Israel Massacres Gazans, Claims Self-Defense, Its High Court Agrees
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Since Great March of Return peaceful demonstrations began on March 30, Israel massacred 120 Gazans, including 14 children, injuring other 13,000 others, hundreds in serious condition.
The toll keeps mounting, about 50 Palestinians near death, according to health officials. Gazans demonstrated against 11 years of suffocating/illegal blockade – the world community doing nothing to end it.
For weeks, Israel responded to demonstrators with overwhelming bloodshed, despite facing no threat.
Six human rights groups – Adalah, Al Mezan, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) Gisha, Hamoked, and Yesh Din – sued Israel for using lethal force against peacefully demonstrating Gazans.
Israel’s High Court of Justice heard the case in late April – plaintiffs challenging the IDF’s open-fire rules of engagement, calling for it to be struck down as unlawful.
Representing Adalah, attorney Suhad Bishara said “(t)he great majority of those shot were at a distance from the (border). There (was) systematic use of lethal fire with no justification.”
Israel’s High Court ruled otherwise, rejecting the suit, siding with the IDF’s unjustifiable right to massacre Palestinians with impunity.
Justices called use of live fire lawful, claiming demonstrators posed a threat to Israeli soldiers and civilians – a bald-faced lie. They were unarmed, peaceful and nonthreatening.
Late Thursday, an Adalah and Al Mezan statement said the following:
“The Israeli Supreme Court completely ignored the broad factual basis presented to it by the petitioners, which includes multiple testimonies of wounded and reports of international organizations involved in documenting the killing and wounding of unarmed protesters in Gaza.”
The “Court refused to watch video clips, documenting Israeli shootings of demonstrators and, rather than actually examining the case, fully accepted the claims presented to it by the state.”
“The extreme nature of the ruling is also highlighted by the striking absence of any mention of the casualty figures that had been presented to the court.”
“(T)his this ruling, which justifies the shooting of protesters, contradicts the conclusions and preliminary results of international human rights organizations and United Nations bodies documenting and evaluating the events in Gaza.”
“The Supreme Court’s ruling gives full legitimacy to the illegal actions of the Israeli military,” justifying what’s unjustifiable, giving a green light to IDF mass murder at its discretion – actions clearly illegal under international and Israeli law.
High Court President Esther Hayut, Deputy Chief Justice Hanan Melcer and Justice Neal Hendel disgracefully turned truth on its head.
They wrongfully called Hamas and other Strip groups terrorist organizations – mixing terrorists with other demonstrators, claiming soldiers acted under conditions of “armed conflict” – disgraceful bald-faced lies.
Gazans are defenseless civilians threatening no one. Hamas has a military wing, a police force equivalent, for self-defense.
State terrorism reflects longstanding Israeli policy, daily brutality inflicted on Palestinians throughout the territories.
World community failure to hold Israel accountable assures continued high crimes committed against Palestinians – defenseless under ruthless occupation harshness.
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