FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)Israel’s blockade of Gaza has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, Amnesty International said in its annual report.
“Mass unemployment, extreme poverty, food insecurity and food price rises caused by shortages left four in five Gazans dependent on humanitarian aid,” said the 2010 report, released Thursday. “The scope of the blockade and statements made by Israeli officials about its purpose showed that it was being imposed as a form of collective punishment of Gazans, a flagrant violation of international law.”
The report also accused Israel of “war crimes and other serious breaches of international law” during the Gaza war that ended on Jan. 18, 2009. Amnesty International criticized Israel for not cooperating with the Goldstone Commission’s investigation of the conflict and said that “The Israeli authorities did not establish any independent or impartial investigation into the conduct of its forces during Operation ‘Cast Lead,’ ” although there were a number of internal investigations.
In criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians living in the West Bank, the report citied unlawful detentions, house demolitions and the expansion of Jewish settlements.
The United States and some European Union countries were accused of thwarting the imposition of international justice by vetoing U.N. Security Council resolutions taking Israel to task for alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza war.
Responding to the report, the U.S. State Department said it supported accountability for international violations committed during the Gaza war.
“As we have said, the responsibility to address alleged abuses during the Gaza conflict lies with the Israelis and the Palestinians,” the State Department said in a statement.
Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, told the Jerusalem Post that the Amnesty report “repeated discredited allegations and distorted human rights rhetoric used to target Israel.”
“Accusations of ‘war crimes,’ ‘indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against civilians’ and ‘target[ing] and kill[ing] medical staff’ are made without any credible evidence and reflect the ideological bias that determines the content of Amnesty publications on Israel.”
Jordanian and Israeli Paramedics Train Together
Jordanian and Israeli paramedic students are training together for the first time.
Fifteen Jordanian students spent the past academic year at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba as part of the Israeli-Jordanian Academic Emergency Medicine Collaboration.
The three-year program, taught in English and Arabic, will allow Jordanian paramedics to obtain the same high level of emergency medical training as their Israeli counterparts, allowing them to respond more effectively to crises and natural disasters.
“Experts say it’s just a matter of time before a major earthquake hits the region,” said Ronni Strongin, spokeswoman for American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “This will help train a joint response team.”
Israel’s Magen David Adom and Jordan’s Red Crescent, as well as both governments, have sanctioned the program. In a region where collaboration with Israel is often shunned, project organizers note the cooperation characterizing the program, the result of more than a decade of negotiations.
The Israeli partners credit Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid, president of the Jordan Red Crescent, for his key role in advancing the program. As the former head of the International Red Cross, Al-Hadid chaired the conference that admitted Israel into that world body.
Until now, Al-Hadid said, Jordan sent its students to Australia or the United States, the only other two countries that provide emergency medical response training at the bachelor’s degree level.
“We were very impressed with the level of expertise demonstrated in Israel,” he told Ben-Gurion University officials. “And when you see something that is working for others, you want to have the best for your own people.”
Gaza Attack Foiled
Israeli troops prevented three Palestinians from carrying out a terrorist attack near the border with Gaza.
At least seven Palestinians reportedly were wounded Thursday evening when Israel’s Air Force fired at three Palestinians planting explosives near the fence, close to Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Ynet reported.
The Palestinians reportedly were taking advantage of heavy fog to carry out their mission.
Following the foiling of the attack, several mortar shells were fired from Gaza at the area, according to Ynet.