House of
Lords Debate on Gaza -
21st January 2009
Lord Ahmed:
My Lords, even the horrific pictures from Gaza and the terror
imposed on the children of Palestine by the modern day Pharaohs
of the Holy Land have not been enough for the Bush Administration
to call for an end to the brutality by the Israeli Defence Force.
Moses did not turn up to rescue the children of Palestine as he
was caught up in the bureaucratic red tape and the veto of the
United States. The UN is too weak and the European leaders were
pathetic in Jerusalem. They did not mention occupation; they did
not mention condemnation; and they did not mention war crimes
or the breach of international law.
It was Israel that broke the ceasefire
on 4 November last year, when the Israeli Government ordered the
bombing of the Gaza Strip, killing six people. There were 22 days
of cold-blooded murder of 1,300 Palestinians, including hundreds
of children, and injuring more than 5,000, with 26,000 buildings
either damaged or destroyed. Can the Minister say—this has
already been asked—whether Her Majesty’s Government
will support a UN-led investigation into the apparent illegal
use of white phosphorous and uranium against children and therefore
urge the ICC to indict the Israeli Prime Minister and others for
war crimes? Will Her Majesty’s Government urge the EU to
suspend Israel’s special economic and political status in
the light of the reckless and arrogant aggression displayed by
the IDF, despite pleas from the international community?
During the Israeli army’s
assault on Gaza, many UN buildings, such as storage compounds
and schools, have been destroyed. Will Her Majesty’s Government
ask Israel to pay for the damage? Will they support an investigation
into the cost of rebuilding Gaza and, more specifically, make
an assessment of how many buildings—schools, hospitals,
airports and ambulances—donated by the EU taxpayer have
been obliterated by the IDF?
Baroness Tonge:
My Lords, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Foreign Minister,
said that Israel would go wild in Gaza. They certainly did that,
with the USA turning its usual blind eye. The UK and the European
Union have behaved so feebly they were almost colluding in Israel's
actions. Israel carefully excluded the press and media—evidence
of guilt? But the UN, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International
all had people watching what was happening, as well as the Al-Jazeera
cameras.
One charge I wish to make concerns the use of
white phosphorus in residential areas, where many people were
injured by this obscene material. It is a crime. The injuries
sustained by burning phosphorus are horrible and the suffering
is unthinkable. The Israelis also used 155mm shells in residential
areas, able to do damage over a range of 300 metres. Yet, the
Israelis assured us that they were accurately targeting only those
areas with Hamas installations. Really? With a damage range of
300 metres? What lies. Both actions are against international
law; they are war crimes. Many innocent civilians, many little
children, have been killed by these obscenities.
Will the Minister assure us, therefore, that our
Government and the European Union will not be content with Israeli
offers of an inquiry into the behaviour of their military? There
must be an independent investigation through the United Nations
Security Council. Israel stands accused of war crimes, witnessed
by the whole world. What hope for Israel's long-term future now?
see also:
House of Lords delegation to
European Parliament
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