In a major report, Human Rights Watch has described Palestinian
suicide bombings against Israeli civilians as crimes against humanity.
The organization also charges that Palestinian Authority President
Yasser Arafat has not done enough to prevent the attacks, though
it says there is no evidence that he is legally responsible for
them.
The
report, entitled Erased in a Moment: Suicide Bombing Attacks
Against Israeli Civilians, is the most detailed independent
investigation of the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign to be
published since the beginning of the current round of fighting two
years ago. In a statement, Kenneth Roth, the Executive Director
of Human Rights Watch, said that "those who carry out suicide
bombings are not martyrs, theyre war criminals, and so are
the people who help to plan such attacks."
The
report argues that the top leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad should
face investigation for their support for the bombing campaign. In
the case of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an organization linked
to President Arafats Fatah party, the report says that control
and responsibility for criminal attacks "appears to be centred
at local levels." Nevertheless the report says that Arafat
has not done enough to deter the attacks, and has helped create
an atmosphere of impunity for them. It claims that Arafat and the
Palestinian Authority "bear a high degree of political responsibility
for the atrocities."
Responding
to the publication, Arafat told reporters that the Israeli military
occupation of Palestinian areas was the root cause of the violence.
According to a report by the Associated Press, he said, "We
have to blame the occupation for what is going on."
In
previous reports, Human Rights Watch has been strongly critical
of the actions of the Israeli military during the latest round of
fighting in the Middle East.
Related
chapters from Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know:
Arab-Israeli
War
Terrorism
Against Civilians
Related
Links
Suicide
Bombers Commit Crimes Against Humanity
Human Rights Watch Press Release
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