Israeli Soldiers Who Used 9 Year Old As Human Shield Face No Jail Time
Two Israeli soldiers received suspended sentences and demotions on Sunday for using a Palestinian child as a human shield during the 2008-2009 Gaza war, an army spokeswoman said.
The soldiers were convicted on October 3 for forcing a nine-year-old boy to search bags believed to be booby-trapped during Israel's 22-day war on Gaza which erupted in December 2008.
The two, who were not identified, were each given suspended terms of three months imprisonment and were demoted from the rank of staff sergeant to sergeant.
"The two Givati soldiers will be on probation for two years and any violation will result in three months in prison. Their rank will be dropped from staff sergeant to sergeant," she said.
Gerard Horton, a spokesman in the West Bank for Geneva-based rights group Defence for Children International (DCI), described the sentence as "unbelievable."
"Do the Israeli authorities think that a three-month suspended sentence is an appropriate punishment for two heavily-armed soldiers treating a nine-year-old boy as a human shield?"
Sourced from Agence France Presse By Alternet.org November 21, 2010, 12:06 pm (Read the full article)
At a time when U.S. taxpayers are being asked to pay more and accept cuts in the benefits and services that the government provides, Congress does not ask the Israelis to accept less than the $500 for each Israeli citizen in foreign aid that the U.S. taxpayers provide, nor are the billions in foreign aid that the U.S. provides to Egypt and Jordan, in order to rent pals for Israel, being cut.
When a nuclear nation, like the USA, backs another nuclear nation, like Israel, in these kinds of human rights violations (and this kind of thing is inflicted on the Palestinians every single day by the Israelis), there is real danger to the security of these United States. When the people of of Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, and even India, see the kind of support we give to a nuclear armed nation committing these kinds of crimes, and handing out what is really no punishment, the pressure by the citizens of those and many other nations, on their leaders to obtain nuclear arms is irresistible. It is not just the leaders of Iran that want to be free of the dictates of the USA and Israel, it most of the citizens. Everyone sees the dangers of letting another nation dictate their rules to you, especially when one of dictators has stolen land and water from every one of its neighbors.
We know that Iran seeks nuclear weapons because our treatment of those who lack nuclear weapons makes any other course irresponsible for a nation that is concerned about the security of its people and territory. We know that Iran seeks nuclear weapons, because, lacking the assurance that a non-nuclear nation will get justice, that is exactly what we would do.
If we want to discourage the proliferation of nuclear weapons we must promote a belief in international law, and support human rights in every part of the world, including Palestine. We do not currently do any of these, and our being seen as tyrants who inflict taxation without representation, will only earn us the usual reward; our soldiers being shot at around the world by people who want to be free of domination by super powers, even if they have to acquire nuclear weapons in order to gain their freedom. No matter how you count, tyranny is costing us more than justice will. It is costing us too much to support Israel in their maintenance of ghettos in Gaza and Lebanon, and possible future costs of not getting a grip on nuclear weapons by showing how to get justice without them, will be staggering and very unpleasant.
No comments:
Post a Comment