Breaking silence on Gaza abuses (BBC NEWS)

Soldiers are quoted saying they opened fire at any "suspect places"

A human rights group founded by Israeli veterans has collected what it says are damning testimonies from soldiers who took part in the offensive in January against Hamas fighters in Gaza. BBC correspondent Paul Wood looks at the anonymous claims presented by Breaking the Silence.

Standing by the ruins of his home in Gaza, Majdi Abed Rabbo explained how Israeli troops had used him as a human shield.

"The Israeli soldiers handcuffed me and pointed the gun at my neck," he said. "They controlled every step."

In this manner, Mr Abed Rabbo said, he was forced to go in ahead of Israeli soldiers as they cleared houses containing Palestinian gunmen.

This same incident was described by one of the Israeli soldiers who spoke to Breaking the Silence.

Israel's military is now looking into Majdi Abed Rabbo's claims

"A Palestinian neighbour is brought in," he says. "It was procedure. The soldier places his gun barrel on the civilian's shoulder."

If true, that was a clear breach of the international laws of war - which say soldiers have a duty of care to non-combatants - and of Israeli law.

The Israeli Supreme Court outlawed the so-called "neighbour policy", of using Palestinians to shield advancing troops, in 2005.

Until now, the Israeli army always had a ready answer to allegations that war crimes were committed during its offensive in Gaza.

Such claims were, they said, Palestinian propaganda.

Now, though, the accusations of abuse are being made by Israeli soldiers.

Testimonies collected

The common thread in the almost 30 testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence is that orders were given to prevent Israeli casualties, whatever the cost in Palestinian lives.

Writing the report's introduction, the Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard says: "All the witnesses agreed that they received a particular order repeatedly, in a way that did not leave much room for doubt, to do everything, everything, so that they - the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) soldiers - would not be harmed.

"The soldiers tell in their testimonies how this unwritten message, which came from brigade, battalion, and company commanders in morale-building conversations before entering Gaza, translated into zero patience for the life of enemy civilians."

Israel denies its soldiers broke the laws of war

The lawyer adds: "Violations of the laws of war are liable to be war crimes."

Here are just a few quotes which give a flavour of the soldiers' testimony. The accumulation of detail is convincing and, in the eyes of Israel's critics, damning.

"Things are happening in his battalion of which he (the commander) has no idea. There are people who deserve to go to jail...

"When your company commander and battalion commander tell you, 'Go on, fire!' the soldiers will not hold back. They are waiting for this day, the fun of shooting and feeling all that power in your hands...

"Fire power was insane. We went in and the booms were just mad. The minute we got to our starting line, we simply began to fire at suspect places. You see a house, a window, shoot at the window. You don't see a terrorist there? Fire at the window. In urban warfare, anyone is your enemy. No innocents."

GAZA REPORT Breaking the Silence report on Operation Cast Lead[469KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here

Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich dismissed the testimonies as anonymous hearsay, designed to embarrass the army rather than lead to serious investigations.

She questioned why Breaking the Silence had not handed over its findings earlier, before the media were informed.

"We are investigating many of the requests from NGOs and other groups," she said. "But when you have a report that is based on hearsay, with no facts whatsoever, we can't do anything with it."

In the past, says the Israeli military, some allegations of wrong-doing in Gaza have turned out to be second or third-hand accounts, the result of soldiers recycling rumours in the battalion rather than describing what they themselves witnessed.

Credible record

But Breaking the Silence has a long - and to many, credible - record of getting soldiers to talk about experiences which might not reflect well on the Army.

The group is funded by the British, Dutch and Spanish governments, as well as the EU.

It says the testimony is anonymous because of orders to Israeli soldiers not to speak out publicly.

Some of the collected testimony is highly specific.

In the case of Majdi Abed Rabbo, the Israeli military police have now opened an investigation, lending at least some credibility to the soldier who said the "neighbour policy" was in widespread use.

The military maintains it went to extraordinary lengths to ensure civilians were not harmed in Gaza.

The soldiers' testimony does describe in detail how leaflets were distributed in areas they were about to enter - warning people to leave.

But it is what happened after that, says Breaking the Silence, which calls into question the morality of the Israeli army's actions.

Article Here

Israel soldiers speak out on Gaza (BBC NEWS)

A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement.

The troops said they had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious and said Palestinians were sometimes used as human shields.

Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers, gathered anonymous accounts from 26 soldiers.

Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as hearsay.

The report says testimonies show "the massive and unprecedented blow to the infrastructure and civilians" was a result of Israeli military policy, articulated by the rules of engagement, and encouraged by a belief "the reality of war requires them to shoot and not to ask questions".

One soldier is quoted saying: "The soldiers were made to understand that their lives were the most important, and that there was no way our soldiers would get killed for the sake of leaving civilians the benefit of the doubt."

Another says: "People were not instructed to shoot at everyone they see, but they were told that from a certain distance when they approach a house, no matter who it is - even an old woman - take them down."

Many of the testimonies are in line with claims made by human rights organisations that Israeli military action in Gaza was indiscriminate and disproportionate.

Amnesty International has accused both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in charge in Gaza, of committing war crimes during the 22-day conflict which ended on 18 January.

Israeli officials insist troops went to great lengths to protect civilians, that Hamas endangered non-combatants by firing from civilian areas and that homes and buildings were destroyed only when there was a specific military need to do so.

'Ill discipline'

Other allegations in the testimonies of the 14 conscripts and 12 reserve soldiers include:

• Civilians were used as human shields, entering buildings ahead of soldiers
Large swathes of homes and buildings were demolished as a precaution or to secure clear lines of fire for the future.

• Some of the troops had a generally aggressive, ill-disciplined attitude

• There was incidents of vandalism of property of Palestinians

• Soldiers fired at water tanks because they were bored, at a time of severe water shortages for Gazans

• White phosphorus was used in civilian areas in a way some soldiers saw as gratuitous and reckless

• Many of the soldiers said there had been very little direct engagement with Palestinian militants.

The report says Israeli troops and the people who justify their actions are "slid[ing] together down the moral slippery slope".

"This is an urgent call to Israeli society and its leaders to sober up and investigate anew the results of our actions," Breaking the Silence says.

Israel said the purpose of Operation Cast Lead had been to end rocket fire from Gaza aimed at its southern towns.

Palestinian rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians died during the operation. Thirteen Israelis died in the conflict, including 10 soldiers serving in Gaza.

According to the UN, the campaign damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties, 200 schools, 39 mosques and two churches.


Page last updated at 15:00 GMT, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 16:00 UK
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Israel soldiers speak out on Gaza
Israeli soldiers deployed on the Israel-Gaza border 28 Decmeber 2008
Soldier testimonies appear to contradict official Israeli statements

A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement.

The troops said they had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious and said Palestinians were sometimes used as human shields.

Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers, gathered anonymous accounts from 26 soldiers.

Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as hearsay.

The report says testimonies show "the massive and unprecedented blow to the infrastructure and civilians" was a result of Israeli military policy, articulated by the rules of engagement, and encouraged by a belief "the reality of war requires them to shoot and not to ask questions".

One soldier is quoted saying: "The soldiers were made to understand that their lives were the most important, and that there was no way our soldiers would get killed for the sake of leaving civilians the benefit of the doubt."


Paul Wood
From Paul Wood, BBC Middle East correspondent:

Until now, Israel always had a ready answer to allegations of war crimes in Gaza. Claims were, they said, Palestinian propaganda. Now the accusations of abuse are being made by Israeli soldiers.

The common thread in the testimonies is that orders were given to prevent Israeli casualties whatever the cost in Palestinian lives.

The Israeli military says past allegations of wrong-doing in Gaza were the result of soldiers recycling rumours.

But Breaking the Silence has a long - and to many, credible - record in getting soldiers to talk about experiences which might not reflect well on the army.
Breaking silence on abuses

Another says: "People were not instructed to shoot at everyone they see, but they were told that from a certain distance when they approach a house, no matter who it is - even an old woman - take them down."

Many of the testimonies are in line with claims made by human rights organisations that Israeli military action in Gaza was indiscriminate and disproportionate.

Amnesty International has accused both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in charge in Gaza, of committing war crimes during the 22-day conflict which ended on 18 January.

Israeli officials insist troops went to great lengths to protect civilians, that Hamas endangered non-combatants by firing from civilian areas and that homes and buildings were destroyed only when there was a specific military need to do so.

'Ill discipline'

Other allegations in the testimonies of the 14 conscripts and 12 reserve soldiers include:

• Civilians were used as human shields, entering buildings ahead of soldiers


You can't identify too much at night and anything that moves you engage in order not to take risks. It was not defined this way officially, but it was obvious
Anonymous Israeli soldier

Israel soldiers on Gaza: Excerpts

• Large swathes of homes and buildings were demolished as a precaution or to secure clear lines of fire for the future.

• Some of the troops had a generally aggressive, ill-disciplined attitude

• There was incidents of vandalism of property of Palestinians

• Soldiers fired at water tanks because they were bored, at a time of severe water shortages for Gazans

• White phosphorus was used in civilian areas in a way some soldiers saw as gratuitous and reckless

• Many of the soldiers said there had been very little direct engagement with Palestinian militants.


GAZA REPORT
Breaking the Silence report on Operation Cast Lead[469KB]
Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader
Download the reader here

The report says Israeli troops and the people who justify their actions are "slid[ing] together down the moral slippery slope".

"This is an urgent call to Israeli society and its leaders to sober up and investigate anew the results of our actions," Breaking the Silence says.

Israel said the purpose of Operation Cast Lead had been to end rocket fire from Gaza aimed at its southern towns.

Palestinian rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians died during the operation. Thirteen Israelis died in the conflict, including 10 soldiers serving in Gaza.

According to the UN, the campaign damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties, 200 schools, 39 mosques and two churches.

Investigations

Reacting to the report, Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital Leibovich said:
"The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] regrets the fact that another human rights organisation has come out with a report based on anonymous and general testimony - without investigating their credibility."

She dismissed the document as "hearsay and word of mouth".

"The IDF expects every soldier to turn to the appropriate authorities with any allegation," Lt Col Leibovich added. "This is even more important where the harm is to non-combatants. The IDF has uncompromising ethical values which continue to guide us in every mission."

There have been several investigations into the conduct of Israel's operation in Gaza, and both Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs the territory, have faced accusations of war crimes.

An internal investigations by the Israeli military said troops fought lawfully, although errors did take place, such as the deaths of 21 people in a house that had been wrongly targeted.

A fact-finding team commissioned by the Arab League concluded there was enough evidence to prosecute the Israeli military 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 rocket attacks on civilians.

Article Here

Three Thousand Foreigners Have Become Muslims in Dubai

Some 3,000 people, mainly women and from various different faiths, are reported to have converted to Islam in Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates last year. This figure represents a 71% increase in the number of converts in 2007.

In an annoucement to the media, Dr. Hamad Bin al-Shaban said, “We are spreading Islamic culture and our national identity by way of mosques, Qur’anic sciences, the Islamic legacy, research and philanthropic activities and thus ensuring our message reaches large numbers of people in an appropriate manner.”

Al-Shaban also said that the message of Islam was being transmitted by qualified religious figures using advanced technology. The department concerned was reported to show special interest in new converts, to provide appropriate visual and audio materials and to hold education seminars in all languages.

Atheists’ greatest dream is to create a society of robotic, insensitive and desensitized indiciduals with no fear of Allah. In recent years, however, atheists have totally failed in their ambition of establishing a society that denies the existence of Allah on the basis of no evidence whatsoever (surely He is beyond that) that has turned its back on religion and only attaches any importance to matter and material things. The theory of evolution, put forward to replace the fact of Creation, has been scientifically proved to be the greatest lie of the last century. Consciences of people have been opened up as it has emerged how the world has been deceived by fraud on the subject of evolution. This has allowed them to be freed from the dark spell of Darwinism and to see Allah’s creative artistry and come to believe.

None of the methods atheists have used to try and get rid of religion have been able to prevent the turning toward faith, and the return to religious devotion is continuing at full speed. The reason for this is that Almighty Allah protects the true faith. He will cause it to prevail, against the wishes of the deniers. This is the true promise of Allah, the Omnipotent and Creator of the universe and all living things. Allah is He who keeps His promises:

“When you have seen people entering Allah’s religion in droves, then glorify your Lord’s praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning.” (Surat an-Nasr, 2-3)

Article Link

NAB To Introduce Islamic Bank Loans

By Nick Gardner and Warner Russell

June 14, 2009 12:01am

ONE of Australia's major banks is planning to introduce "Muslim-friendly" loans that do not charge interest, to comply with Sharia law, The Sunday Telegraph reports.

Instead, the National Australia Bank will structure an Islam-approved line of finance to make money from alternative methods.

These include profit-sharing on the transaction, joint-ventures or leasing-type arrangements.

For example, to get round the Islamic ban on usury - or unfair lending - a Muslim mortgage often works by the bank buying the property, then selling it to the customer at a profit, with the customer then repaying the entire sum in instalments.

In this way the profit margin is built in from the start. It also has the advantage of making the loan immune from future interest rate rises.

NAB said the loans, which will start out small, will have to be cleared by a Sharia Advisory Board to ensure they meet strict criteria before they can be made available to the public.

"We are dipping our toe in the water with this scheme and thought we may be able to offer this product in high-density Muslim areas," said Richard Peters, head of community finance and development at NAB.

"We suspect there is demand out there, but we don't know how big it is, so we will trial a few products first."

For the trial's purposes NAB will pump $15 million from its not-for-profit finance division into the program, which will distribute the funds through various community finance schemes around the country.

The bank will monitor the take-up and assess potential demand.

Interest-free loans of up to $1000 will be available to help finance household items, such as washing machines and fridges.

The loans would also be available to non-Muslims.

The news comes just days after federal Assistant Treasurer Chris Bowen said that Australia could exploit international demand for Islamic finance to create more jobs.

Australia: Push for Islamic Financial Rescue

I believe in the end the world will yeild to a full Islamic financial system. It is and has been the most successful system in the world to date. Even if economists don't like to admit it. However recently there has been many non muslim economists saying this without saying it and some even straight out saying it.

Below is an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald. I like the following:

"... Mr Bowen said Islamic finance investors were not allowed to earn interest but could make a profit. They also did not invest in alcohol, gambling or weapons..."

We already know that interest, alcohol and gambling is forbidden in Islam and as the mention of weapons here also shows that violence is not part of Islam either. Even though sometimes it is justified in the cases such as the removal of oppressors or defence etc. But that's another topic.

Phillip Hudson
June 8, 2009

THE newest federal cabinet minister, Chris Bowen, has set out an ambitious plan for Sydney to lure Islamic finance in a quest to beat the global recession and attract wealth and jobs.

In an interview with the Herald, the big winner from Kevin Rudd's ministerial reshuffle at the weekend also expressed concern about the conflicts of interest surrounding commission-based superannuation advice. He said that in an ideal world the compulsory employer super levy should rise from 9 to 15 per cent.

NSW MPs were the big winners from the shake-up caused by the forced resignation of Joel Fitzgibbon as defence minister and the snap retirement of Bob Debus as minister for home affairs.

Mr Bowen, 36, becomes the youngest member of the 20-strong cabinet, winning the dual post of Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law, and Minister for Human Services.

After less than a year in Parliament, the NSW Senator Mark Arbib becomes the Minister for Employment Participation and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery, while Greg Combet becomes a minister with the odd combination of junior defence and climate change.

The new ministry will be sworn in tomorrow and the new Defence Minister, NSW Senator John Faulkner, will immediately head overseas for three days of NATO talks in Brussels about Australia's role in Afghanistan.

Mr Bowen said Sydney was under-selling itself as a financial services hub for Asia. "I think there's great opportunities such as Islamic finance," he said. "The majority of the world's Islamic population lives in Asia, and Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are trying to corner this market for themselves and I think Australia can play a role. Even if we only take a small percentage of the market it could generate a lot of wealth and a lot of jobs in Australia."

Mr Bowen said Islamic finance investors were not allowed to earn interest but could make a profit. They also did not invest in alcohol, gambling or weapons.

"You couldn't put your money into a normal interest-bearing account but there are plenty of products designed in such a way to make those investments.

"This is just one example of the untapped opportunities out there for Australia. We are very good at managing money, and in superannuation we have the fourth-largest pool of funds under management in the world. We've developed really good skills but we don't export those skills."

Mr Bowen, who was formerly the assistant treasurer, said he had concerns about the commission-based system where financial advisers earn their money from the products they recommend to customers.

"Where you have the issue of commissions you are always going to bring into question the genuineness of the advice. There's always going to be a perceived conflict, if not a real conflict," he said. "I think either way it's better to avoid that conflict. I do think commissions are problematic."

Asked whether the 9 per cent compulsory superannuation payment by employers should rise to 15 per cent, Mr Bowen said it might not be enough to give people an adequate retirement income.

"In an ideal world, yes, of course, 15 would be more attractive than nine but it is a very difficult environment to raise it to 15 now," he said.