GENEVA, Switzerland – For the second time in two months, the UN Security Council was unable to agree on a statement condemning violence and unrest in the Middle East.  On March 6, the US prepared a statement, which carries less weight than a formal resolution, condemning a day of violence that included an attack at a seminary in Jerusalem.

Libya opposed the statement, believing that it should be more balanced and that it should also condemn Israel’s recent operation in Gaza.  Libya’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, said the attack on the school was no different than Israeli military offensives against militants in Gaza.  He said that “when we have to condemn the killing of the Israeli civilians, we also have to look at what’s happening in Gaza.”

Israel stated that no comparison could be made between the two events.  Dan Gillerman, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nation, said that the attack on the seminary was not an act of retaliation, but rather “these people have been terrorizing Israel for years, have been carrying out suicide bombings and indiscriminate attacks for years.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Arye Merkel, echoed Gillerman’s statement, by saying that there’s a major difference between the attack on the seminary and Israel’s operation in Gaza. He said, “We attack terrorists and unfortunately in a situation of war it happens that some civilians are also hurt. They attacked civilians only.  Today it was a school, the other day it was a hospital, and then another school.”

For more information, please see:
The Associate Press – Libya Blocks UN from Condemning Violence – 7 March 2008

CNN – Libya Blocks UN Condemnation of Jerusalem Seminary Attack – 7 March 2008

By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq –  As a result of the sectarian violence in Iraq, the U.S. has made efforts to promote Sunni-run security forces.  During the spring of 2007, the U.S. government recruited more than 80,000 former Sunni resistance fighters to form a new group, the Sahwa.  The group is also known as “The Awakening Council.”

Sahwa was formed to battle al Qaeda in Iraq.  Sahwa works with U.S. and Iraqi forces to increase security across Iraq.

The motives for joining Sahwa vary.  Many joined as a rejection of al Qaeda’s extremism.  For many Sunnis, having a counterweight to the Shia controlled Iraqi government is also motivation.  And the $300 monthly salary also serves as a great incentive.

The Sunni dominated groups form a counterbalance to the primarily Shiite run Iraqi government.  The relationship between Sahwa and the Iraqi government is delicate and many disagreements arise.

Sahwa forces have accused the police chief of Diyala province Ghanim al-Qureyshi of allowing Shia militiamen and death squads to operate with impunity against Sunnis.

Tensions rose in early February when men dressed in Iraqi security personnel uniforms kidnapped two women.  Their naked bodies were found later.

After the incident with the two women, Sahwa gave Qureyshi a deadline to apologize and to arrest those responsible.  When the deadline passed without an apology, Sahwa stopped working and held demonstrations protesting Qureyshi.

“We hereby declare suspension of all co-operation with U.S. military, Iraqi security forces and the local government,” Abu Abdullah, spokesman for the Awakening Council in Diyala province announced after the deadline passed.

Hundreds of Sahwa members closed their offices and held demonstrations in Baquba, a city 40 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.  The Iraqi government then promised to investigate the incident with the two women and the Sahwa went back to work.

Shortly thereafter, Sahwa again stopped work in protest, accusing the government security forces of further attacks against Sunnis.  Sahwa then cut all ties with the government and U.S. forces and left their security posts.

But on March 1, the government met most of Sahwa’s demands and Sahwa members returned to their posts.  The Iraqi government’s accommodating stance in regards to Sahwa forces underscores the group’s growing influence in Iraq.

The group’s increased influence in security roles has almost made them a third security force in the country, alongside the Iraqi army and the police.  As their influence continues to grow, the tensions between Sahwa and the Iraqi government have become more pronounced.

General Mahdi Subeih from the interior ministry told the Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper in London that “the rebellion by some of the members of the Awakening Councils and the confrontations that erupted between them and the security forces reveal the depth of the chasm between the two sides.”

For more information, please see:
Middle East Online – Iraq: Did the Surge Work? – 7 March 2008

Uruknet.info – IRAQ: Sahwa Forces Challenge Govt, and Win – 5 March 2008

Middle East Times – Top US Military Official Visits Iraq Rebel Stronghold – 3 March 2008

The Independent – The Turkish Invasion Could Destroy a Unified Iraq – 27 February 2008

Christian Science Monitor – Rift threatens U.S. antidote to Al Qaeda in Iraq – 13 February 2008

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

LONDON, United Kingdom – On March 6, a coalition of eight UK humanitarian and human rights groups released a report detailing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.   Amnesty International Oxfam, CARE International UK, and other groups prepared the report, titled “The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion.”  The groups claimed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is the worst since 1967, when the Israel occupation began.

The report criticizes Israel’s blockade as collective punishment and therefore illegal under international law.  Also, it states that the recent blockade has resulted in higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and threatens Gaza’s internal infrastructure.

According to the report, over 80 percent of 1.5 million Gaza residents rely on humanitarian aid and nearly 1.1 million are dependent on food aid.  In addition, nearly 40 percent of Gazans are unemployed and by the end of the year, unemployment will reach 50 percent.  In the past six months 3,500 of the 3,900 factories in Gaza have closed, which resulted in the loss of 75,000 of the 110,000 jobs in the private sector.

The increase in poverty and unemployment are just two problems highlighted in the  report.  Other concerns include: hospital power outages; inability to deliver humanitarian aid, including cooking fuel and food; failing water and sewage treatment systems; failing schools; and restriction of movement.

While the report recognizes that “Israel has the right and obligation to protect its citizens,” it claims that Israel’s blockade has been ineffective in securing its country and imposes collective punishment on the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in Gaza.  Amnesty UK Director Kate Allen stated that “punishing the entire Gazan population by denying them these basic human rights is utterly indefensible.”

Also, the groups argue that the Israeli blockade and the international embargo against Gaza is detrimental to the peace process.  The report quotes Karen Konig Abu Zayd, the head of the UN Relief Works Agency, as saying that “hungry, unhealthy, angry communities do not make good partners for peace.”

The Chief Executive of CARE International UK, Geoffrey Dennis, said “unless the blockade ends now, it will be impossible to pull Gaza back from the brink of this disaster and any hopes for peace in the region will be dashed.”

In addition, the report urges “UK government and EU to abandon the failing policy of non-engagement and begin political dialogue with all Palestinian parties,” including Hamas.  Daleep Mukarji of Chistian Aid stated that “Gaza cannot become a partner for peace unless Israel, Fatah and the Quartet engage with Hamas and give the people of Gaza a future.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded to the report by saying that it was misdirected.  Instead of placing the blame on Israel, Major Peter Lerner, an Israeli spokesman, stated that “the main responsibility for events in Gaza… is the Hamas organization, to which all complaints should be addressed.”

Ha’aretz reports that NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based watchdog, “called on human rights groups to end what it called their political use of international law.”  NGO Monitor claims that an Amnesty press release made “unsubstantiated accusations” that the Israeli military acted “with reckless disregard for civilian life.”

Gerald Steinberg, the Executive Director of NGO Monitor, said: “NGOs and human rights groups must end their irresponsible and immoral use of legal rhetoric.  False claims of disproportionate force and collective punishment by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch make a mockery of international law.”

For the report, please see:
The Gaza Strip: A Humanitarian Implosion

For more information, please see:
BBC – Gaza Situation “Worst Since 1967” – 6 March 2008

The Daily Star – British Aid Groups Sound Alarm for Gaza, Urge Engagement with Hamas – 6 March 2008

The Guardian – Sanctions Causing Gaza to Implode, Say Rights Groups – 6 March 2008

Ha’aretz – Rights Groups: Gaza Humanitarian Situation Worst Since 1967 – 6 March 2008

Telegraph – Human Crisis in Gaza “is Worst for 40 Years” – 6 March 2008

Yedioth – Amnesty: Situation in Gaza Worst Since 1967 – 6 March 2008

JERUSALEM, Israel – On March 6, a gunman infiltrated the Mercaz Harav yeshiva, a Jewish seminary, in Western Jerusalem and opened fire.  A witness stated that he heard both single and automatic gunfire, which lasted for about ten minutes.  Eli Dein, the director of Israel’s rescue service, said “there are at least seven killed and 10 people wounded.”  Paramedics said that some of them are in serious-to-critical condition.

Yitzhak Dadon, a student, stated that he waited on the roof of a nearby building and was armed with a rifle.  Dadon said that the gunman “came out of the library spraying automatic fire” and when “the terrorist came to the entrance and I shot him twice in the head.”

Initially there was some confusion surrounding the facts of the incident.  Jerusalem police commander Aharon Franco corrected initial reports claiming that there were two gunmen.  Shmuel Ben Ruby, a police spokesman, stated that it appeared that the gunman was wearing an explosives vest.  However, the vest was a belt was holding extra ammunition.

Yedioth News reports that the Galilee Freedom Brigades, an Israeli-Arab group, claimed responsibility for the attack.  Israeli media reports that the gunman was a resident of East Jerusalem.

In addition, after hearing news of the attack, Gazan residents fired rifles in celebration.  Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas official, called the operation “heroic” and stated that it was “a natural reaction to the Zionist massacre.”

For more information, please see:
The Associated Press – Jerusalem Seminary Attacked, 7 Dead – 6 March 2008

BBC – Gunmen Kill Eight at Israel School – 6 March 2008

Reuters – Palestinian Gunmen Kill 8 in Jerusalem Jewish School – 6 March 2008

Yedioth News – 8 Killed in Jerusalem Terror Attack – 6 March 2008

By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD-Iraq—Two former high ranking Shiite government officials charged with the kidnapping and killing of scores of Sunnis were released on March 3 for lack of evidence.

Former Deputy Health Minister, Hakim al-Zamili, and the ministry’s former Head of Security, Brig-Gen Hamid al-Shammari, were accused of orchestrating the death squads that killed Sunni Arabs.  They were charged on five counts of murder and five counts of kidnapping.

The two men denied that they allowed the death squads to use ambulances and hospitals to carry out the attacks.

The fact that the case had been brought against these officials was originally viewed as a step forward for Iraq’s judicial system, but problems arose soon after it began.  The trial court sent the case back to the investigative court three times, asked for more information, and delayed the case when witnesses failed to appear.

American officials then produced evidence that one of the judges on the panel had promised to find the defendants not guilty.  He was replaced by a senior judge.  Witnesses that did appear later contradicted their testimony.  One witness testified against al-Zamili in October before recanting his testimony on March 3.  The witness said he had “misspoken” in his earlier testimony because he was weak from fasting for Ramadan.

On March 3, two days into the trial, the prosecutor asked the court to dismiss the charges against al-Zamili and al-Shammari for lack of evidence.  The court dismissed the charges, leaving U.S. officials stunned and raised concerns about Iraqi officials’ willingness to act against sectarian violence.  The independence of the Iraqi judiciary was also questioned.

Families of the victims were outraged by the decision.

“It’s a travesty, an absolute travesty of justice,” said Ali al-Safaar.   Al-Safaar’s father, a deputy health minister, was kidnapped from his home after preparing a report on corruption that identified Zamili. “How can 13 murder cases and kidnappings and corruption be dealt with in two days?”

Zamili and al-Shammari are followers of the anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has recently won praise from U.S. officials for ordering his militia to abstain from violence.

Saleem Abdullah, a member of Parliament and a spokesman for Tawafiq, the main Sunni bloc, questioned whether the U.S. did not push the Iraqi government for a fair trial for fear of angering al-Sadr.

“Maybe because Sadr recently froze the Mahdi Army, they are trying not to criticize or provoke him,” Abdullah said, referring to Sadr’s recent decision to extend a cease-fire for six more months.

For more information, please see:
BBC – Iraq Drops ‘Death Squad’ Charges – 4 March 2008

New York Times – Charges Are Dropped Against 2 Shiite Ex-Officials Accused in Sectarian Killings – 4 March 2008

Times – Iraqi ‘Death Squad Chiefs’ freed – 4 March 2008

UPI – Iraq Drops Sunni Death Case For Shiites – 4 March 2008

Washington Post – Case Is Dropped Against Shiites In Sunni Deaths – 4 March 2008

Reuters – Terrorism Charges Dropped Against Ex-Iraqi Officials – 3 March 2008