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Publish report on Israel attacks on UN, says Amnesty International

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, April 8, IRNA -- Amnesty International is urging UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon to act upon an initial Board of Inquiry report into Israeli attacks on UN staff and facilities during its latest massacre of over 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza.

Ban must ensure that the findings of the investigation launched on February 12 are 'promptly transmitted to the UN Security Council and that its findings and recommendations are made public', the London-based human rights organization said.

The UN Board of Inquiry was established with limited terms of reference to investigate attacks on UN personnel and buildings but it remains unclear what will happen with evidence of war crimes as Israeli is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Amnesty also insisted that both the Israeli and Palestinian sides must fully cooperate with the UN fact-finding mission looking into possible war crimes and international law violations committed during the recent blitzkrieg attacks on Gaza.

"The victims of this brutal conflict have a right to justice and reparation. The perpetrators on both sides must be held accountable if there is to be an end to the cycles of violence and impunity that have persisted for so long," said its Middle East director Malcolm Smart.

"There must be no excuse for either Israel or the Palestinians not to fully cooperate with the inquiry," Smart said, adding that the appointment of Jewish South African judge Richard Goldstone as the chair 'underscored the mission's independence and greatly enhanced its credibility'.

"The victims have been badly let down by the UN Security Council's failure to take any concrete steps to establish accountability for the grave violations of international law, including war crimes that were committed by both sides during the conflict," he said.

The independent international fact-finding mission was created by the UN Human Rights Council in January with an original mandate to investigate alleged violations of international law by Israeli forces.

Among the more than 1,400 Palestinians killed by the Israelis were over 300 children and hundreds of other unarmed civilians. In addition some 5,000 Palestinians injured, including many of them maimed for life.

Thousands of homes and much of Gaza's economic infrastructure were destroyed by Israeli forces, while scores of victims were burned by white phosphorus fired by Israeli forces into residential areas, some of whom are still dying. On the other side, three Israeli civilians were reportedly killed.

Even some Israeli troops have accused their colleagues of taking part in 'wilfully or recklessly' murdering unarmed Palestinian civilians and 'wantonly' destroying property.

Ongoing investigations by Amnesty as well as Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups have uncovered evidence of serious violations of international law, including possible war crimes.

These include direct, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, the targeting of medical personnel and the denial of access to medical care for the wounded, the use of indiscriminate weapons such white phosphorus and artillery, in heavily-built up civilian areas, the use of human shields and wanton destruction of property.