Gaza War Crimes

Israel rarely makes the headlines in a negative context in US news. The bias is incredibly apparent to us living in the Middle East, as we hear mostly the Palestinian version in the International and Arab media, and then see the US media’s version the next morning. Of course the truth is somewhere in between.

A recent UN report published that Israel committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity in the Gaza incursion last year. Hamas, the elected Palestinian authority these days, was also cited as having violated Geneva standards, however Israel was clearly singled out as the main perpetrator. True to form, the headlines varied depending on the source. For example:

NY Times: Inquiry Finds Gaza War Crimes From Both Sides

Times Online (UK): UN accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza 

Al Jazeera: UN: Israel terrorised Gazans in war (sic) 

Funny how we can tell biases from just headlines!  Even the amount of deaths reported in the Gaza incursion vary from 1400 Palestinians, 50% civilian deaths by the PHRC, to 1100 and less than 30% civilians by the Israeli military. So who’s right? Interestingly all agree that only 13 Israelis died.

It is notable in this debate that the Geneva Convention was agreed upon after World War II to ensure that civilians would “never again” suffer as they had under Nazi occupation. Of course, the Jewish people suffered the brunt of these crimes, their suffering being the primary reasoning for the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of a Jewish homeland. And now, Israel is accused of being one of the leading violators of these conventions today. There are a reported 65 UN resolutions Israel has completely disregarded many of which have to do with the treatment of civilians.

I don’t want to take sides, but the Bible asks us to plead the case of the widow, orphan and the alien. We are always to side with the disenfranchised, and those needing justice.  Or does this only apply when the Jews happen to be the disenfranchised?    I may live in a idealistic dream world where hope and peace seem reachable... is a little truth and justice for the oppressed unreasonable to ask for?