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<h1 class="title" id="page-title">Palestinians in Israel demand war
crimes probe for Gaza</h1>
<div class="submitted">
<span property="dc:date dc:created"
content="2014-07-15T21:42:02+00:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime"
rel="sioc:has_creator">Submitted by <span class="username"
xml:lang="" about="/users/ali-abunimah"
typeof="sioc:UserAccount" property="foaf:name" datatype="">Ali
Abunimah</span> on Tue, 07/15/2014<br>
<b><small><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza">http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza</a></small></small></small></b><br>
</span> </div>
<div id="file-27890" class="file file-image file-image-jpeg
media-element file-full" style="width:618px;"><br>
</div>
<p>Palestinian civil society organizations in Israel are urging
international efforts to investigate alleged war crimes committed
during Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/un-tells-israel-halt-attacks-targeting-civilians-gaza">targeted
civilians</a>, killing some 200 people since 7 July.</p>
<p>There are nearly 1.7 million <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/palestinians-israel">Palestinians
with Israeli citizenship</a>, who although they can <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/cut-power-gaza-dialysis-patients-knesset-deputy-speaker-urges">vote
and be elected</a>, face systematic legal and social
discrimination and racist incitement.</p>
<p>A dozen organizations serving Palestinians in Israel, including
legal advocacy groups <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/adalah">Adalah</a> and
<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/mossawa-center">Mossawa
Center</a> and the <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/arab-association-human-rights">Arab
Association for Human Rights</a>, made the call in a <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#statement">statement</a>
strongly condemning Israel’s assault.</p>
<p>“The Palestinian Arab community in Israel has mobilized in
protest at the increase in violence towards Palestinians by both
the state and individuals, within the West Bank, Gaza and Israel,”
the statement says, highlighting the lynching earlier this month
of Jerusalem teen <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/muhammad-abu-khudair">Muhammad
Abu Khudair</a>.</p>
<p>They say that “Palestinian protesters have been met with
excessive use of force by <nobr><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_4_0_3">security services</a></nobr>
and mass <nobr><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_6_0_5">arrests</a></nobr> and
detention, including that of minors. Almost 400 Palestinians have
so far been arrested in the continuing protests, and scores of
people remain in detention.”</p>
<p>The groups condemn the “culture of racism and incitement towards
Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,
which has been exacerbated by recent statements by the Israeli
political leadership who have sought to inflame ethnic tensions
and mobilize support for violence towards Palestinians.”</p>
<p>They point in particular to “provocative statements made by Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leading politicians” that
“have sought to inflame tensions and promote an ‘us versus them’
mentality.”</p>
<p>In addition, anti-Arab <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/incitement">incitement</a>
in <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/social-media">social
media</a>, including by <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-soldiers-celebrate-killing-palestinian-youth-revenge">Israeli
military personnel</a>, “have widely promoted indiscriminate
violence towards Palestinians,” the groups state.</p>
<h2 id="statement">Statement: Palestinian civil society in Israel
demands urgent action on Gaza</h2>
<p>We, the undersigned organizations, express extreme concern at the
rapidly deteriorating situation within the Gaza Strip and urge the
international community to take immediate action to halt the
deadly aggression being waged against Palestinian civilians in
Gaza. We also urge the UN to initiate a fact-finding mission to
investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. </p>
<p>Since Israel launched its military offensive dubbed “Operation
Protective Edge” on 8 July 2014, over 175 Palestinians have been
killed in Gaza, 80 percent of whom the UN humanitarian office
(OCHA) reports to be civilians, and over 1,280 have been injured.</p>
<p>The victims have included entire families, women, children
and the elderly. Israel has launched over 1,500 air strikes in the
past seven days, deliberately targeting homes and other civilian
facilities and fired dozens of shells at Palestinian communities
located near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel and
along the coast; approximately 900 houses have so far been
destroyed.</p>
<p>In a further escalation of events, Israel has bombed a <nobr><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_1_0_0">number</a></nobr> of houses
without any prior warning whilst civilians have been inside,
dramatically raising the death toll and the number of casualties.
Targets bombed by the military where civilians have been <nobr><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_5_0_4">present</a></nobr> have
included a café, an <nobr><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_2_0_1">emergency medical</a></nobr>
building, a facility for the disabled, three ambulances and a
clearly marked media car. Schools, mosques, an ambulance center,
nongovernmental organization offices, fishing boats and a hospital
have also been struck.</p>
<p>We, the undersigned organizations, strongly condemn Israel’s
unlawful targeting of civilians, civilian areas, and civilian
property, which is illegal under international law and amounts to
collective punishment.</p>
<p>We call for an immediate end to hostilities against the
Palestinian civilian population of Gaza, and for thorough,
independent and genuine investigations to be launched into all
violations of <nobr><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinians-israel-demand-war-crimes-probe-gaza#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_3_0_2">international human rights</a></nobr>
and humanitarian law. We emphasize that this indiscriminate
violence persists amidst the context of the continued closure of
Gaza, which restricts freedom of movement and access to basic
humanitarian resources. Furthermore, the Netanyahu government has
failed to present any viable or equitable solution to the
situation.</p>
<p>The Palestinian Arab community in Israel has mobilized in protest
at the increase in violence towards Palestinians by both the state
and individuals, within the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. As well as
the recent assault on Gaza, this has also included the brutal
murder of 16 year-old Muhammad Abu Khudair, nationalistic attacks
on Arab individuals by Jewish extremists on ethnic grounds, and
demonstrations which have met with no police interference calling
for “death to Arabs.”</p>
<p>However Palestinian protesters have been met with excessive use
of force by security services and mass arrests and detention,
including that of minors. Almost 400 Palestinians have so far been
arrested in the continuing protests, and scores of people remain
in detention.</p>
<p>We strongly oppose the culture of racism and incitement towards
Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,
which has been exacerbated by recent statements by the Israeli
political leadership who have sought to inflame ethnic tensions
and mobilize support for violence towards Palestinians.</p>
<p>Provocative statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and other leading politicians have sought to inflame tensions and
promote an “us versus them” mentality. Furthermore, social media
campaigns which have included contributions from Israeli military
personnel, have widely promoted indiscriminate violence towards
Palestinians.</p>
<p>We call on the international community to monitor closely the
recent escalation of attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip, and
to raise concerns of alleged war crimes and crimes against
humanity based on the Rome Statute.</p>
<p>We also urge the UN to initiate a fact-finding mission to
investigate these events. We further encourage you to keep in
contact with the undersigned Palestinian civil society
organizations in Israel for information, assistance, materials or
advice on the above.</p>
<p>Arab Association for Human Rights<br>
Adalah<br>
Mada al-Carmel – Arab Center for Applied Social Research<br>
Women Against Violence<br>
Kayan Feminist Organization<br>
Mossawa Center – The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel<br>
Association for Arab Youth – Baladna<br>
I’lam Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel<br>
The Galilee Society – The Arab National Society for Health
Research & Services<br>
Arab Cultural Association<br>
Hirakuna - Forum for Social Solidarity, Voluntarism and Young
Leadership<br>
AlZahraa Organization for the Advancement of Women AlQaws for
Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society</p>
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