U.S. admits airstrike killed dozens of civilians
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- Written by CNN CNN
- Published: 20 May 2009 20 May 2009
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* U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan killed 30 Afghan civilians, U.S. says
* Deaths of civilians in airstrikes this month were "likely" accidental, U.S. says
* Civilian casualties politically sensitive for government of President Karzai
(CNN) -- American airstrikes earlier this month during a western Afghanistan battle with Taliban militants may have killed up to 30 civilians, an interim U.S. military report said on Wednesday.
The report is part of an ongoing investigation into a fight in Farah province, where villagers reported civilian casualties as a result of U.S. bombing runs on May 4.
"A review of the physical evidence is inconclusive in determining the exact number of civilian and insurgent casualties," the military said in a statement detailing the report.
"In all, the investigation team estimates that 60-65 Taliban extremists were killed in these engagements, while at least 20-30 civilians may have been killed during the fighting. The investigators continue to attempt to better confirm casualty numbers."
The report was released amid widespread dismay and anger in Afghanistan over several incidents of civilians caught in the crossfire of the war between international and Afghan forces, and Taliban militants.
As the report was released, NATO's command reported that a Tuesday airstrike caused casualties among civilians it says were held as human shields by insurgents in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand.
Complicating the U.S. military effort to determine an accurate death toll for insurgents and civilians in the Farah incident is the fact that Muslims quickly bury their dead and the Taliban don't wear traditional uniforms.
The military statement said that incident began when "a large number of Taliban fighters" came to the villages of Ganj Abad and Grani on May 3 and demanded payments from village officials. The military said there were reports that militants executed three former officials of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Afghan National Police and soldiers embarked on an operation to oust the Taliban militants, the report said. When police approached Grani, they were ambushed and five police died. That prompted the local governor to call in coalition troops.
As coalition and Afghan troops worked to help the police, Taliban militants fired on those forces. During this fight, the coalition called in F/A-18 air support to counter enemy fire and rescue a wounded Afghan soldier trapped by Taliban fire. That soldier, a first sergeant, was hustled to safety by coalition and Afghan troops.
"Following this, one B-1 provided fires in coordination with the ground commander on buildings and a tree grove insurgents were firing from or massing in," the military said.
Afghan and U.S. forces remained in the area until morning and saw the return of villagers who fled the area before fighting.
A U.S. military source, who requested anonymity because the full investigation has not been made public, said a review of combat camera footage and cockpit audio recordings indicates three F/A-18s and a single B-1 bomber took sequential turns over Farah province during the fighting.
The B-1 dropped three bombs and the F/A-18s dropped five, the official said.
The military statement said video "clearly depicts insurgents entering the buildings, which were then targeted in the final strikes of the fight."
"Combined with audio recordings of the ground commander and air crew conversations, the investigators were able to confirm that the insurgents fleeing from the firefight were regrouping in several small rural buildings, which were then subsequently destroyed."
The source said civilian deaths were "most likely" accidental.
Military investigators who went to the region found one grave site with 22 fresh mounds and another site with four. They also went to a mass grave, but could not determine how many people were buried there.
Military investigators thought it was an insurgent grave site, because the mass grave was not pointed toward Mecca -- usual for Muslim burials -- and did not have the markings of a traditional grave of the region, the official said. Insurgents usually are buried in that untraditional manner, the U.S. military source said.
In the past, the U.S. military has paid compensation to victims' families and intensely criticized the Taliban for holding civilians in conflict zone -- and did so again on Wednesday.
"We regret the loss of any civilian life and express our condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this fighting with insurgents firing from and regrouping in villagers' homes," said Col. Greg Julian, a U.S. military spokesman.
"We continue to work closely with the Afghan National Security Forces to bring security and progress to Afghanistan, and to do everything we can to avoid civilian casualties. We strongly condemn the Taliban for their brutality in deliberately targeting and using civilians as human shields."
NATO's International Security Assistance Force said on Wednesday that an airstrike targeting militants in Helmand province caused civilian casualties and said possibly eight civilians died.
The incident occurred in Nawa -- south of Lashkar Gar in Helmand province on Tuesday, and it began when about 25 insurgents attacked an ISAF patrol.
Troops called in air support during what ISAF called a "dangerous situation," and an aircraft dropped "one piece of ordnance, which ended the engagement."
"The ISAF troops, however, were not aware that the insurgents were once again using civilians as human shields. If this information had been known by ISAF troops, no ordnance would have been used," ISAF said. "This terrible incident again shows the insurgents' blatant disregard for the lives of Afghan people."
* A roadside bomb attack on a convoy in eastern Afghanistan killed a NATO-led coalition service member and a U.S. civilian working with coalition forces, the U.S. military said.
The bombing happened about 8 a.m. Wednesday (0430 GMT) on the road between Kabul and Bagram.
The attack was under investigation, a military statement said. Further information was withheld, pending notification of next of kin.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
UN Gaza inquiry 'to proceed despite Israel'
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- Written by BBC News BBC News
- Published: 20 May 2009 20 May 2009
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A UN inquiry into possible war crimes in Gaza will go ahead even if Israel does not co-operate, says Richard Goldstone, who leads the inquiry team.
Mr Goldstone said he was "disappointed" Israel had given no positive response, and said his team would enter Gaza via Egypt if Israel refused them visas.
The UN wants to investigate whether Israel and Hamas committed war crimes during the January conflict in Gaza.
Israel accuses the UN branch carrying out the mission of bias against it.
The UN Human Rights Council has been accused of singling out unfairly, and is viewed by some as having less credibility than other parts of the UN.
But correspondents say the a respected South African war crimes prosecutor who is also Jewish, as head of the inquiry has given it greater clout.
Public hearings
Mr Goldstone said his team had hoped to visit southern Israeli towns which have, before entering Gaza from Israel.
But if Israel failed to allow the investigators passage, entering through the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border would be a "second choice".
He said that after talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the team had decided to hold a series of public hearings.
If these could take place in the Middle East "so much the better", but if not they would be held in Geneva, with witnesses flown in or testifying via video link, he said.
Most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are unable to leave because of Israel's blockade on the territory.
Israel has given no official response to the inquiry team, but media reports have suggested it does not plan to co-operate.
Israeli ambassador in Geneva Leshno Yaar told Associated Press earlier that the council treats Israel "unfairly" and that "justice cannot be the outcome of this mission".
Inquiry conclusions
Several investigations into
Mr Ban has requested more than $11m (£7m) compensation from Israel for damage to UN property in Gaza, after accused Israel of targeting known civilian shelters and providing untrue statements to justify actions in which civilians were killed.
The report found Israel to blame in six out of nine incidents when death or injury were caused to people sheltering at UN property and UN buildings were damaged.
The Israeli military has that its troops fought lawfully, although errors did take place, such as the deaths of 21 people in a wrongly targeted house.
Meanwhile, a fact-finding team commissioned by the Arab League said there was sufficient evidence for the Israeli military to be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that "the Israeli political leadership was also responsible for such crimes".
It also said Palestinian militants were guilty of war crimes in their use of indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
About 1,300 Palestinians died in the January conflict. Israeli and Palestinian estimates differ on the numbers of civilian casualties.
Ten Israeli soldiers were killed, including four by friendly fire, and three Israel civilians died in rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8059021.stm
Published: 2009/05/20 10:37:31 GMT
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Israel: 'No need to finish' W Bank barrier
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- Published: 19 May 2009 19 May 2009
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The head of Israel's security service has said there is no security reason for continuing construction of Israel's barrier through the West Bank.
Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told a parliamentary committee that Israel had enough capabilities to prevent attacks from the Palestinian territory.
Since building began years ago, Israel has maintained that it is a security measure to keep out attackers.
Palestinians reject this, seeing it as a land grab.
The UN has criticised Israel, citing an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that parts of the barrier built inside Palestinian territory in the West Bank - 90% of the route - are contrary to international law.
Gaza attacks
Meanwhile, Israeli police say a rocket fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza has landed in the town of Sderot, causing damage but no casualties.
Several people were treated for shock after the rocket struck the backyard of a house.
It was one of very few rockets launched from Gaza in recent weeks.
Israeli security officials have said the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, is trying to maintain a truce so it can re-arm following Israel's offensive earlier this year.
Later, Israeli forces were reported to have bombed an area on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, hours after the Sderot attack.
It was apparently targeted at tunnels which Israel says are used to smuggle weapons into Gaza.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8058609.stm
Published: 2009/05/19 21:11:46 GMT
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Israel begins new settlement, despite U.S. opposition
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- Written by Haaretz Service Haaretz Service
- Published: 19 May 2009 19 May 2009
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By Haaretz Service
Israel has moved ahead with a plan to build a new settlement in the northern West Bank for the first time in 26 years, pursuing a project the United States has already condemned as an obstacle to peace efforts.
The move comes on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, despite Western calls for Israel to halt its settlement activity.
Tenders have been issued for 20 housing units in the new Maskiot settlement and contractors have arrived on site to begin foundation work.
The initiative began three years ago, under the auspices of then-defense minister Amir Peretz, who promised to transform a former army outpost into a permanent settlement for evacuees from the Gaza Strip. The move was then frozen due to American insistence.
David Elhayani, head of the Jordan Valley regional council that oversees Maskiot, confirmed to Reuters he had issued the tender last week for contractors to launch infrastructure work.
"It's a process that will take months, to prepare infrastructure before we can build. We are proceeding in an orderly fashion," Elhayani said.
Elhayani insisted that the construction is being carried out completely legally.
"There is full consensus among Zionist parties that the Jordan Valley must remain under Israeli control within the framework of any diplomatic deal," he said. "The Jordan Valley is necessary for the sake of national security, and woe to the administration that strays from this path."
Nabil Abu Rudeinah, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the plan was a "message of defiance" from Israel to the Obama administration and its efforts to revive peace talks.
"This Israeli provocation demands a U..S response and a genuine and concrete pressure on Netanyahu that would guarantee a halt to all settlement activities," he said, charging that "continuation [of settlement building] would bring down and destroy the peace process."
"The Palestinian position is clear: There will be no resumption of peace talks as long as settlement building continues," Abu Rudeinah said.
The Peace Now movement called the move proof that "Netanyahu is not ready to commit to a two-state solution" and is striving to "prevent the creation of a Palestinian state."
"The way to do that is to built settlements and make all of us - Arabs and Jews - live in one state," said Peace Now chief Yariv Oppenheimer.
He alleged that settlers had deliberately timed publication of the tenders to focus a spotlight on the controversial issue during Netanyahu's talks with Obama.
The initial settlement plan was drawn up several years ago, Oppenheimer said. "But they brought developers there [Sunday] morning. The timing is significant."
The former U.S. administration of George W. Bush had termed the Maskiot project unhelpful. Washington has pressed Israel since 2006 to halt the project, which it says is in violation of the peace "road map" for a Palestinian state beside Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=1086339
Jerusalem mayor 'stepping up demolitions'
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- Written by BBC News BBC News
- Published: 19 May 2009 19 May 2009
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The pace of home demolitions in Arab East Jerusalem appears to be increasing under the city's new mayor, an Israeli rights group has warned.
More than 1,000 new demolition orders have been issued in Nir Barkat's first six months in office, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said.
Many Palestinian and Arab residents of the city build illegally because of difficulties getting building permits.
The municipality said the Acri report was deceptive and inaccurate.
"There have been no changes to the city's enforcement policy [of demolition orders], nor has the mayor given any orders to increase the rate," the municipality said.
Acri report
Building in mainly Arab East Jerusalem is a highly politicised issue.
The Palestinians want the area to be the capital of a future state, while Jewish groups are trying to increase the number of Jewish settlements there.
While Mr Barkat has said he intends to streamline the application process for building permits, Acri said the municipality had added two new requirements to the process, which would make it harder for Israeli Arabs and Palestinians to get permission to build.
In a recent decision he also allocated only 7% of funds of a recent, interim budget to East Jerusalem, while the rest went to the Israeli west of the city, Acri said.
The Jerusalem municipality said this was misleading, and funds were not allocated geographically.
"In terms of Barkat's actions and budget allocations, there appears so far to be no connection between promises and deeds, and thus there is difference between him and his predecessors; Barkat also neglects and discriminates," the report said.
According to figures released by Acri, 67% of families are under the poverty line in East Jerusalem, compared to 23% in West Jerusalem.
It says there is a shortage of 1,500 classrooms in the district, with a 50% drop-out rate and 9,000 children not attending school.
But the municipality said Mr Barkat had made improving the quality of life in East Jerusalem a priority.
"Attempts to blame Barkat, who has been in office for less than six months, for the failures of the government and the municipality for 40 years are populist," the municipality said.
Earlier this month, the UN asked Israel to freeze all pending demolition orders in East Jerusalem and to do more to provide for the housing needs of Palestinians.
Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967. It has annexed the city and declared its east and west Israel's eternal capital.
This is not recognised by the international community, with the east of the city considered occupied territory.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8057759.stm
Published: 2009/05/19 14:57:47 GMT
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