
http://bdsmovement.net/