IHH Newsletter "ISRAEL HAS VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW"

8/8/2019 IHH Newsletter "ISRAEL HAS VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW"

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BackgroundPalestine Our Destination Humanitarian Aid

Our Load otilla o ships set out in May to break

the our-year long Israeli blockade on Gaza and

to open a humanitarian aid corridor or the 1.5

million Gazan people, one million o which live inreugee camps.

On the 31 May morning, the Israeli military at-

tacked in the Mediterranean Sea in international

waters the otilla that included more than 600

citizens o 36 countries with dierent languages

and ideologies. Nine humanitarian aid volunteers

were killed and 54 were injured in the attack.

International law was violated;

Gaza embargo is unlawful!The United Nations released the result o aninvestigation it launched in August ollowing the

Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara boat. The UN

Human Rights Council Fact-fnding Mission stated

that Israel violated international law, including in-

ternational human rights law. The UN described

the Israels attack on the otilla was dispropor-

tionate and unacceptably brutal and called the

embargo imposed on Gaza unlawul.

Crimes Committed in Israeli AttackThe UN report stated that evidence clearly

showed Israel had committed the crimes listed

in article 147 o the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The crimes stated in the Geneva Convention and

that were perpetrated by Israel are as ollows:

Willfulkilling,

Torture,

Inhuman treatment,

Willfullycausingsufferingtohealth, Causing serious injury.

The report also said Israel repeatedly violated its

obligations under international human rights law

as per the ollowing articles:

Right to lie (article 6, ICCPR / International

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)

Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrad-

ing treatment or punishment (article 7, ICCPR;

CAT/ Convention against Torture and OtherCruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Pun-

ishment)

ISRAEL HASVIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW

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Right to liberty and security o the person

and reedom rom arbitrary arrest or detention

(article 9, ICCPR)

right o detainees to be treated with human-ity and respect or the inherent dignity o the

human person (article 10, ICCPR)

Freedom o expression (article 19, ICCPR)

Some of the points highlightedin the UN report: Israel violated international law, including

international human rights law.

Israeli soldiers treatment o the passengers is

near brutal.

The illegal and unlawul embargo on Gaza is

unsustainable and should be removed.

The intervention on the Mavi Marmara is

unlawul.

The punishment o civilian population in

Gaza is unlawul no matter on what grounds it is

based.

The Israeli government declined coopera-

tion with the investigation into the incident that

involved Israeli soldiers.

The otilla members genuinely committed

themselves to the spirit o humanitarianism and

made an impression that they are imbued with a

deep and genuine concern or the welare o the

inhabitants o Gaza.

Humanitarian organizations wishing to inter-vene in long-standing humanitarian crisis situations

where the international community is unwilling

to take constructive action are accused o being

terrorist or enemy agents.

Israel committed another oense by unlaw-

ully confscating personal property o the passen-

gers.

Damage inicted by the attack should be

compensated.


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Report to be Used as Proof at CourtsThe IHH Humanitarian Relie Foundation held

a press conerence ater the UN Fact-fnding

Mission released its report on the Mavi Mar-

mara attack. IHH President Blent Yldrm, CihatGkdemir, head o Mazlumder Istanbul Branch

and lawyer o the deceased victims, Derya

Kllar, wie o Cevdet Kllar, one o the killed in

the Israeli raid, Refka Yldrm, wie o deceased

Necdet Yldrm, and her three-year old daughter

Melek, Aytek Topuolu, son o deceased etin

Topuolu, and Murat Akinan, a activist who sur-

vived the attack attended the press conerence.

IHH Leader

Yldrm saidapology and

compensation

would not be

enough and

demanded

murderer Israel

be tried and

the embargo

lited, noting

the UN reportwould be sub-

mitted as proo

at every court.

Activists heading for GazaThe UK-based Viva Palestina organization is

organizing a land convoy to support the people

o Gaza. The 50-vehicle convoy departed Britain

on September 18. There are activists rom Britain,

the United States, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand,

Australia, France, Italy, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco,

Algeria and Jordan in the convoy. The convoy that

is carrying vehicles, medical materials, medications

and oodstus to Palestine is expected to reachGaza in mid-October. The IHH Humanitarian

Relie Foundation is executing Turkey leg o the

convoy that reached Turkey on September 27.

HH nsan Hak ve Hrriyetleri nsani Yardm VakfByk Karaman Cad. Taylasan Sok. No:3 Pk. 34230 Fatih / stanbul

Telefon: +90 212 631 21 21 Faks: +90 212 621 70 51E-Posta: [email protected]

Click for original English text of report.Click for conclusion section of the report in Turkish.

Documents

IHH Newsletter "ISRAEL HAS VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW"