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Cake day: July 30th, 2023
  • jordanlund@lemmy.worldMtoWorld News@lemmy.world•Israel Illegally Using White Phosphorus Against Civilians in Lebanon: Human Rights WatchEnglish
    36·
    2 days ago

    Again? 😲

    Seriously, the attention span of people when it comes to Israeli war crimes…

    https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/israels-use-of-white-phosphorus-and-the-inadequacy-of-international-law/

    "Human Rights Watch has documented Israel’s violations in both Gaza and Lebanon. During its 2008-2009 military campaign in Gaza, called Operation Cast Lead, Israel attacked civilians with WP. In 2009, Human Rights Watch concluded that the Israeli Army deployed WP, killing civilians and damaging structures including “a school, a market, a humanitarian aid warehouse and a hospital.” A 2009 United Nations fact-finding mission known as the Goldstone Report confirmed that Israel failed to take feasible precautions required by customary law to avoid civilian harm, describing Israel’s actions as “reckless.” In one instance, the fact-finding mission confirmed that Israel fired WP shells over the UNRWA compound in Gaza City. Israel rejected the Goldstone report, however, and no action was taken. Following an Israeli Supreme Court ruling in 2013, the Israeli military stated that it would stop the use of WP in its artillery shells, but to no avail.

    Fast forward to May 2023. At the 5th Review Conference of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Palestine accused Israel of using WP on civilians in Gaza. In response, Israel accused Palestine of exploiting the forum for political gain. In November 2023, at the 28th session of the OPCW, Palestine again accused Israel of using WP illegally. Israel rejected the accusation and no action has been taken on these matters. Last October, Human Rights Watch concluded that Israel’s military use of WP violated international humanitarian law. On November 15, Israel launched 300 WP strikes on a densely populated neighborhood in Beit Lahia, Gaza in less than 40 minutes, and between October 7 and November 16, launched 1,000 total WP strikes.

    Israel’s history of WP use in Lebanon is extensive. Lebanon’s then-President Émile Lahoud accused Israel of using WP against civilians during the 2006 Lebanon War. Since the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, Israel has continuously deployed WP against civilians in southern Lebanon where conflict between Israeli and Hezbollah forces continues to escalate. Amnesty International reported on Israel’s unlawful use of WP from October 10 to 16, 2023, calling for the indiscriminate attack in Al-Duhayra to be investigated as a war crime, because the indiscriminate attack injured at least nine civilians. The American University of Beirut reported that Israel’s WP use in October resulted in 134 forest fires, dozens of civilian fatalities and injuries, and the displacement of 20,000 people in Lebanon. According to Al Jazeera, from October to March, Israel dropped 117 phosphoric bombs on southern Lebanon. By the end of March, nearly 108 million square feet of land had been burned by white phosphorus and other incendiary weapons. On June 5, Human Rights Watch verified the use of WP munitions by Israeli forces in Lebanon “in at least 17 municipalities across south Lebanon since October 2023, including five municipalities where airburst munitions were unlawfully used over populated residential areas.” Another attack on June 8 sparked wildfires that spread to civilian homes. In October, the Lebanese Mission to the United Nations sent a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) stating that Israel fired phosphorous artillery shells “in the area of Bastra–Sahl al-Mari and the outskirts of Rayhanah, Barri, and Shanuh (12 phosphorous shells), causing fires to erupt; the outskirts of the town of Yarun (11 phosphorous shells); the outskirts of the town of Labbunah (23 phosphorous shells), causing fires to erupt; and the outskirts of the towns of Mays al-Jabal and Blida.” In November 2023, the Lebanese government stated that it would file a complaint to the UNSC against Israel for “using white phosphorus in striking Lebanese border areas.” In July, the Lebanese foreign minister posed the matter again at the UNSC.

    Israel continues abusing WP in Lebanon to this day with reporting as recently as June on attacks in Lebanese villages Kfar Kila, Khiam, and others as well as in Rashaya al-Fakhar in July."

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