Free Breaking News

Support free news online by subscribing today!

Consequence of Being a Terrorist

Recent picture of Mohammad Hatta “Madhatta” Haipe with his rebel group

July 30, 2010 by Imee

Being a terrorist is widely discussed in many levels, varying points of view and from a vast array of perspectives. But seldom are the consequences of terrorism ever become subject of significant discussion. When one engages in terrorist activities, setting aside the harm and damage you inflict on the society, does anyone ever consider the circumstance that will forever consume one’s life? Once you are a terrorist your life will never be the same.  You in effect cut yourself off to an extent from who you are and what your human nature is about.

A Terrorist Never Has a Normal Life

A terrorist never has a normal life. Most if not all governments consider terrorists, what they do and what they believe in as illegal. Moreover the current views of most states are that terrorists are objects of hatred and social stigma for the reason that you are involved in terrorism. After all terrorism is now viewed not just as politically induced violence but as a moral and ethical aberration that modern society abhors. Perhaps the idea that a terrorist is actually a freedom fighter and is against the oppression of the world powers is alluring. But the fact is not all world powers are oppressive to most countries. And it might be the terrorist who despite his values is asked to oppress people with their use of terrorism.

A terrorist is a murderer. His or her act of killing may be ideological, religious and even be a political necessity but there is no way to justify such an act. Always it would be seen as atrocity by most if not the entire world. A life as a fugitive is the life of a terrorist. He or she will always be on the run and living at the edge of the society. This is due to the fact that a terrorist is wanted in almost every country due to the fact that terrorism is an international crime. A person who becomes a terrorist is perpetually alienated from society, and even his or her own family. Obviously you cannot see your family since you could be arrested or they be used by the government to get to you or be the target of the vengeance of those you have harmed in the past.

Terrorism Has Consequences

A terrorist in no way contribute positively to the development of his or her country and the progression of their community. After all terrorist are part of the destructive and destabilizing forces that undermine national development and communal progress due to the nature of terrorism. In the news a top terrorist has been found guilty in the US. This terrorist is a founding member of the al-Qaida-linked bandit group Abu Sayyaf. The controversy is was the trial just given the experience of the U.S. with terrorism. But it is said that he pleaded guilty. But did this plea come as a product of free will or through coercive means or torture? What is certain is terrorism has consequences.

September 1, 2010 Posted by | News, Ready | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

State of Political Uncertainty Still Grips Bangkok

About 30,000 Red Shirts gathered at Sanam Luang

January 2nd, 2009 by Nick Nostitz, Guest Contributor

A government is supposed and actually do pursue the establishment and the institution of control and order. Their natural conduct is to stamp out all forms of disorder be they democratic or expressive of the people’s will. They are supposed to maintain the natural order of things and treat all  forms of disruption as evil. They also are interested in keeping and retaining the status quo where they hold and wield power, and they are the foremost agent of the state. A government that entrenched itself in the center of protective layers of legal measures and state protection is a government that is more interested in holding on to power rather being open to interact with the people. Their usual response to any  form contentions of their authority will be treated as unlawful and disorderly to the point that they will claim society is in danger, even if it is only the said government.

Climate of Political Instability

The climate of political instability that is the residue left after the series of unrests in the recent weeks in Thailand still keeps the government fearful of the resurgence of unrest by the opposition “ red shirts” have retained the state of emergency in Bangkok. Given that the government’s measure is to ensure the stability, continuity and security of the institutions of government it also sets a negative implication as to the Thai people. This, in fact, validate what the “red shirts” are claiming that the government is no longer attuned to the people, that it is already distant from it and is more concerned is staying in power but disguises this by calling it labels like, stability, law & order and social order.

Mirror Opposite of Government

The opposition like the “red shirts” are the mirror opposite of government in the sense that they are out to wrest from government any forms of authority, and that they argue to represent the people, and champion their welfare. As a result they usually possess overwhelming public support. They incite to disorder, riots and all forms of disruption with the end goal of destabilizing the government and ousting them. Setting aside the claims, contentions and allegation s of the various political factions involved directly or indirectly in the complex inter – links of Thai politics all are but conducting themselves according to their political nature.

A Closer Analysis

A closer analysis of the situation in Bangkok and Thailand as a whole would give us considerable insight as to the dynamics involved. At the center of it all is power. The government possesses it and is locked in a struggle to keep it and continue wielding it. On the other hand, the opposition, seek to acquire the power of the government and when they succeed, they too will struggle to retain it. Those involve forward and the real nature of the problem is now laid down clearly but like all political problems still it has dimensions that are unrevealed.

References:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/188559/emergency-decree-stays-in-city

http://www.e-ir.info/?p=976

September 1, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Technological Price for Entry into the Biggest Market on Earth

Workers assemble electronic components in the Chinese city of Shenzhen

By Allison Jackson (AFP) – 3 days ago

In the news there are allegations that have surfaced which accuse China of forcing various entities in the technology industry to give Chinese establishments technology. Allegedly this is required as part of their cost to do business in China, although China denies this. China’s increasing integration with the global economy has contributed to sustained growth in international trade.

The New Wave Of Chinese Economics

China’s exports have recently become more diversified, and have achieved greater penetration of industrial markets. This has been accompanied by a surge in Chinese imports from all regions—especially Asia, where China plays an increasingly central role in regional specialization. Tariff reforms have been implemented in China since the 1980s; and, with its recent WTO accession, China has committed itself to additional reforms that are far reaching. Sustained implementation of these commitments would further deepen China’s international integration and generate benefits for most partner countries.

China Emerges as a Global Power

Setting this aside and approaching this from a skeptical point of view, all the economic policies and trade processes that China is seen to be following could be a ruse in order to conduct or pursue its agenda in terms of increasing its advancement even through illicit or prohibited means. Its not like China’s markets are free enough to have financial options like bad credit cash loans and installment loans.  As China emerges as a global power, it is important to understand what role it will play and the security perceptions it has of both Asia and the world.

China’s View of US Society

The most important issue for China today is political stability at home. Any attempt to influence the status quot is not welcome and is deemed to be interference in China’s internal affairs. Many Chinese believe that the United States represents the core values of Western Civilization. Many believe the US is in conflict with the Eastern civilizations  represented by China. As a result, Chinese leadership views any American influence as a challenge to China’s political stability.

China Aggressively Pursues Technology

Moreover in the 21st century the status of superpower or world power at least require a certain degree of technological advancement and progression. This is the age of information technology and the fundamental resource of most modern and fast developing economies is technology. For a country to be powerful  it needs to possess a significant amount of advanced technology.

China is the World’s Most Populous Country

Let assume for the moment that the allegations are true. Will the U. S. or any other country really do anything about it. Will the US do as they said and really “push” China on the issue? That is highly unlikely. China is the world’s most populous country and the second largest energy consumer behind the United States.  Rising oil demand and imports have made China a significant factor in world oil markets. Given this fact China is a necessary part of the international economic system.

There would be significant repercussions if China is antagonized in any way. This means that setting  aside international trade policies, in most cases China can do pretty much what it wants. Given its status and place in the international arena who can really do anything about it.

August 29, 2010 Posted by | Electronics, Ready | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Kashmir: A Continuing Perennial Regional Problem of South Asia

Kashmiri muslims carry the body of Sameer Ahmed during his funeral procession in Srinagar, India, Monday, Aug. 2, 2010. Government troops fired into crowds of protesters Monday as tens of thousands of people across Indian-controlled Kashmir demonstrated their rejection of India's rule over the predominantly Muslim region, police said.

AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) updated 8/2/2010 3:20:37 PM ET

India and Pakistan after separation have been contesting each other’s claim as to the region of Kashmir causing the region to become a perennial problem of South Asia. The regional Kashmir problem, we have been facing since 1947, has never been viewed in a historical perspective in South Asia. That is why it has defied solution so far, and its end is not in sight in the near future. Politicians at the helm of affairs during this nearly half a century have been living from hand to mouth and are waiting for Pakistan to face them with a fait accompli. Once again they are out to hand over Kashmir and its people to be butchers who have devastated this fair land and destroyed its rich culture. Sixty years on, the tragedy of Kashmir still lingers and is most visibly embodied today in the Valley by the presence of one of the highest concentration of military personnel in the world.

Kashmir belongs to whom?

The reality is that it is an orphan territory to be occupied by whosoever carries a gun? But it also is an integral part of an ancient country and the extension of a great culture? Those who regard themselves as sons and daughters of that ancient country and as inheritors of that great culture they are the ones that been enslaved and brutalized and alienated from their ancestral society and culture by a terrorist and totalitarian cult. To whom does Kashmir belong? Does it belong to the country and the culture which has suffered and survived brutal assaults by the terrorists and totalitarian cult? Or does it belong to the imperialist enclave which has been torn away by force from an organic whole and which is being used as a launching pad for further assaults on what has survived of the ancient country and the great culture?

Humanistic solution in Kashmir

This is the question which should be posed and answered by all those who are concerned with what is called the Kashmir problem but what, in fact, is the problem presented by terrorist and totalitarian ideologies operating under religious cloaks. And it must be admitted that none of these questions can be answered except with the help of history. A humanistic solution is one based on removing hatred from the minds of people. And what creates the hatred in the minds of the majority community in Kashmir? The Quran does it by calling for the conversion or slaughter of all non-Muslims. The restoration of democracy is also a viable solution to this problem.

Effects of the Days of Partition

Although the nature of aggression from the days of Partition may have changed, violence continues on an almost daily basis with the deaths of civilians, but also armed forces and resistance fighters. This has far reaching implications for the society as a whole. If the Kashmir debacle, 60 years ago was complex, today it has become embroiled in an array of issues which add to the chaos and confusion further prolonging the tragedy. To bring the problem to a close all involve must confront its roots.

References:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/02/2970366.htm?section=justin

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gwfOJCB_u0Qyvqbv4W7_cwv6E3SQ

August 9, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Cluster Bombs: Added to the List of Prohibited Weapons

A model of a functioning cluster bombs currently on development

William Crawley | 21:41 UK time, Wednesday, 28 May 2009

The list of prohibited weapons has been increasing each passing year and cluster bomb weapons have been added to that long list. Prohibited weapons are being enforced around the world to prevent casualties and cause disabilities among people. Human civilization in its brilliance has produced some of finest inventions ever known. But it also has produced some of the most horrible creations, those that bring death and suffering. Over the course of human history man has sought to make waging war efficient and easy and this gave rise to various weapons like cluster weapons.

Cluster bombs and Artillery shells

Cluster bombs are air-dropped or ground-launched weapons that open in mid-air and scatter dozens, hundreds, or thousands of smaller submunitions (or bomblets) over a wide area. Such munitions are effective against targets that do not have fixed locations, such as enemy soldiers or vehicles, and also against precise positions, such as airfields and missile sites. Artillery shells that employ principles similar to cluster munitions have existed for decades. And then when that happens, they explode, wreaking havoc on the lives of children, farmers, and other civilians who were just going about their day until a de facto land mine blew off their legs. They would be fortunate to have survived.

Awareness of international community regarding effects

Over the past several years, the international community has become increasingly aware of the deadly effects of the widespread use of cluster arms in areas of conflict and civil instability around the world. More and more, policymakers in national governments and international organizations, academic researchers, and the personnel of a wide range of both nongovernment relief and human rights organizations have experienced firsthand, or been accumulating data and knowledge about, the widespread death and injury caused by these weapons in dozens of conflict ridden countries. These weapons, some about the size of a Diet Coke can, get launched and plaster indiscriminate areas of land. Some of them explode on contact, but many get lodged in fields, strung from telephone wires, or embedded in trees, waiting for some innocent bystander to accidentally touch them.

Effects on non-combatant

Since unexploded bomblets scattered by cluster munitions can remain dormant for years after a conflict ends and then be triggered by a non-combatant (often a child), the Cluster Munition Coalition, the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations organizations, other organizations, and many nations began negotiations to produce a treaty banning submunition-based weapons in 2007. A draft treaty that would outlaw cluster bombs and give ratifying nations eight years to destroy such weapons was approved by more than 100 nations in May, 2008, and signed in December 2008.

Treaty ratification in 2010

Recently this treaty received the 30 ratifications necessary to enter into force in 2010. However among the nations that did not participate in the conference that adopted the draft were the United States, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and Israel.  What is striking is that the nations that did not participate in this monumental effort are the very same ones that popularized and openly use cluster weapons. So long as they are not made to abide by this treaty that attempts to make warfare humane the atrocious consequences of war will continue to malign humanity.

Reference:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0802/1224276042814.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/08/20108161921618518.html

August 9, 2010 Posted by | Science & Technology | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Cry of the First Nations: The Iroquois Issue

Traditional dance performance in the Iroquois Indian Village at the 2008 New York State Fair.

Author Dave Pape, I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

There does not seem to be one definitive definition of indigenous people, but generally indigenous people are those that have historically belonged to a particular region or country, before its colonization or transformation into a nation state, and may have different—often unique—cultural, linguistic, traditional, and other characteristics to those of the dominant culture of that region or state.

In many parts of the world, indigenous peoples suffer from a history of discrimination and exclusion that has left them on the margins of the larger societies in which they exist. For this reason, they face great difficulties in maintaining and developing their own models of development and wellbeing and are consequently disproportionately affected by poverty and exclusion. Under the basic principles of universality, equality and non – discrimination, indigenous peoples are entitled to the full range of rights established under international law. However, indigenous peoples, as collectivities, have distinct and unique cultures and world views, and their current needs and aspirations for the future may differ from those of the mainstream population. Their equal worth and dignity can only be assured through the recognition and protection of not only their individual rights, but also their collective rights as distinct groups. It is when these rights are asserted collectively that they can be realized in a meaningful way. This has led to the development of a separate body of international instruments for the recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples.

The rights of Native nations to govern themselves independently has long been recognized by federal treaties, but the extent of that recognition beyond U.S borders is under challenge in a post-Sept. 11 world. After initially refusing to accept Iroquois-issued passports because the documents lack security features, the State Department gave the team a one-time waiver.

International human rights instruments are not enough to guarantee the survival, wellbeing and dignity of indigenous peoples, even if they have a great importance for the protection of their rights. Most international human rights instruments protect the rights of the individual. Indigenous peoples need the recognition of specific collective rights for their survival as human groups. These rights include indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, territories and resources, to maintain their cultures, to recognition of their distinct identities, to self-government and self – determination, and to be asked for their free, prior and informed consent in decisions that may affect them. Such rights are considered the minimum standards for the protection of their survival as distinct peoples and are intended to address the challenges most indigenous peoples face around the world.

In the news in the United States American Indian lacrosse team’s refusal to travel on passports not issued by the Iroquois confederacy goes to the heart of one of the most sensitive issues in Indian Country — sovereignty. The trend among nations is that there is increased multi – culturalism and renewed focus on indigenous peoples, particularly their needs and wants.

July 21, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , | Leave a Comment

Synthetic Euphoria: Drug Legalization, Harm Reduction, and Drug Policy

Marijuana is illegal to possess for recreational or commercial purposes. In reaction to marijuana prohibition, smokeable herbal blends have become popular route to score that sweet, sweet legal high. The newest blend that is on the shelves at local smoke shops is being labelled as “fake weed” because of the marijuana-like high that comes from smoking it, despite not containing THC. The latest trend at teen parties isn’t warm beer or prescription medicines pilfered from parents’ medicine cabinets. Instead, increasing numbers of youths are turning to an herb-based product to get high, and unlike marijuana, it’s perfectly legal. It’s known as K2 or Spice, a synthetic substance that, when smoked, gives users a marijuana-like high, according to drug authorities. Its growing popularity is causing increasing alarm among health care professionals, law enforcement authorities and lawmakers, with one Drug Enforcement Agency official calling its use the equivalent of “playing Russian roulette.”

These Legal-ish alternatives to marijuana exist; you just need to know where to look for it. Apparently that’s what someone learned when they put the herbal incense brand “Spice” in their pipe and smoked it. The results were, like, totally rad, dude. It turns out Spice contains the synthetic substance JWH-018, which is incredibly similar to the main active component of marijuana. Although sold legally in many countries, governments around the world are lining up to put the kibosh on the Spice party. This is nothing short that evolving a widely used narcotic yet the authorities struggle to deal with it. Another matter is that of the public and political demands for marijuana’s medical availability, federal drug agencies are instead promoting bureaucratically sanctioned alternatives which are synthetic, expensive and often ineffective. It is ironic that after decades of pretending marijuana is medically useless, federal drug agencies are now aggressively pushing synthetic Marinol, the so-called “pot pill,” by arguing it is as safe and effective as marijuana.

Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behaviour. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction—that it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives. Alternative or not, legal or not it is still part of the problem and has to be dealt with before it spreads and add to the current drug problem already present in society.

July 21, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Soldiers: Let’s Unmasked the real Militia – Villagers or Professionals Recruits?

A Militia is an organization of citizens prepared to provide defence, emergency, or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. Militias can be government sanctioned or independent organizations. The legality of such organizations varies by country, as does the role they have played in the founding of different countries. Militias, being composed of civilians rather than professional soldiers, vary in their military training and have historically been found inadequate to their appointed task of defending their country against foreign attack. Recently Gen. David H. Petraeus has met sharp resistance from President Hamid Karzai to an American plan to assist Afghan villagers in fighting the Taliban on their own. The idea of recruiting villagers into local defence programs is a key part of the U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, and Karzai’s stance poses an early challenge to Petraeus as he tries to fashion a collaborative relationship with the Afghan leader. Senior U.S. officials say that the United States would like to expand the program to about two dozen sites across Afghanistan, double the current number, and are hoping to overcome Karzai’s concerns. But the issue is delicate to many who fear that such experiments could lead Afghanistan further into warlordism and out-of-control militias.

Warlordism plagues many weak and failed states, and the parochial and often brutal rule of warlords deprives countries of the chance for lasting security and economic growth. This situation is not new; warlordism has arisen across history in a variety of geographical locations. In some of these cases, societies have managed to eradicate warlordism, paving the way for stable governance structures to emerge. Afghanistan in fact is prone to such especially with the expansion of militia drawn from villagers. However the reality is also tells us that the country cannot at this time have a sufficient armed force to rely on. Notably Karzai said his government would abolish private militias and warlordism and integrate into the national mainstream former fighters who surrender their arms. He stated: “Afghanistan needs to have institutions, the rule of law, that’s what we will do.” Moreover “Warlordism, and private militias will not be tolerated at all, they will have to go away.”

And yet you have the United States approach of empowering militias to supplement the insufficient armed forces of Afghanistan. The detritus of tribal war litters the road that leads into this quiet mountain hamlet in eastern Afghanistan. The charred bodies of vehicles and the skeletal remains of destroyed houses fill the desert that flanks the road. Most of the shops in the main bazaar are shuttered, and some residents have packed up and left. This is the glimpse if warlordism consumes this fledgling country and yet the same can be said for disorder. Afghanistan is at a cross roads and it has to thread lightly lest it stumbles back in into the darkness that it is still emerging from.

July 21, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Paul the Octopus and The Human Cost Of Animal Rights Violence

It is in the nature of animals to assert themselves in the animal world but this in itself has nothing to do with having rights. At a certain point in time man conceived the notion of ‘rights’ and it is man alone that employs such a concept. Why then do we speak of animal rights? The answer is quite simple: animal rights are meant to set limits to human behavior. If we fail to set clear legal limits to human behaviour in relation to animals, it will be impossible to initiate legal proceedings against those who exceed these limits. Animals are vulnerable, defenceless and completely in man’s power. Persons who disregard the well being of animals should be brought to court and be held accountable for violating animal rights.

In the news People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an Animal rights group is demanding the release of Paul, the psychic octopus, who has become a global star for his FIFA World Cup predictions. Bruce Friedrich, PETA spokesperson said that they were urging people to sign an online petition demanding Paul’s release. “No animal deserves to be confined to a tiny tank and we’re hoping that Paul’s popularity, or in Germany notoriety, will cause people to think a little bit more about the inner lives of octopuses.” The move comes after death threats from German fans, after all Paul is the object of their anger and contempt. Paul, from Aquarium Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, had predicted the outcome of all six of Germany’s matches by choosing to eat food from boxes adorned with the flags of Germany and its rivals. Meanwhile, the eight-legged oracle has predicted that Spain will win the World Cup final, and Germany will emerge victorious in the battle for third place over Uruguay.

The issues surrounding the philosophies of animal rights and animal welfare are very familiar to those who utilize animals in industry, entertainment, sport or recreation. As society has migrated from our agricultural roots to a more urban existence, the importance of distinguishing between animal rights and animal welfare becomes paramount. Some people believe animal rights supersede human rights.  Some believe that there is no moral difference between the life of a whooping crane and the life of a human.  Only a few decades ago, people with such irrational beliefs would have been institutionalized for their own protection.  Many other people at this end of the social spectrum refuse to eat meat.  They won’t eat “anything that used to have a face.”  No matter how you slice it, [that's a pun] these people are just plain abnormal. The deep set moral question is best reduced to a simply analogy. If you had a nuclear bomb and you decided to use it and actually use it on an anthill does that have any moral bearing on you? Does that kill your in some way? If it does then how?

July 21, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Hezbollah Village Armory: Israeli Indiscriminate Attacks Killed Most Civilians

A Palestinian child, wounded earlier in an Israeli military attack, is seen through the window of Kamal Edwan hospital of the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. Israel showed no signs of slowing its bruising 19-day offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, striking some 60 targets on Wednesday. Israel launched the onslaught on Dec. 27, seeking to punish the Hamas militant group for years of rocket attacks on southern Israel. The offensive has killed more than 940 Palestinians, half of them civilians, according to Palestinian hospital officials. (AP Photo/Majed Hamdan)

Photos by adinkraifa

Human shields are persons who volunteers or is forced to take up a position at a likely military target as a means of forestalling an enemy attack. What if the shield is a community and it is used to insulate from attack military assets? Recently in the news Israel’s military released maps and aerial photographs showing what it described as a network of Hezbollah weapons depots and command centers inside villages.  These are in south Lebanon, near the Israeli border. The Israeli material included detailed maps and 3-D simulations showing individual buildings that the military identified as rocket storehouses. Some were shown to be located close to schools and hospitals. The rare publication of what seemed to be detailed intelligence material appeared aimed at demonstrating Israel’s reach and preparing public opinion for possible strikes inside villages and the attendant civilian casualties if a future round of fighting erupts. In Beirut, a Hezbollah official said he would not comment before seeing the information.

Can this be treated as a case of Human Shields? In the past Israel in its fight to defend itself against Hamas attacks against its civilians, Israel is faced with moral challenges unprecedented in their complexity. Hamas, as a basic element of its strategy, exploits the Palestinian population as shields for its terrorist operations and infrastructure. This cynical strategy include the following tactics: the deliberate launching of rocket from populated areas, the deliberate use of civilian homes to shield Hamas arms and explosives manufacturing facilities and the deliberate use of civilians as human shields against anticipated airstrikes.

In this sense the said scenario if established to be factual will be the same. The Hezbollah could be adopting a similar approach to dealing with the Israeli armed forces. Human Shield increases the civilian casualty rate and is illegal in any nation that is party to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident, which reportedly took place in Nablus. In a video clip posted on the Yediot Ahronot newspaper’s website, two Palestinian youths are shown leaning over an Israeli jeep with a soldier inside. A foreign peace activist tells the soldier, “You can’t use them as human shields, it is against the law.” The soldier says he is not doing so, adding, “We asked them to speak to their friends and ask them to stop throwing stones at us.” The military, announcing the suspension, said soldiers “apparently made prohibited use of civilians”. Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups have regularly complained that Israel uses human shields to stop youths from throwing stones at them, but there has often been no proof.

No wonder that the use of human shields be they individually or as a group or a community pervades conflicts involving Israel. Both sides avail of the same reprehensible tactic and perpetuate the conflict. The Hezbollah might have its armoury protected by the village since Israel does the same then it does not matter anymore.

July 21, 2010 Posted by | News | , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.