Prescott slams Israel 'war crime'

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Press Association - Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond held talks with foreign ministers from other nations in Paris

Israel's "brutally disproportionate and grossly indiscriminate" bombardment of Gaza must be regarded as a war crime, Labour former deputy prime minister John Prescott said.

Lord Prescott said any other country would be made an international "pariah" if it acted in the same way, as the reported death toll from the offensive against Hamas reached four figures.

And he directly compared the situation in Gaza with a concentration camp, suggesting the Nazi Holocaust should "give Israelis a unique sense of perspective and empathy with the victims of a ghetto".

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators earlier marched through London at the same time as hostilities were paused for 12 hours under an uneasy humanitarian truce.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, speaking after crisis talks with US secretary of state John Kerry and other foreign ministers in Paris, urged both sides to extend the cessation of violence in a bid to stem the loss of life.

But after Israel announced it would observe another four hours and consider a United Nation's plea for a 24-hour halt, Hamas resumed firing rockets at Israel.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Mr Prescott said: "I magine a country claiming the lives of nearly three times as many as were lost in the MH17 plane tragedy in less than three weeks.

"A nation which blasted a hospital, shelled and killed children from a gunboat as they played football on the beach and was responsible for 1,000 deaths, at least 165 of them children, in just two weeks.

"Surely it would be branded a pariah state, condemned by the United Nations, the US and the UK. The calls for regime change would be deafening.

"But these howls of protest are muted. The condemnation softened. For this is Israel.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hammond-set-talks-gaza-111119634.html#xzV95tV

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The Labour politician likened to Gaza to a "concentration camp" and said its destruction is "brutally disproportionate"

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has called Israel?s destruction of Gaza a ?war crime? which is ?brutally disproportionate and so grossly indiscriminate?.

Labour politician Lord Prescott censured Israel for acting as ?judge, jury and executioner? in its quest to mute Hamas ?terrorists,? turning Gaza into what he says is a ?concentrate camp.?

He also said that the Nazi Holocaust should have given the Jewish people of Israel ?a unique sense of perspective and empathy with the victims of a ghetto?.

Writing in his column in the Sunday Mirror, Mr Prescott penned his disdain for the international community?s relative silence on a nation that if it were any other, would be ?branded a pariah state? following the deaths of so many children.

?The calls for regime change would be ?deafening. But these howls of protest are muted. The condemnation softened. For this is Israel,? he said.

Britain?s Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond travelled to Israel earlier this week for crisis talks between Middle Eastern leaders and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr Hammond reminded Israel of its obligation under international law to take ?all feasible precautions? to avoid civilian casualties.

Good old Prescott top mark.

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Saw this news this afternoon very sad how us humans can not learn from the past.


A Palestinian girl cries while receiving treatment for her injuries caused by an Israeli tank shelling at a UN school in Jebaliya refugee camp, 30 July 2014. Photograph: Khalil Hamra/AP

United Nations officials described the killing of sleeping children as a disgrace to the world and accused Israel of a serious violation of international law after a school in Gaza being used to shelter Palestinian families was shelled on Wednesday.

At least 15 people, mostly children and women, died when the school in Jabaliya refugee camp was hit by five shells during a night of relentless bombardment across Gaza. More than 100 people were injured.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, said the attack was "outrageous and unjustifiable" and demanded "accountability and justice". The UN said its officials had repeatedly given details of the school and its refugee population to Israel.

In an emotional statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the "destructive cycle of violence has caused untold suffering".

He said: "You can't look at the pictures coming from Gaza and Israel without your heart breaking. We must cry to God and beat down the doors of heaven and pray for peace and justice and security.

Only a costly and open-hearted seeking of peace between Israeli and Palestinian can protect innocent people, their children and grandchildren, from ever worse violence."

Very sad.
Russians are punished by the west but when it comes for the Isral the UN and the WEST are silent, UN and the WEST are disgrace for their behaviour, where is this going to end? I remember the Archbishop of Canterbury said we can only prey for them.

[GastonJ]

The UK abstained in the vote from what I saw on the news today, usual support Israel no matter what it does bulls*it. I think the Israel and it's supporters were hoping all this would be missed because of the accusations the west is making against Russia at this time over MH17. Still waiting for the overwhelming evidence from the Syrian chemical weapons use from last August that the UK and US claimed they had. I really do hope that the UK and US aren't trying to use the senseless deaths of those on flight MH17 to try score political points against Russia with no evidence

It's all about double standards.....

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Ah but rusian are getting bombarded with sanctions, when it comes to isral they arm them, because the treaty was no longer fit for purpose like the article says. The US and Britan found the UN no longer fit for purpose when they ignored the UN, an organisation they founded, to launch their wars of aggression

[GastonJ]

They can hardly get the UN security council to vote to invade Russia or even place sanctions against Russia since Russia will just veto any such move

They'll impose sanctions and not buy the oil and gas, after all it's only Joe Public wo will end up paying more for oil and gas after all. High prices will also make fracking popular with the false promise of lower prices so Dave wins either way. More money in taxation from higher oil/gas prices because of sanctions he imposes and more money in taxation from fracking - seems like a win win for Dave (and his mates who will get rich by owning fracking companies)