Are you against bio chemical weapons ?
Israel has acknowledged for the first time that it attacked Hezbollah targets during the second Lebanon war with phosphorus shells. White phosphorus causes very painful and often lethal chemical burns to those hit by it, and until recently Israel maintained that it only uses such bombs to mark targets or territory.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/777549.html
CNN
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JERUSALEM (CNN) — The international group Human Rights Watch is accusing Israel of firing weapons containing white phosphorus into Gaza. The group demands that the alleged practice cease.
HRW said the use of white phosphorus in Gaza would violate “the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/12/white.phosphorus/?iref=mpstoryview
Human Rights Watch activists accused Israel of using another kind of prohibited ammunition – the white phosphorus. The substance can be used for the creation of smokescreens and in fire bombs.
In accordance with the Third Protocol of the Geneva Convention of 1983, the use of phosphorus ammunition against civilians or military objects in settlements is prohibited. However, Israel did not sign the protocol
http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/13-01-2009/106940-israel_palestine-0
Israel rains fire on Gaza with phosphorus shells
The Geneva Treaty of 1980 stipulates that white phosphorus should not be used as a weapon of war in civilian areas, but there is no blanket ban under international law on its use as a smokescreen or for illumination. However, Charles Heyman, a military expert and former major in the British Army, said: “If white phosphorus was deliberately fired at a crowd of people someone would end up in The Hague. White phosphorus is also a terror weapon. The descending blobs of phosphorus will burn when in contact with skin.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5447590.ece
According to Norwegian doctors working in Gaza’s hospitals and Human Rights Watch, Israel is incinerating its victims with white phosphorous that can burn human skin down to the bone. When used as a smokescreen White phosphorus doesn’t contravene international law, but when unleashed on a civilian population it is considered a banned chemical weapon.
Norwegian medics have also discovered people in their care contaminated with depleted uranium. Other reports suggest Israel’s use of cluster bombs in Gaza and an experimental unconventional weapon called Dime (Dense Inert Metal Explosives) developed by the Pentagon.
http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10274628.html
PRESS RELEASE
Mounting evidence is emerging that Israel is experimenting new non-conventional weapons on civilian population in Gaza . “It is happening again what we saw in Lebanon two years ago”, says Paola Manduca , genetics teacher and researcher at the University of Genoa and member of New Weapons Research Committee (NWRC), “where Israel used white phosphorus, Dense inert metal explosive (DIME), thermobaric bombs, cluster bombs and uranium ammunitions and experimented novel weapons and delivery modalities. Still today there are unexploded bombs and radioactivity on the ground”.http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/01/417805.html
If, as recently alleged by Norwegian medics in Gaza, that civilian casualties have been found to be contaminated with Depleted Uranium that would mean that munitions used by the Israelis are clad with DU (Depleted Uranium). Such use against civilians, never mind the opposing military forces, is a war crime in itself.
Depleted Uranium is the unforgiving gift of war that keeps on giving. Any warhead – be it bullet, bunker busting bomb, missile or rocket – capped with DU will cut through the thickest steel armor plate like a hot knife through butter. On impact, the DU vaporizes to a fine toxic dust which, when inhaled, will ultimately poison anyone unfortunate to have been exposed to it. Unfortunately for Israeli soldiers if they are exposed to DU dust they will get a toxic dose just as much as the Gazans.
Link to the above
http://newsfrommiddleeast.com/?xstart=b&new=50593
Those are not “bio” weapons and phosphorus is not considered a “chemical weapon” either. Back to the drawing board!
Oh dear!!!
Bullets and shrapnel might hurt????
Phosphorus isn’t “biochemical weapons” Einstein.
White Phosphorous is a chemical incendiary agent. It is not a biological weapon. “While the Chemical Weapons Convention does not designate WP as a chemical weapon, various groups consider it to be one.”
It has been used, in the past, as an anti-personnel weapon (WWI, WWII, Vietnam). Its use in that capacity has since been declared a WAR CRIME (chemical weapon or not).
Israel claims to use it as a “smokescreen.” (Regardless of what they say, they are still firing the stuff at civilians and killing them with it).
By making this declaration, Israel feels that they are legally sidestepping the fact that they are likely breaking international law. It is a technicality. Lawyer speak.
Of course anyone with the ability to -think- (yes, there are some of us still around) can clearly see that this is ridiculous. There are many other ways to generate smoke without melting peoples’ flesh off.
The first two answers are dangerously incomplete. The manner in which the WP shells are being dispersed in a downward spread pattern (look up the images) over densely populated urban areas shows that the IDF has NO REGARD for civilian lives, and its claim that the weapon is being used as a “smoke screen” is just legalese to cover their @$$es.
This is a horrific weapon and should not be used on ANYONE, much less defenseless civilians.
Anyone who would knowingly attempt to justify this, by making semantic arguments, and omitting information, is a disgusting, subhuman pile of trash.
This is a message to all of you who knowingly lie or spread disinfo in order to defend Israeli policy: you have blood on YOUR hands as well, and you are no better than **** collaborators and holocaust deniers, because you are actively working to suppress the truth about the ongoing holocaust of the Palestinian people.
When wars are being waged, then rules are ignored whenever it suits either side. Just look at Bush if you want to see how mad people can start wars without justification or real reason. See what Bush did with those mostly innocent people he had shipped to Gitmo. The whole world breaks the rules in everything whenever it suits them.
Good people don’t need laws. Bad people simply ignore them.