AI demands UN investigation in Israel-Gaza conflict war crimes

LONDON: Amnesty International (AI) has urged the UN to urgently mandate an independent international investigation into Israeli airstrikes on Gaza as well as Palestine’s indiscriminate shelling of Israel, and hold accountable those responsible for war crimes.

The UN questions the legality of Israel’s Gaza offensive, while Netanyahu is dismissive of international pressure.

Despite claims by Israel that its operation “Protective Edge”, launched June 8, targets Hamas militants, most of more than a hundred Palestinians killed in airstrikes on Gaza are civilians, Amnesty says, adding that at least 24 children and 16 women were among the casualties.

Simultaneously, at least 20 people in Israel have been wounded by rocket attacks from Palestinian territories, according to the human rights watchdog, calling on the UN to set up a “fact-finding mission to Gaza and Israel to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict.”

“Swift UN action is needed as lives hang in the balance,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International. “The international community must not repeat previous mistakes, standing by and watching the devastating consequences for civilians of both sides.”

Amnesty sees arms embargo on Israel and all Palestinian military groups as a means of preventing the violence escalating further.

“Pending such an embargo, all states must immediately suspend all transfers of military equipment, assistance and munitions to the parties, which have failed to properly investigate violations committed in previous conflicts, or bring those responsible to justice,” Amnesty's official statement reads.

Strikes on homes, performed as part of Israel’s military operation, are a matter of particular concern to human rights groups. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on Friday questioned the legality of such attacks.

Israel has argued that all targets in the Gaza strip are either military facilities or are homes of Hamas militants.

In case of doubt, buildings ordinarily used for civilian purposes, such as homes, are presumed not to be legitimate military targets,” Libi Vice, spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces (IFD) told RT on Thursday.

Human rights watchdogs want proof that 340 housing units, destroyed in Gaza, were actually used for military purposes.

“Unless the Israeli authorities can provide specific information to show how a home is being used to make an effective contribution to military actions, deliberately attacking civilian homes constitutes a war crime and also amounts to collective punishment against the families,” said Amnesty's Luther.

“Firing indiscriminate rockets, which cannot be aimed accurately at military targets, is a war crime, as is deliberately targeting civilians,” he added. “There can be no excuse for either side failing to protect civilians, including journalists, medics and humanitarian workers, or civilian facilities.”

Amnesty International has also called on Israel and Egypt to “ensure that sufficient amounts of medical and humanitarian supplies are allowed into Gaza”. Healthcare services in the region have been on the brink of collapse due to shortages of supplies, the World Health Organization earlier warned.

Friday saw thousands of activists in London and Oslo protesting against Israeli strikes in Gaza. Organizers of the massive rallies said Palestinians are facing “a horrific escalation of racism and violence” at the hands of the IDF.

Scotland Yard drops one investigation against Altaf

LONDON: Scotland Yard has decided to drop the ‘incitement of hate speech’ investigation against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain.

Specialist Crime and Operations officers had opened an inquiry in May last year — soon after the 11th May general elections — after thousands of people had written to the Metropolitan Police complaining that the MQM leader had threatened protesters in Karachi who had gathered at the Teen Talwar venue in Karachi and also another of Hussain’s speeches in which it was alleged that Altaf Hussain had issued open threats and incited violence against the democratic protesters.

But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has told the police that there was no sufficient evidence against Altaf Hussain to prosecute him, therefore, the case shall not be pursued any further. The News understands that a letter has been sent to the MQM informing the party that the investigation had been dropped.

When contacted by The News, the Scotland Yard confirmed that Altaf Hussain’s speeches of the time “do not constitute a criminal offence” and “consequently there will be no further action taken by police.”

Without naming Altaf Hussain, the spokesman said that in May, 2013, the Metropolitan Police Service received “a large number of complaints, totalling several thousand, following speeches from an individual associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).”

He added: “Specialist Crime and Operations officers carried out extensive searches to locate and gather, what was a substantial amount of material, all of which required translation.“After careful examination and in close consultation with the CPS, the Met has concluded that though the comments may offend some members of the community, they do not constitute a criminal offence. Consequently, there will be no further action taken by police.”

The spokesman added that the police take all allegations of crime seriously, responding to the concerns raised and will take action where appropriate. He confirmed that the “hate speech inquiry” was “in no way linked to the investigation into money laundering offences which was widely reported, following an arrest being made, earlier this month”.

The decision by the police will come as a relief to the MQM leader who is currently on police bail in relation to the money-laundering investigation.The News has learnt that the police used different Urdu language interpreters and language experts to look into the words of Altaf Hussain and then took advice from criminal law experts who told the police that if the matter reaches the court, Altaf Hussain’s lawyers could interpret his speech in totally different meaning and context than the one suggested by the prosecution. The CPS advised that in front of a jury, the chances of this case succeeding were very poor. The CPS advised the police not to bother with this investigation anymore.

The MQM had contested that its leader didn’t threaten protesters belonging to Imran Khan’s party, the PTI. Farooq Sattar had sent a letter to the police stating that Altaf Hussain was not “responsible for the murder of Ms Zahra Shahid Hussain” as alleged by Imran Khan.

Sattar explained in the letter that Altaf Hussain had not threatened anyone and translated Altaf Hussain’s Urdu words “may laraee jhegra nahee chahta werna tau may apnay satheeon ko kehoon tau wo teen talwar phohonch ker talwaroon ko asel shakel day dain gey” in English as “I do not want to quarrel or fight with anyone otherwise I would only have to order my associates that they reach Teen Talwar (Three swords monument in Clifton) and make them real”.

Sattar explained in the letter: “The above quoted words of Mr Hussain very clearly indicate his intentions that he doesn’t want to fight anyone and the phraseology that swords of monument could be converted into real swords would have carried any real meaning and threat only if Mr Hussain had failed to clarify that he doesn’t believe in physical fight.”

SC directs to ensure transparent investigation in missing persons case

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday presented in the Supreme Court a copy of the FIR registered against Naib Subedar Amanullah in the missing persons case, while the court directed to present copy of the challan also after completion of investigation, Geo News reported.

SC three-member bench headed by Jawwad S. Khawaja was hearing the 35 missing persons case here. Earlier, on the complaint of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif against a sensitive intelligence agency official regarding forced disappearance of Yasin Shah, among 35 missing persons, the Secretariat Police had registered a report and referred it to Dargai/Malakand detention centres as Yasin Shah went missing from those centres, the police sources said.

The Secretariat Police, taking action on the complaint, lodged a report and referred the case to the centres concerned. The police authorities, when contacted, said that Yasin Shah had not gone missing from Islamabad and that’s why the case had been shifted to the police station concerned.

According to FIR, the case has been registered under section 346 of crimes regulations.

Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja in his remarks said, “The law has come into action, now a transparent investigation will be conducted and could be hoped that those really responsible will be brought to fore. It is also hoped that the Commission will soon present its report relating to the missing persons. When the state takes any action, it is imperative to give legal protection to it, no person or organization above law.”

The court directing the government to ensure transparent investigation in the case adjourned the hearing for three weeks.