Written
by Amb. Alan Baker, June 17, 2018
§ After
the UN General Assembly on June 14, 2018, voted to condemn Israel for its
handling of the Gaza border fence violence, it is all the more curious to
observe the deliberate disregard of the serious and flagrant international
humanitarian, environmental, and ecological crimes committed by Hamas and the
Palestinians.
§ Since
the Palestinian Authority is utilizing the events in Gaza to conduct its own
political and legal campaign against Israel in international bodies, this
renders the Palestinian leadership an accessory to Hamas in the commission of
these crimes.
§ By
initiating, encouraging, and supporting mass pollution of the border area
through the organized stockpiling and burning of tires, the Palestinian
leadership is responsible for repeatedly creating caustic clouds of carbon
pollution. This act is damaging to the health of the Palestinian civilian
demonstrators themselves, as well as the residents of Israeli communities in
the vicinity of the border.
§ Incendiary
kites and balloons have ignited vast swathes of agricultural land in Israel,
destroyed crops, and endangered Israeli residents. The International Criminal
Court Statute defines as a war crime “extensive destruction and appropriation
of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and
wantonly.”
§ From the
viewpoint of international humanitarian law and accepted norms of humanity,
placing Palestinian civilians, and especially women and children, at the
forefront of violent demonstrations and attacks on the border fence as human
shields to conceal the presence of Hamas terrorists is a violation of several
international treaties protecting children and prohibiting their involvement in
warfare.
§ Weaponizing
kites and balloons by attaching explosive devices with the intention that they
will explode upon landing or when found by Israeli civilians is a flagrant
violation of international humanitarian law, notably the 1997 Convention for
the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings. Moreover, the 2001 Conventional Weapons
Convention prohibits the use of incendiary weapons.
§ From the
viewpoint of international humanitarian law and accepted norms of humanity,
placing Palestinian civilians, and especially women and children, at the
forefront of violent demonstrations and attacks on the border fence as human
shields to conceal the presence of Hamas terrorists is a violation of several
international treaties protecting children and prohibiting their involvement in
warfare.
§ The
Palestinian leadership must be made to understand that its fixation with
joining international treaties is not unidirectional. It involves solemn
responsibilities to abide by the obligations included in such treaties. The
international community must hold the Palestinian leadership to their
commitments and not ignore their violations of the most fundamental norms and
principles of international law.
For full article go to http://jcpa.org/article/the-many-ways-the-palestinians-violate-international-law/
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