By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Palestine — Palestine is set to renew a bid to upgrade their status at the United Nations (UN), which could strengthen their position in becoming a recognized state.  The UN General Assembly is expected to pass the resolution, recognizing Palestine as a nonmember observer state on Thursday.  Palestine is currently listed as an “entity” with no voting rights.

Out of the 150 countries expected to support the resolution is France, giving Palestine a boost in their efforts for recognition.  Eleven members of the European Union (EU) are also expected to support the resolution.  Norway and Switzerland are planning to vote for the recognition.

Britain will vote for the resolution only if it receives assurances from Palestine that it will not use the recognition to attack Israel through the international judicial system.  Britain seeks public commitments “that the Palestinian Authority would not take advantage of the resolution to act against Israel in the international court in The Hague and that it would commit to immediately renewing peace talks without preconditions.”  It has yet to receive these assurances.  “The first [assurance] is that the Palestinian Authority should indicate a clear commitment to return immediately to negotiations without preconditions” said British Foreign Secretary William Hague in a message to Parliament.  “The second assurance relates to membership of other specialized UN agencies and action in the International Criminal Court.”

Germany and the Czech Republic also plan to vote for the recognition, but only if Palestine makes the assurances Britain demands.

Initially, Palestinian officials refused to make such assurances, but may change their tone if it means additional support.  Palestine officials believe that ICC accession is a discussion that can be held at a later date.  “It’s not for any country to get the Palestinians to relinquish their rights.  And if Israel is innocent, it has nothing to fear from the court,” said Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive.  Ashrawi considers the vote to be a “last ditch effort” in recognition.  “We believe that the two-state solution is in jeopardy because of [Israeli] actions.  We want to ensure that the world is still committed to the establishment of a sovereign viable democratic free Palestinian state to interact as an equal,” said Ashrawi.

Countries that do not support the move include Israel, the United States, Canada, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands.

Knesset member Ahmad Tibi believes that the Palestinian’s bid will be successful, and will change future negotiations between it and Israel.  “The future political situation will be completely different for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu… Netanyahu will not meet with [Palestinian] President Abu Mazen (Abbas) to take photos only,” he said.  Tibi considers the vote a “defining moment in the history of the Palestinian people.”

For further information, please see:

Haaretz — In Historice Vote, UN set to Award Palestinians Observer Status — 29 November 2012

Ma’an News Agency — Tibi: UN bid Will Change Future Negotiations — 29 November 2012

Al Arabiya — Global Support Grows for Palestinian UN bid — 28 November 2012

Al Jazeera — Palestinians to Renew UN Statehood bid — 28 November 2012

 

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian opposition is alleging that the Syrian government used a cluster bomb recently in an attack that killed ten children on a playground. After a lull in fighting, children were allowed outside for a rare moment of leisure on Sunday. That’s when the fighter jets began to bomb the area.

Deir al-Assafir recorded the aftermath of the attack in a video posted on YouTube. In that video, a woman stands over the body of a young child and curses Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and asks why the child had to die. The video opens by panning over what appear to be two bodies of little girls on the playground then shows two more bodies in a car. Viewers then see adults carrying what appear to be limp bodies of more children. One girl sits on the ground crying until an adult comes and picks her up. The video has spread rapidly over social media sites.

Alexia Jade, a spokeswoman for the opposition-run Damascus Media Office, said residents in Deir al-Assafir believe the attack was a retaliation effort on the part of the government for rebels taking over a nearby military airport. Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said it’s unclear what exactly happened or what the motivation was behind the attack.

“None of those killed were older than 15 years old. There are two women among 15 people wounded, mostly hit as they were inside the courtyards of their houses,” Abu Kassem, an activist in the village told Reuters news agency.

“There were no fighters inside Deir al-Asafir when the bombing occurred. They operate on the outskirts. This was indiscriminate bombing.”

According to al Jazeera reporter, Rula Amin, reporting from Beirut, “The residents in the village insist there was a lull in fighting. It’s a village controlled by the opposition. They believe the government was doing this as a vengeance act as the rebels have been making significant advances around that area, in the eastern part of Damascus, taking control of more areas.”

Activists claim cluster bombs were used in the attack on the playground, but this allegation has not been verified. Videos showed a row of what seemed to be unexploded small bombs, not necessarily cluster bombs.

Activists say at least 3,000 children are among more than 38,000 people killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime began in March last year.

 

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Syrian Children ‘Killed by Cluster Bombs’ – 26 Nov. 2012

BBC – Syria Cluster Bomb ‘Kills Ten Children’ – 26 Nov. 2012

CNN – Opposition Says Shelling Kills Ten Children in Syria – 26 Nov. 2012

Gulf News – ‘Air raid kills 10 children near Damascus’ – 26 Nov. 2012

 

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — Last Thursday, Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi issued a controversial decree banning judicial challenges to his decisions, thereby nearly seizing near-absolute powers.  The decree was met with heavy criticism, mostly from his opponents, who have held heavy protests throughout Egypt since his announcement.  They have called the decree a “sudden snatch of sweeping powers.”

The decree also extends the work of the constituent assembly drafting Egypt’s constitution by eight weeks, in what is seen as a compromise between Islamists and other representatives as they work together to settle differences in determining the constitution.  Mursi’s office said that it hopes the extension provides enough time for the political groups involved to find “common ground.”

Responding to the criticism, Yasser Ali, an aide to Mursi, said that the decree was limited to “sovereignty-related issues,”  yet Mursi’s opponents believe otherwise.

In an effort to quell the turmoil created by the decree, Mursi met with the Supreme Judiciary Council last Monday in a five hour meeting.  The Judiciary Council had also criticized the decree, calling it an assault on the branch’s independence.  The decree prevents any judiciary body from dissolving the constitutional assembly.  To protest the decree, many judges and prosecutors refused to come to court in Cairo and other cities during Sunday and Monday.

Meanwhile, protests throughout Egypt turned violent as pro and anti-Mursi demonstrators clashed with one another, leaving one protester dead and hundreds wounded.  The Muslim Brotherhood planned to hold a rival rally this Tuesday, but cancelled it in an effort to ease public tension.  The opposition will continue with their protests on Tuesday.

Among Mursi’s critics is Nobel Laureate Mohammed ElBaradei, who called Mursi Egypt’s new pharaoh, and has recently branded him as a God.  “Morsi today usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt’s new pharaoh.  A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences,” said ElBaradei in a Twitter post.

Tharwat el-Kherbawy, a lawyer and former Muslim Brotherhood member, called those who accepted the decrees “slaves,” and his supporters “mutants.”  Referring to the decree, el-Kherbawy said it was “not permissible for Mursi to make himself like a God.”

Amr Hamzawy, a liberal member of the dissolved parliament, said that the decree is a sign that Egypt was heading toward “an absolute presidential tyranny.”

The decree drew warnings from the West, who urged Mursi to uphold democracy.

Mursi says that his decisions were “necessary to protect the revolution that toppled Mubarak nearly two years ago and to cement the nation’s transition to democratic rule.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Egypt’s Morsi Stands by Decree — 26 November 2012

BBC News — Egypt Crisis: Mohammed Mursi Tries to Defuse Tension — 26 November 2012

Al Bawaba — Morsi’s Power-Bender Reminds Egypt That Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely — 25 November 2o12

Al Ahram — Morsi Rocks the Boat — 23 November 2012

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza – Hamas’ deputy leader, Mousa Abu Marzook, has publicly criticized the executions of six individuals who were allegedly “caught red-handed” in collaborating with Israel on Tuesday. Marzook declared his disdain for the killings through a post on the popular social media website, Facebook.

Marzook was not against the killing of the six individuals as much as he was promoting the use of law and expressing anger towards vigilantism. He stated that, “[w]e endorse punishments to spies and especially to those who took part in the death of our commander and undermine our resistance but they should only be punished by law.”

He added that, “[t]he way these collaborators were killed and the images after their death are totally unacceptable and those responsible must be indicted.”

Ultimately, it was Hamas’ military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam, who claimed responsibility for the executions. It was said that the six men were caught using hi-tech equipment to film Palestinian military positions. They were alleged to have given Israel intelligence regarding Palestinian fighters and rocket launching locations.

The six informants were not shot on sight by the four gunmen, but rather murdered as a demonstration in the streets of Gaza City. Salim Mahmoud, a local of the Sheik Radwan neighborhood, watched as the six men were ousted from a van and made to lie face down in the street before they were each shot. One of the dead bodies was then connected to a motorcycle and dragged through the streets for all to see.

Twenty-four-year-old local bystander Ashraf Maher believes that, “[t]hey should have been killed in a more brutal fashion so others don’t even think about working with the occupation (Israel).”

Once these six men were caught there was little doubt that they were going to be killed whether it be by court sanction or not. Palestinians have become used to such killings. The public killing of informants has been the regular practice in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank since the First Intifada in the late 1980s.

The last time Israel held an offensive against Gaza was four years ago, and seventeen collaborators were unlawfully shot and killed. Since then, four other informants were sentenced to death by firing squad, and many more wait on death row in Gaza.

For further information, please see:

Jerusalem Post – Hamas Leader Decries Killing of Alleged Spies – 21 November 2012

Y Net News – Hamas Official Criticized Execution of Suspected Collaborators – 21 November 2012

Daily Mail – Six Israeli ‘Spies’ Executed Before Baying mob in Gaza City, Before Motorbike Gang Drags one Bloodied Victim Through the Streets – 20 November 2012

Haaretz – Hamas Executes 6 Suspected Israel Collaborators – 20 November 2012

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East Desk

JERUSALEM, Israel – Egyptian President Mohammed Morsy said today that “The travesty of the Israel aggression on Gaza will end in a few hours.” Israel has not confirmed any plans to cease it’s operations.

It’s been over seven days since the exchange of rocket fire began and the number of rockets fired and casualties has been increasing. At least ninety-four Palestinians and three Israelis have died since last Wednesday, including nine members of a Gaza family apparently killed by mistake. Attacks Tuesday showed that there was no sign of either side slowing down.

According to Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal, morale in Gaza was high despite Israel’s response and that anyone who attacked Palestinians would be “buried.” He went on to praise those he considers “resistance fighters” and said Hamas politicians fully supported them.

“We do not want escalation nor do we call for a ground war,” Meshaal told reporters at a news conference. “But we are not afraid of it nor will we back down.”

The Arab League met in an emergency session in Cairo this past Sunday and planned to send a delegation of foreign ministers to Gaza Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he was ready to expand the operation, even after Israel mobilized around 75,000 reservists.

However, Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi will not tolerate any ground invasion from Israel, saying that an Israeli ground operation in Gaza would have “serious repercussions.” He said Egypt would never accept it “and neither will the free world.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arrived in Cairo Monday night to see what he could do to encourage truce talks. His arrival comes hours after Egypt’s intelligence chief gave an Israeli delegation a letter from Hamas, outlining its conditions for a cease-fire. Tuesday, Ban Ki-Moon visited Jerusalem to promote a cease-fire. He was among those who had to take cover after a rocket was fired into Jerusalem. That rocket did not reach Jerusalem, but it did strike an open area in  Palestinian village, according to the IDF’s twitter.

Both President Barack Obama and Israeli President Shimon Peres agreed that the first step toward ending hostilities is for militants to end all rocket attacks on Israel. U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is on her way to the region.

Clinton will “meet with regional leaders, beginning with our Israeli partners, to consult on the situation in Gaza,” said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security director.

He said the visits are supposed to support the “de-escalation of the violence and a durable outcome that ends the rocket attacks on Israeli cities and restores broader calm in the region.”

“They can stop any suffering in one second,” Peres said. “Stop shooting and that’s it.”

For more information, please see:

Egypt Independent – Morsy: Israel to End Aggression Tuesday – 20 Nov. 2012

JPost – Clinton to Arrive in Israel, Push for Cease-fire – 20 Nov. 2012

CNN-  No Slowdown in Gaza-Israel Hostilities; U.N. Chief Arrives to Push for Cease-fire – 19 Nov. 2012

BBC – Gaza Crisis: Deaths Soar Amid Fresh Israeli Strikes – 19 Nov. 2012