By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 JERUSALEM, Israel/West Bank – As the U.N. General Assembly’s deadline for a second report on the 2008-2009 Gaza War approaches on January 29, both the Israeli government and Hamas party leadership are denying they deliberately targeted citizens during the 22 days of fighting.

 Israel announced that it would release its own report on January 29, responding to allegations of war crimes, made in the investigation by the U.N. Human Rights Council, and was led by South African Judge Richard Goldstone.  The Goldstone Report accused both Israel and Hamas with war crimes and crimes against humanity, citing incidents during which each party’s military forces allegedly targeted civilian populations.  The Goldstone Report also alleged that Israeli forces deliberately targeted humanitarian property, with the intent of completely destroying the Gaza infrastructure and terrorizing the Gaza population.  Finally, the Goldstone Report called upon both the Israeli and Hamas governments to conduct internal investigations into its accusations, and for any war crimes to be tried by the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

 In its anticipated response, Israel is expected to give explanations of Israeli Defense Forces actions in Gaza, without specifically addressing any of the allegations in the Goldstone Report.  Likewise, Hamas has claimed that it only targeted Israeli military installations, and hit civilian buildings “by mistake.”  Human Rights Watch has responded to the Hamas statement, saying it was “belied by the facts,” and that “[c]ivilians were the target…and deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime.”

 Outgoing Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz on January 28 that Israel must conduct an independent internal investigation into the Goldstone Report’s allegations to preserve its legitimacy.

 Mazuz said that although he thought the Goldstone Report was biased, there was a danger of a “Serbianization” of Israel.

 “Therefore I believe that Israel has a clear interest in conducting a serious, expert examination that will deal with the report and produce an opposing report,” said Mazuz.  “It would be a serious mistake not to establish some sort of committee.  We must remove the shame of accusing Israel of being a country that commits war crimes.”

 For more information, please see:

 Ha’aretz – Deadline Nears For Second UN Report on Gaza War – 29 January 2010

 Ha’aretz – Mazuz:  Israel Must Probe Gaza War to Counter Goldstone – 29 January 2010

 Christian Science Monitor – Why Hamas Is Denying It Targeted Civilians in Israel – 28 January 2010

 New York Times – Israel Completing Rebuttal to Goldstone Report – 23 January 2010

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On January 28 the Iranian government hanged two men convicted of being enemies of God (Mohareb). These marked the first executions of protesters wince the protests over the disputed presidential election in June that awarded second term to Iranian President Mahmound Ahmedinejad. The executions of the two men were condemned by both nations around the world and Amnesty International.

Iranian state television reported that Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmani Pour were executed. Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi confirmed the hanging as well. Dolatabadi explained that “they objected to the preliminary sentencing, but the appeals court upheld the verdict and they were hanged (on January 28.” He also said that Zamani and Pour “belonged to the monarchist group Tondar. During their trials they confessed to obtaining explosives and planning to assassinate officials.”

Zamani was among the scores of people who were arrested in the mass protests that followed the election. However, Pour’s lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, denied that her client had anything to do with the post-election riots. Sotoudeh told the Associated Foreign Press that Pour “was arrested in Farvardin (the Iranian month convering March-April) before the election and charged with cooperation with Tondar.”

Sotoudeh explained that Pour was convicted in a show trial in July 2009 and that he confessed to the charges because of threats made against his family. She insists that what her client went through constituted a “show trial.”

Baqer Moin, an Iranian author and journalists, said that the executions were intended to “set an example and frighten some of the people who may shout slogans that are not of the liking of the authorities.” Moin also explains that the executions could be used to head off any possible mass rally that could take place on the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Civil unrest erupted in Iran after the June 12 Presidential election. The opposition insisted that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad won the election through fraud. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets. Dozens of protesters were killed with hundreds being detained. The Iranian government, in response to the protests, insisted that they were were a foreign backed bid to undermine the country’s Islamic system of government.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Iran Hangs First Two Post-Election ‘Rioters’ – 28 January 2010

Al Jazeera – Iran Executes Two Over Poll Unrest – 28 January 2010

AP – Iran Hangs Opposition Activists – 28 January 2010

BBC – Iran ‘Executes Two Over Post-Election Unrest’ – 28 January 2010

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NAA, Yemen – Fighting between Saudi forces and Houthi fighters on the border with Yemen has ended, Saudi officials have said. Prince Khaled bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, said on Wednesday that his forces had achieved a “clear victory over the enemy” on the Yemen-Saudi border.

“They did not withdraw. They have been forced out,” said Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs. Prince Khaled’s statement was the first response from a Senior official after Yemeni rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announced Monday the voluntary withdrawal of his fighters.

Saudi ground forces and warplanes have pounded Houthi militants since the rebels killed a Saudi border guard and infiltrated a string of villages in early November. The fighting which led to fear of wider regional chaos, drew the kingdom into a sporadic 5-year old conflict between insurgents and Yemeni government

The leader of the Houthi rebel group said that his fighters were withdrawing from Saudi Arabia after three months of fighting along the border. Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi offered a ceasefire in a message posted on the Internet on Monday January 24, saying he wanted to prevent further civilian casualties.

Houthi forces entered Saudi Arabia in November after making accusation that the government in Riyadh was aiding the Yemeni in their campaign against the rebels. Fighting between members of the minority Shi’ite Zaydi sect and the state has occurred sporadically since 2004. The rebels accuse the Yemeni government of social, economic and religious marginalization.

Western powers and Yemen’s neighbors fear the growing chaos in the impoverished Arab country could allow al-Qaeda to strengthen its operations there, spreading instability across the region and beyond

For more information, please see:

Arab News – ‘Infiltrators Chased Out of Country’ – 28 January 2010

Al-Jazeera – Saudi-Houthi Border Fighting Ends – 27 Wednesday 2010

Los Angeles Times – Saudis Say Fighting with Yemen Insurgents Ceased – 28 January 2010

BBC News – Saudi Troops ‘Forced Yemen Rebels from Their Soil’ – 27 January 2010

Reuters – Saudi Says Achieved Victory Over Yemen Rebels – 28 January 2010

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On January 25 a series of bombings unleashed minutes apart destroyed landmark Baghdad hotels that cater to foreigners. The triple bombing killed thirty six people and wounded over seventy. Iraqi officials noted that similar attacks took place in August, October and December. The following day a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad. The bombing caused the collapse of a building that belonged to the criminal investigation department of the interior ministry. Eighteen people were killed with another eighty injured.

The January 25 bombings targeted hotels that served foreign journalists and expatriate businessmen. The hotels were to seen house observers of the March 7 parliamentary elections. Iraqi officials suggest that the attack was aimed at affecting international opinion regarding the country’s security. Hazim al-Nuami, a Baghdad-based political analyst, said, “the messages is that Iraq can’t provide security for foreigners.”

The first bomb struck the Ishtar Sheraton at 3:28pm. Three minutes later the second bomb hit the Babylon Hotel. The final bombing took place at 3:37pm and hit the Hamra Hotel. The bombs cut through traffic during rush hour and took off the facade of one hotel. The blasts shook the Iraqi capital and shattered windows miles away from he hotel. Gunfire echoed through the streets as security forces tried to cordon off the bombing scene.

The January 26 bombing claimed the lives of five policemen and thirteen civilians. The attacker was able to evade the tight security that surrounds the central neighborhood of Karrada. Checkpoints are located at all entrances into the neighborhood. Additionally, police conduct regular security searches. Major General Qassim Atta, a spokesman for the Iraqi military in Baghdad, confirmed that the attacker targeted the forensics institute. Atta also said that, “at 10:45am a suicide bomber races his vehicle towards his vehicle towards the institute. The building collapsed soon after the explosion.”

Security officials believe that the bombing was directly related to the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid, more commonly known as Chemical Ali. Majid was executed the day before the bombing of the forensics institute that played a major role in his prosecution. During his trial, Iraqi courts heard testimony that military assaults ordered by Majid were responsible for the deaths of close to one hundred eighty thousand people.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Car Bomb Rocks Iraqi Capital – 26 January 2010

BBC News – Iraq Crime Lab Car Bomber Kills Many in Baghdad – 26 January 2010

Guardian – Suicide Car Bomber Strikes Baghdad Police Forensics Office – 26 January 2010

New York Times – Baghdad Blasts Shatter Sense of Security in Capital – 25 January 2010

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On January 25 a series of bombings unleashed minutes apart destroyed landmark Baghdad hotels that cater to foreigners. The triple bombing killed thirty six people and wounded over seventy. Iraqi officials noted that similar attacks took place in August, October and December. The following day a car bomb exploded in central Baghdad. The bombing caused the collapse of a building that belonged to the criminal investigation department of the interior ministry. Eighteen people were killed with another eighty injured.

The January 25 bombings targeted hotels that served foreign journalists and expatriate businessmen. The hotels were to seen house observers of the March 7 parliamentary elections. Iraqi officials suggest that the attack was aimed at affecting international opinion regarding the country’s security. Hazim al-Nuami, a Baghdad-based political analyst, said, “the messages is that Iraq can’t provide security for foreigners.”

The first bomb struck the Ishtar Sheraton at 3:28pm. Three minutes later the second bomb hit the Babylon Hotel. The final bombing took place at 3:37pm and hit the Hamra Hotel. The bombs cut through traffic during rush hour and took off the facade of one hotel. The blasts shook the Iraqi capital and shattered windows miles away from he hotel. Gunfire echoed through the streets as security forces tried to cordon off the bombing scene.

The January 26 bombing claimed the lives of five policemen and thirteen civilians. The attacker was able to evade the tight security that surrounds the central neighborhood of Karrada. Checkpoints are located at all entrances into the neighborhood. Additionally, police conduct regular security searches. Major General Qassim Atta, a spokesman for the Iraqi military in Baghdad, confirmed that the attacker targeted the forensics institute. Atta also said that, “at 10:45am a suicide bomber races his vehicle towards his vehicle towards the institute. The building collapsed soon after the explosion.”

Security officials believe that the bombing was directly related to the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid, more commonly known as Chemical Ali. Majid was executed the day before the bombing of the forensics institute that played a major role in his prosecution. During his trial, Iraqi courts heard testimony that military assaults ordered by Majid were responsible for the deaths of close to one hundred eighty thousand people.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Car Bomb Rocks Iraqi Capital – 26 January 2010

BBC News – Iraq Crime Lab Car Bomber Kills Many in Baghdad – 26 January 2010

Guardian – Suicide Car Bomber Strikes Baghdad Police Forensics Office – 26 January 2010

New York Times – Baghdad Blasts Shatter Sense of Security in Capital – 25 January 2010