UN rights expert: IDF hits could be considered war crimes by Moshe Reinfeld 9:18am Wed Jun 18 '03 According to the petition, from the start of the intifada in October 2000 until April 2003, the IDF has killed more than 230 Palestinians, including 80 children, women and other innocent bystanders, in this manner. print article The assassinations carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the territories could be considered war crimes, according to the chairman of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Prof. Antonio Cassese. Cassese's opinion will be submitted Wednesday to the High Court of Justice as part of a hearing for a petition filed by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and the Palestinian Al-Qanon human rights organization. The petition, filed a year-and-a-half ago, was drafted by attorneys Avigdor Feldman and Michael Sefarad. High Court President Justice Aharon Barak and Justices Theodor Or and Eliahu Mazza have already rejected an argument presented by the state, which tried to convince the court that the assassination issue is not adjudicative. In the next hearing to be held in three weeks, the court will consider the petitioners' request to issue a temporary injunction that would bar any assassinations (or targeted pinpoint preemption, as Israeli authorities call them) until the petition is decided. According to the petition, from the start of the intifada in October 2000 until April 2003, the IDF has killed more than 230 Palestinians, including 80 children, women and other innocent bystanders, in this manner. In the opinion to be submitted Wednesday, Cassese establishes that the killing of civilians suspected of terror activity when no direct belligerent operation in which they are involved is taking place, substantively infringes the most basic principle of international law, which state that armed forces must distinguish between combatants and civilians. This opinion is of major significance, since Cassese is considered a reputable and leading expert on international humanitarian law. He was the first president of the ICTY, and served as president of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. And he has been a member of the UN Human Rights Committee. He is a faculty member at several universities, including in Florence, Rotterdam and the Sorbonne. www.haaretz.com add your comments

Bullshit, faculty member by Jacob 11:51am Wed Jun 18 '03 print comment He is a friggin journalist, not an academic. One who has trouble seeing blowing up buses of Jewish children as a "war crime".... add your comments

shame on you by goldberg 5:46pm Wed Jun 18 '03 print comment ...shame on even putting this s..t on your site. to worry about the killers, and not the victims, fact is that the terrorists vicims are the palestinian people,as well as the israelis. if you can not see this there is no hope at all for you killer-huggers add your comments

Some WAR truths by Leron 8:24pm Wed Jun 18 '03 print comment 1) Consider the source of action in this article: "Palestinian Al-Qanon human rights organization." 2) 230 Palestinians Killed MINUS "80 children, women and other innocent bystanders" EQUALS 150 TERRORISTS killed! If each terrorist kills an average of 5 innocent Israeli citizens, that's 750 innocent lives saved that would've resulted in death had the assassinations not been carried out! 3) 750 innocents saved - 230 palestinians total killed = 520 saved lives overall because of the terrorist assassination protocol. Had these actions not been carried out, 750 killed - 230 spared = 520 deaths instead of 230! 4) So what...should we wait until the guy has his suicide belt on and is in a crowded marketplace? "In the opinion to be submitted Wednesday, Cassese establishes that the killing of civilians suspected of terror activity when no direct belligerent operation in which they are involved is taking place, substantively infringes the most basic principle of international law, which state that armed forces must distinguish between combatants and civilians." 5) He must have some palestinian/arab personal connection or is being payed off BIGTIME. "This opinion is of major significance, since Cassese is considered a reputable and leading expert on international humanitarian law." 6) I would have him fired immediately "He is a faculty member at several universities, including in Florence, Rotterdam and the Sorbonne." add your comments

spare us the crocodile tears by ron 9:01pm Wed Jun 18 '03 print comment funny how you're so totally uninterested in innocent Palestinians killed but get in a terrible righteous rage about Israelis. FYI when the IDF, who kill without discrimination, murder Palestinians they automatically claim that they were "terrorists". Of course most of the time, this is rubbish, they never have any evidence. It is a shoot to kill policy, shooting whomever they don't happen to like the look of. i wonder how you'd react if there was a Palestinian army who invaded Israel and shot whomsoever they deemed terrorists, without any safeguards or retribution. Then you'd really have something to whine about, you compassionless cold blooded elitist whiners. The UN is quite right to draw attention to the complete ignorance of Palestinian human rights and their violations. If you can't see it, you don't deserve human rights either. Every human being is equal in this respect. Don't think any other country has any sympathy with you on this arrogant elitist behaviour and attitude. add your comments

ron ron by goldberg 11:26pm Wed Jun 18 '03 print comment ...ron ron .all this would not be happening if the last camp david deal was taken.......if the arabs had the israelis power, there would not be a jewish person left alive in israel, and you damm well know it. add your comments

Dear goldberg: by .. 12:34am Thu Jun 19 '03 print comment no goldberg, you are making these facts up. Arabic Jews lived under great conditions in their host countries prior to the theft of territories by absentee semitic landlords and their zionazi collaborators. Arab Jews, like Ethiopians, had better jobs, having held govrenmnet positions and prominent posts in academia and other outlets. It was when they had migrated to israel, that their people were treated as 2nd. class people, which manifested in drug abuse and dropping out of schools... ext. The Arabic Jews are also a victim of the zionist experiment and should demand their reparations!! add your comments

that was then by goldberg 7:15pm Thu Jun 19 '03 print comment ...that was then, what we are talking about is now, and the proof is the vicious way the arabs kill israelis and the messages on arab tv and the preaching in the mosques, thank g-d we have the power to hold these islamakillers off add your comments