A Voice for the Voiceless

New exchange of violence in Gaza

        New Internal fighting between Hamas and Fatah broke out Sunday, May 13, killing 50 Palestinians in Gaza.  In addition, military exchanges between Hamas and Israel occurred throughout the week.  In total, 38 Palestinians died this past week as a result of Israeli air strikes; 25 were militants and 13 were civilians.  In contrast, one Israeli has died this week as a result of the Qassam rocket attacks. 

       On Monday, May 21, a rocket killed an Israeli woman in the town of Sderot in southern Israel.  She was the first Israeli death from a rocket since November 2006.  In addition to the death, 16 Israelis have been injured this past week as a result of rocket attacks.  Many of Sderot’s residents have left the town and sought refuge in Jerusalem.

        In addition to trading missile fire, both Israel and Hamas have traded harsh words and threats.  Both parties have refused to negotiate a cease fire.  Hamas rejected Abbas’ call to stop firing rockets and return ti the cease-fire agreement in place prior to the recent outbreak in fighting; as Israeli air strikes continue.  In addition to continuing military action, Israel has vowed to widen their list of targets to include Hamas’ poltical leaders, such as Palestinian Prime Minister Haniya.  On Wednesday, May 23, senior Israeli officials stated tha hte military will target terrorist infrastructure within Gaza, effectively rejecting the notion that a unilateral cease-fire by Hama will divert any increase in military action in Gaza. 

        During an Israeli security cabinet meeting on Sunday, May 20, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert authorized the military to take action against Hamas leaders in the West Bank, as well as Gaza.  Then late-Wednesday and early Thursday, May 23 and 24, raids occurred throughout the Westbank, where over 30 Hamas officials were arrested/  Chief among the arrested was the Palestinian Education Minister, Naser el-Deen al Shaer.  Also arrested were three parliament members, a top official in the PA Interior Ministery, and hte mayors of Nablus, Kalkilya, Bidya, and El-Bireh.  In addition to the arrest, the IDF also shut down 10 Hamas offices in towns throughout the West Bank, including Jenin, Ramallah, Nablus, and Bethlehem. 

        While a fragile cease-fice exists between Hamas and Fatah since last Sunday, no resolution to this new violence between Israel and Hamas is in sight.  By the actions and words of the parties, neither seem willing to negotiate and it appears as though both parties are set to destroy the other. 

 

For more information, please see:

BBC:  “Israel hits Hamas politician home”   21 May 2007.

BBC:  “Israel strikes at Hamas in Gaza”    23 May 2007.

BBC:  “Militants reject Gaza truce call”   24 May 2007.

ME Times:  “Abbas calls for truce, Israel seizes Hamas officials”  24 May 2007.

Al-Jazeera:  “Israel arrests 30 Hamas officials”  24 May 2007.

CNN:  “More wounded as Israel steps up strikes against Hamas”  24 May 2007.

Jerusalem Post:  “500 Sderot residents find temporary peace in Jerusalem”  24 May 2007. 

Jerusalem Post:  “Hamas threatens to up resistence”  24 May 2007.

Jerusalem Post:  “IDF arrests Hamas education minister”  24 May 2007.

Landmark Trial for the ICC in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch, Africa

The ICC is a permanent court created in 2002 to provide for international justice. The ICC is independent from the United Nations and has international jurisdiction. Since 2002, the ICC has investigated the conflict in northern Uganda, “resource-fueled” battles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Moreover, the ICC recently announced a new investigation into the violence occuring in the Central African Republic.

The Congolese government asked the ICC in 2004, to investigate the atrocities that took place during the Second Congolese War, the five year conflict that ended in 2003, and killed four million people. In Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolose warlord named Thomas Lubanga, became ICC’s prime suspect. He is responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers to fight in his militia. In January 2006, the ICC submitted an arrest warrant for Lubanga, and within two months the Democratic Republic of Congo handed Lubanga over to the court. Lubanga’s arrest marks ICC’s first prosecutorial trial.

The ICC faces certain logistic and security battles to obtain suspects for trial. Since the ICC has no enforcement or marshall service, it is often powerless to act on its warrants. For example, in 2005, the ICC charged five Ugandan rebel commanders with crimes against humanity but have since been unable to arrest the men. Furthermore, the ICC has many international critics, who believe that ICC warrants undermine peace efforts in hostile regions. Others believe that concerns of poor infrastructure and poverty present grave problems in the region and should be concurrently addressed with the court’s actions.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo – ICC Path to Justice Tested in Congo – May 2007

Amnesty International – Amnesty Report Says Rights Situation in Africa Remains Dire – May 2007

Ban on Rallies

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch, Africa

The Zimbabwe police have placed a ban on opposition rally in an effort to halt a series of “disturbances”. The government claims the ban is in effect to protect the people and officers form looting and bombing. Recent crackdown has been focused on the chief political opposition group, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, has termed the group, puppets of the British monarchy.

The rise in rallies and violence were led by renewed criticism from West concerning the present state of the country’s economy and claims of human rights violations. Zimbabwe has an inflation rate at more than 3,700 percent, unemployment at 80 percent, and a shortening and scarce food supply.

Initially the government placed the ban prohibiting political rallies and demonstration in parts of the capital Harare for three month due to the country’s state of emergency, that ban expired on May 20. However, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has reported that the government has elected to extend the ban for another month for the city of Mbare, where a police camp was bombed.

The MDC has filed a court petition against the first ban; however the court has yet to review the claim.

For more information please see:

Yahoo – Zimbabwe extends ban on protests, rallies in Harare – 24 May 2007

Yahoo – Zimbabwe police slap new ban on opposition rallies – 24 May 2007

Amnesty International Report on Africa

By Impunity Watch Africa

Amnesty International has recently released their 2007 report on Africa.  Amnesty reports that the human rights situation remained precarious throughout the region in 2006.  Armed conflict, under-development, extreme poverty, widespread corruption, inequitable distribution of resources, political repression, marginalization, ethnic and civil violence, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic have all contributed to the undermining of human rights throughout the region.  While armed conflict on the whole decreased, many countries continue to be affected by it and as a result there are millions of refugees and internally displaced people.  Extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture and other ill-treatment is still occurring across the region.

Amnesty’s report provides further detailed information on armed conflicts, economic, social, and cultural rights, repression of dissenters, the death penalty, impunity, violence against women and girls, and regional institutions and human rights.

For the full report, please see:

Amnesty International – Amnesty International Report – May 2007

Thousands Flee Lebanese Camps

         The fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah Al-Islam which began on Sunday has temporarily stopped, and thousands of Palestinian refugees seized the opportunity to flee from the refugee camp, Nahr al-Bared.

        The conflict has rendered the camp almost unlivable. Many in the camp have lost electricity, running water, and drinking water. Already 15,000 residents (of the 40,000 residents) have fled to Beddawi, where they have moved in with relatives, or have filled up schools designated by the United Nations for them. The Lebanese army could not enter the camp because of a previous agreement, they had to shell Fatah Al-Islam from outside the camp leading to less targeted warefare and more civilian casualties. One citizen reported to a Reuters reporter, “It’s mass destruction in there. The dead people are strewn on the streets. Nobody is picking them up.” The fighting has killed 32 Lebanese soldiers, 27 civilians, and between 22 and 60 militants.   

        The fighting does not seem to have an end in sight.  The silence is not an official truce, but rather a lull in the conflict to allow the wounded and endangered to flee. The nation’s instability since the assassination of Rafik Hariri has allowed the area to become prime recruiting grounds for the Fatah al-Islam and similar insurgency groups. The Lebanese military told the insurgent group that they will not negotiate with them and instead with “eliminate the Fatah al-Islam phenomenon.” Al-Jazeera. Fatah’s second in command, Abu Midian, has been killed in the conflict, yet the group has vowed to fight on.

Al-Jazeera: Lebanon refugees talk to Al-Jazeera. 23 May 2007.

Al-Jazeera: Lebanon truce lasts just minutes. 23 May 2007.

Al-Jazeera: Protests in Lebanon refugee camps. 23 May  2007.

Reuters: Palestinians Flee after Truce in Lebanon. 23 May 2007.

BBC World: Thousands Flee Lebanon Violence. 23 May 2007.

Human Rights Watch: Lebanon:Fighting at Refugee Camp Kills Civilians. 23 May 2007.