Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel over Gaza drones

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Missile-firing Israeli drones unlawfully killed at least 29 Palestinian civilians during the Gaza Strip war, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

If Israel Knowingly fired missiles at civilian targets then they should pay for it ! But all the Evidence points the other Direction !


Despite having advanced surveillance equipment, drone operators failed to exercise proper caution "as required by the laws of war" in verifying their targets were combatants, the New York-based monitoring group said, issuing a 39-page report that described six alleged strikes by remote-controlled aircraft.

For one , They seem to Know a little about the Surveillance Capabilities of the Israeli drone operators , if so would they not Know about their Missile firing capabilities ? if this is the case why do they need surveillance video to prove their point ( Or Non point )

Israel has a fleet of spy drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but refuses to confirm or deny widespread beliefs that some of the aircraft also carry weapons.

The military cast doubt on Human Rights Watch's research methods -- a criticism echoed by some independent experts -- and, in a statement, asserted that all Israeli actions "conform to international law, as do the weapons and munitions used."

Israel launched its December-January offensive to counter rocket fire from Hamas-ruled Gaza, and has since weathered foreign censure over the killing of some 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians, during the fighting.
Human Rights Watch based its findings primarily on debris from Israeli-made Spike missiles, which it said are fired from drones. The report also called on Israel to publish drone surveillance footage, to show how targets were identified.
Asked how it was possible to know that the Spikes in question had been fired by drones rather than these other means, Marc Garlasco, Human Rights Watch's senior military analyst, cited the corroboration of Palestinians who said they had seen or heard the pilotless planes.

The rest goes on to disprove in many ways how it is difficult to tell whether they were drones or not ,Especially since a couple of the Attacks were at night !
Maybe Human rights watch needs to look at "Real" human rights violations in the world , Like al Shabaab and the Taliban cutting of peoples hands and feet !or the blowing up of schools or randomly launching unguided Missiles into another country , then trying to make an example of a country defending itself !

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