Israel marks four years of 'cruel' Shalit captivity
22 replies, posted
[url]http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4SwrmZLclGaqqupm2sM8jTRUv2w[/url]
[quote]JERUSALEM — Israelis on Friday released balloons and took to the streets to mark the four years in captivity of soldier Gilad Shalit who is being held by Hamas in what Human Rights Watch called cruel conditions.
Residents of the southern Israeli city of Sderot launched balloons from a hill overlooking the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, where the 23-year-old Israeli soldier is believed to be held.
In Tel Aviv, about 100 bikers rode in convoy to the embassies of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with flags bearing a Shalit likeness and the Israeli colours flying from their motorcycles.
They delivered to the ambassadors letters asking that the Security Council hold a session about Shalit.
In the northern city of Naharia, hundreds of people took part in a demonstration of support for Shalit.
Later in the day, thousands of yellow balloons were to be released in Haifa and a candle-lighting ceremony was planned in Tel Aviv.
Demonstrations of support for Shalit, who also holds French nationality, have also been held in several capitals this week, including Rome and Paris.
On Sunday, the Shalit family accompanied by thousands of supporters will set off on a march from their home in northern Israel to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence, a distance of about 200 kilometres (120 miles.)
In a statement marking Friday's anniversary, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Shalit's prolonged incommunicado detention "may amount to torture."
"Hamas authorities are violating the laws of war by refusing to allow Shalit to correspond with his family," the New York-based group said.
Shalit, then a 19-year-old corporal, was captured by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in a deadly cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip on June 25, 2006.
He has had no contact with his family or the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"Regardless of Hamas?s grievances against Israel, there are no grounds to cut Shalit off completely from his family," HRW said.
"Hamas authorities in Gaza should immediately end the cruel and inhuman treatment of Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit," it said.
The Islamist movement has said that allowing outside access to Shalit could reveal his location to Israel.
HRW pointed out that Israel has prevented detainees from the Gaza Strip from having family visits since Hamas seized power in the Palestinian territory in 2007. They are, however, allowed periodic Red Cross visits.
Israel imposed a blockade on the coastal enclave four years ago a bid to force Hamas to release Shalit, but eased the sanctions this week amid international pressure fuelled by a deadly commando raid on a Gaza-bound activist aid flotilla.
Negotiations for a prisoner swap, mediated by Egypt and Turkey, have hit a brick wall.
Hamas wants Israel to release hundreds of prisoners, including several top militants responsible for killing scores of Israelis, in exchange for Shalit -- a price the Jewish state has been reluctant to pay.
Israel will end "yielding to the conditions of the resistance," Osama Hamdan, Hamas' representative in Lebanon, said in a statement posted on the website of the armed wing of the group.
A majority of Israelis favour a swap, according to a poll published by the Yediot Aharonot daily on Friday.
Seventy-two percent said yes when asked if they would support "a prisoner exchange deal in which hundreds of terrorists, including murderers, are released in exchange for Gilad Shalit."
The largest Israeli newspapers devoted front pages and several inside pages to the anniversary.
Maariv inserted a yellow ribbon in its Friday edition, which featured an emotional appeal from Shalit's mother, while Yediot Aharonot splashed the headline: "Gilad we love you."[/quote]
[QUOTE]"Hamas authorities in Gaza should immediately end the cruel and inhuman treatment of Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit," it said.[/QUOTE]
Oh wow
So HRW's proclamations are the end-all truth when their statements support Israel, but whenever they decry them, they're lying through their teeth with no evidence.
lol.
[QUOTE=starpluck;22879263][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/MediaCoverageArabIsraeliConflictSelectivityGiladShalit.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
[quote]He has had no contact with his family or the International Committee of the Red Cross.[/quote]
[quote]HRW pointed out that Israel has prevented detainees from the Gaza Strip from having family visits since Hamas seized power in the Palestinian territory in 2007. They are, however, allowed periodic Red Cross visits.[/quote]
The HRW doesn't know shit when it comes to military-related subjects. They are still biased against Israel, and I have no idea why are they suddenly supporting it.
BTW we don't even know for sure Gilad Shalit is still alive, because the Hamas won't let anyone see him.
[editline]10:13PM[/editline]
Also, the HRW aren't the only one protesting his captivity: [url]http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/italy-hamas-treatment-of-shalit-shows-its-terrorist-nature-1.298259[/url]
Snip misread
[QUOTE=starpluck;22880118]Hamas, on the other hand allows the Red Cross to visit him.[/QUOTE]
Source?
Edit: Snippy no snipping.
[QUOTE=starpluck;22880118]What does that have to do with anything?
Really shocking to be honest, I made a news thread 2 months ago. A Palestinan man died after being in solitary confinement. He was not allowed to see medics, which is why he died.
Hamas, on the other hand allows the Red Cross to visit him.[/QUOTE]
[quote]He has had no contact with his family or the International Committee of the Red Cross.[/quote]
@Thom
Like this guy [url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=925145[/url]
No contact at all, in solitary confinement and was denied medical treatment, later died. Sounds to me Hamas actually gives Gilad better conditions, but it's all ignored and the media focuses on him only.
[editline]10:32PM[/editline]
[QUOTE=BurnEmDown;22879949] They are still biased against Israel, and I have no idea why are they suddenly supporting it.
[/QUOTE]
:downsbravo: maybe it's because they aren't biased, just critical of Israel :downs:
[QUOTE=starpluck;22880391]:downsbravo: maybe it's because they aren't biased, just critical of Israel :downs:[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.webcitation.org/5jELkhpuR[/url]
[url]http://www.adl.org/Anti_semitism/speech_palacio.asp[/url]
[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-levy/the-swiftboating-of-
human_b_241634.html[/url]
[url]http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/08/14/false-allegations-about-human-rights-watch-s-latest-gaza-report[/url]
[url]http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7076462.ece?token=null&offset=24&page=3[/url]
[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/opinion/20bernstein.html?_r=2&em[/url]
[url]http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/secret+motives/1998271/story.html[/url]
[url]http://www.tnr.com/article/minority-report-2?page=0,0[/url]
[QUOTE=starpluck;22880391]
:downsbravo: maybe it's because they aren't biased, just critical of Israel :downs:[/QUOTE]
Yeah just ignore everything that's said here:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Human_Rights_Watch[/url]
[QUOTE=BurnEmDown;22881201]Yeah just ignore everything that's said here:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Human_Rights_Watch[/url][/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Human_Rights_Watch#Anti-Arab-League_or_pro-Israel_bias[/url]
They've been accused of bias by both sides. This usually points to an organization that is reasonably in the middle.
[QUOTE=Kagrenak;22881361][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Human_Rights_Watch#Anti-Arab-League_or_pro-Israel_bias[/url]
They've been accused of bias by both sides. This usually points to an organization that is reasonably in the middle.[/QUOTE]
The part you're pointing to is only relevant to the July War, whereas the remainder of the article (and all of it's sources) speak of the entire history of the HRW in the Middle East.
[QUOTE=Kagrenak;22881361][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Human_Rights_Watch#Anti-Arab-League_or_pro-Israel_bias[/url]
They've been accused of bias by both sides. This usually points to an organization that is reasonably in the middle.[/QUOTE]
One, small, 4-lines long paragraph criticizing the HRW of bias towards Israel, versus several paragraphs criticizing the HRW of bias against Israel. Doesn't see like a reasonable middle to me.
Still don't see why you would trust them on this and not the other things. But I do cede that it isn't a reasonable middle.
[QUOTE=Kagrenak;22881676]Still don't see why you would trust them on this and not the other things. But I do cede that it isn't a reasonable middle.[/QUOTE]
Well, the fact is that Gilad Shalit isn't allowed visit by the red cross. It doesn't matter who says so, there's no facts being left out or whatever, it's the simple truth.
When the HRW however criticize Israel, they always leave out certain things, don't tell the whole story from an unbiased view-point, and almost always make sure to show Israel in an extreme, unrealistic way.
[QUOTE=BurnEmDown;22881820]Well, the fact is that Gilad Shalit isn't allowed visit by the red cross. It doesn't matter who says so, there's no facts being left out or whatever, it's the simple truth.
When the HRW however criticize Israel, they always leave out certain things, don't tell the whole story from an unbiased view-point, and almost always make sure to show Israel in an extreme, unrealistic way.[/QUOTE]
I suppose that first bit is true.
The second bit isn't even in line with the criticism, the criticism seems to be more that they over-criticize Israel, as in they report substantially more events, ignoring the fact that they're an open society as opposed to some of the closed regimes around them. More of a systemic bias rather than an acute/innate/extreme bias.
[QUOTE=Kagrenak;22881893]I suppose that first bit is true.
The second bit isn't even in line with the criticism, the criticism seems to be more that they over-criticize Israel, as in they report substantially more events, ignoring the fact that they're an open society as opposed to some of the closed regimes around them. More of a systemic bias rather than an acute/innate/extreme bias.[/QUOTE]
There's more to it than that. For example there's the report "rain of fire" which relies on Palestinian testimonies and draws conclusions and presents them as facts, without even checking with the Israeli side.
[QUOTE=BurnEmDown;22881966]There's more to it than that. For example there's the report "rain of fire" which relies on Palestinian testimonies and draws conclusions and presents them as facts, without even checking with the Israeli side.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't how many times do I have to repeat it to get it through your fucking head.
The very few testimonies were from UN officals and citizens. Even without those testimonies it has suffient evidence to draw conclusions.
And it did check the Israeli side.
[QUOTE=BurnEmDown;22879949]The HRW doesn't know shit when it comes to military-related subjects. They are still [B]biased against Israel[/B], and I have no idea why are they suddenly supporting it.
BTW we don't even know for sure Gilad Shalit is still alive, because the Hamas won't let anyone see him.
[editline]10:13PM[/editline]
Also, the HRW aren't the only one protesting his captivity: [url]http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/italy-hamas-treatment-of-shalit-shows-its-terrorist-nature-1.298259[/url][/QUOTE]
lol
you're a fuck up
[editline]12:02AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Regulas021;22881128][url]http://www.webcitation.org/5jELkhpuR[/url]
[url]http://www.adl.org/Anti_semitism/speech_palacio.asp[/url]
[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-levy/the-swiftboating-of-
human_b_241634.html[/url]
[url]http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/08/14/false-allegations-about-human-rights-watch-s-latest-gaza-report[/url]
[url]http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7076462.ece?token=null&offset=24&page=3[/url]
[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/opinion/20bernstein.html?_r=2&em[/url]
[url]http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/secret+motives/1998271/story.html[/url]
[url]http://www.tnr.com/article/minority-report-2?page=0,0[/url][/QUOTE]
Half of the sources are bullshit, one doesn't work, the rest make no sense to what you're arguing
Haha using ADL as a source
[QUOTE=CivilProtection;22886006]Haha using ADL as a source[/QUOTE]
fucking anti-defamation league is the worse
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.