Friday, February 01, 2008

Winograd Commission Report Disregards Israeli War Crimes, Says Amnesty International

CommonDreams.org, February 1, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC - January 31 - Amnesty International called a report published yesterday by the Winograd Commission on Israel's conduct in the war with Hizbullah in July-August 2006 "deeply flawed."

The organization said that the report failed to investigate a crucial aspect of the war -- the government policies and military strategies that failed to discriminate between the Lebanese civilian population and Hizbullah combatants and between civilian property and infrastructure and military targets.

"This was yet another missed opportunity to address the policies and decisions behind the grave violations of international humanitarian law -- including war crimes -- committed by Israeli forces," said Malcolm Smart, Middle East and North Africa Program director.

"The indiscriminate killings of many Lebanese civilians not involved in the hostilities and the deliberate and wanton destruction of civilian properties and infrastructure on a massive scale were given no more than token consideration by the commission," said Smart.

Though not vested with the powers of an official state commission of investigation, the Winograd Commission had the power to subpoena witnesses and recommend the prosecution of officials it found to have been responsible for willful or negligent criminal conduct.

Continued . . .

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