Israel phosphorus inquiry demanded

Israel phosphorus inquiry demanded

english.aljazeera.net

A leading rights group has called for an international investigation into Israel's use of white phosphorus during its 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip.

A report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday said that the munitions were fired "deliberately or recklessly" and over densely populated areas".

(visit the link for the full news article)

Those that followed the web cams in Gaza regularly watched as the Israeli military fired white phosphorus shells into and over populated areas. The worldwide public outcry quickly faded away over the weeks following the offensive, but now HRW (Human rights watch) are putting pressure on the UN to include the white phospherous issue in their investigations into the Israeli conduct during the conflict. I for one am delighted this is back on the agenda and once again in the media.

Even more interesting is that HRW also asked the US to halt all shipments of white phospherous to Israel until it had investigated whether white phosphorus was used in violation of international law or any arms-transfer agreements.

Lets hope this issue isnt brushed under the carpet for those that were killed and maimed by what is surely an obscene weapon





english.aljazeera.net
(visit the link for the full news article)

I followed these developments with shock as they happened. After looking into it a little, I found that Israel was only following the US's example after America used this munition in much the same manner in Falluja.

I have placed the report ( 75 pages, pdf ) here.