Seven children die in crossfire as Israelis target suspected militants

Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem
Wednesday January 5, 2005
The Guardian

Mahmoud Abbas, who is expected to win Sunday's election for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority, condemned "the Zionist enemy" yesterday after seven children on their way to pick strawberries were mistaken for Palestinian militants and killed by Israeli tank shells.

The tanks used anti-personnel shells, which throw out thousands of metal darts in a deadly cloud. Children aged 10, 12, 13 and 14 and three 17-year-olds were killed. A further 11 people were injured, four critically.

The attack took place near Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, from where militants had been firing mortars at Israeli positions on the Gaza border, injuring one person.

(snip)

Witnesses confirmed that militants had been firing mortars in the fields where the farmers were heading but they had dispersed by the time the tank shells were fired.

more...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1383284,00.html

I don't believe that you can go and invade another's territory regularly and operate within international law. Israel's behavior is completely immoral. It goes way beyond self-defense.

Electronic Intifada was interviewed on Flashpoints, angry at the slant from NPR's Steve Inskeep. Said that Inskeep "highlighted the phrase 'Zionist enemy,' and suggested "it was a deliberate appeal to Palestinian extremism" but did NOT mention the dead children.

Dennis Bernstein went on to say that he had extensively searched the media today to find ANY reference to Abbas saying the 'Zionist enemy' which did not also explain that he was speaking about the dead children, and he couldn't find one. He concluded that Inskeep therefore must have read a story ABOUT the dead children, selectively used the 'Zionist enemy' quote, but chose not to even mention the dead children.

Whose names are:
Hani Mohammed Kamel Ghaben, 17; Mohammed Hassan Mousa Ghaben, 17; Rajeh Ghassan Kamel Ghaben, 10; Jaber 'Abdullah Ghaben, 16; Bassam Kamel Mohammed Ghaben, 17; Mahmoud Kamel Mohammed Ghaben, 12; and Jibril 'Abdul Fattah al-Kaseeh, 16.

God rest their souls and heal the hearts of their families.

the stupidity (or selective outrage) on display in this thread:

Abbas calls Israel "the Zionist enemy"

Flechettes are an anti-personnel weapon that is generally fired from tanks. The shell explodes in the air and releases thousands of metal darts 3.75 mm in length, which disperse in a conical arch three hundred meters long and about ninety meters wide. .
The IDF uses flechette shells that are 105 mm in diameter and are fired from tanks.

<snip>

The IDF used flechettes in Lebanon against the Hizbullah and the other militias fighting against Israel. The flechettes killed and wounded dozens of Lebanese civilians, who were not involved in the hostilities, including children.

<snip>

These claims cannot justify the use of flechette shells by the IDF in the Gaza Strip.While flechettes are not expressly forbidden in international humanitarian law under all circumstances, but other rules of humanitarian law render their use in the Gaza Strip illegal. One of the most fundamental principles is the obligation to distinguish between those involved in the hostilities and those who are not involved in the fighting, and to avoid to the extent possible injury to those who are not involved in combat. Deriving from this principle, is the prohibition on the use of an imprecise weapon which is likely to result in civilian injuries.

The long killing range of the shell makes its use in populated areas, such as the Gaza Strip, a type of indiscriminate firing, in which there is a particularly high danger of innocent civilians being harmed. In addition, during combat in a built-up area, the likelihood of errors in identifying the source of light-weapons fire is particularly great. Because of the duty to limit to the extent possible the damage to innocent civilians, added caution is required when selecting the military response, including the type of ammunition.

http://www.btselem.org/English/Open_Fire_Regulations/Flechette.asp