Impunity Watch: Middle East

Double Bombing in Karbala Kills Dozens

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A double car bombing on February 5 in the southern city of Karbala killed at least thirty two individuals. The attacks also left over one hundred people wounded. The dead and injured were among the hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims who commemorated a major Shi'ite Muslim holy day in Karbala. 

This bombing followed two other attacks against the pilgrims in the past week. The other attacks caused the deaths of over seventy pilgrims who were on their way to Karbala. The attack took place on the last and most important day of the Arbaeen. The holy day marks the fortieth day of mourning for the prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein. Imam Hussein was killed in a seventh century battle in Karbala.

The attack took place at the eastern entrance to the city, one of the three main entrances to Karbala. During this time pilgrims from around Iraq were leaving the commemorations that were taking place in the city center. The first explosion was caused by a car bomb that exploded near a hospitality tent. The tent had been erected to offer refreshments. Moments later a second explosion went off as a suicide bomber drove a vehicle through the carnage created by the first bombing. There were some reports that the car bomb attacks were followed up by mortar rounds.

Attacks on the Shi'ite pilgrims during Abaeen were not a surprise to the Iraqi government' Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, Baghdad's security spokesman, said in a statement that "the terrorist groups are gathering together all their capabilities to launch attacks during Arbaeen and after it." Moussawi continue, saying that "the coming days will see these terrorist groups carrying out other attempts whenever they get a chance." 

Close to thirty thousand troops and police have been deployed to protect the Shi'ite pilgrims. Mohammed al-Moussawi, head of the provincial council, estimated that seven million pilgrims visited Karbala in the past ten days. 

Overall there have been eight suicide bombings in Iraq in the last eleven days, targeting hotels and government buildings as well as pilgrims. Officials view this as a sign that the Sunni extremist insurgency appears to be regrouping in an attempt to destabilize Iraq ahead of the March 7 election.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera - Deadly Blast in Iraq's Karbala City - 5 February 2010

BBC - Bombings Hit Iraq Shia Pilgrims in Karbala - 5 February 2010

Los Angeles Times - Double Bombing Kills 32 in Iraq - 5 February 2010

Washington Post - Iraqi police: Attacks Kill 28 Shiite Pilgrims - 5 February 2010

Hamas Formally Rejects War Crimes Allegations

 

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

GAZA CITY, Gaza – Hamas submitted a formal response to the United Nations on February 3, rejecting allegations that it committed war crimes during the 2008-2009 Gaza War between Hamas and Israel. Hamas has been the governing party in the Gaza Strip since 2006.

 

Hamas’ fifty-two-page response said that the killing of three Israeli citizens was an accident and that Hamas only targeted military installations. During the twenty-two day war, as many as 1,387 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and thirteen Israelis were killed.

 

After the fighting ended, the U.N. commissioned an investigation and a report on the hostilities. The mission was headed by South African jurist and former war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone, and the mission’s final report accused both Israel and Hamas of targeting civilians and other war crimes during the Gaza War. The Goldstone Report also called for Israel and Hamas to conduct internal investigations about the war crimes allegations. The deadline for submitting internal findings to the U.N. is February 5.

 

Human Rights Watch, which has also condemned Israel’s actions, responded to Hamas’ response, saying the party’s “claim that its rocket attacks against Israel are not war crimes is factually and legally wrong.”

 

Israel submitted its forty-six page response earlier in the week, likewise denying any allegations of war crimes and stating that two of its top military officers had been reprimanded for shelling a U.N. building where hundreds of Palestinians had been staying. Palestinian and human rights groups rejected Israel’s account; Amnesty International called the Israeli response “totally inadequate.”

 

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on February 4 that he could not determine whether Israel and Hamas had met the U.N. requirements for credible, independent internal investigations.

 

The Palestinian Authority said it would open its own internal investigation into Hamas’ actions during the war. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had announced in the week leading up to the investigation deadline that he would establish a committee to investigate the conduct of P.A. security officers during the Gaza War. Fatah is the ruling party of the P.A., and has been at odds with Hamas since Hamas took over control of the Gaza Strip from Fatah in 2006.

 

For more information, please see:

 

AFP – UN Chief Uncertain if “Credible” Gaza Probes Underway – 4 February 2010

 

Ha’aretz – PA to Probe Alleged Hamas Gaza War Crimes – 3 February 2010

 

New York Times – Hamas Gives U.N. Response to Gaza War Crimes Report – 3 February 2010

 

Human Rights Watch – Gaza: Hamas Report Whitewashes War Crimes – 28 January 2010

 

Washington Post – Human Rights Group: Hamas Targeted Civilians – 28 January 2010

Syria and Israel Exchange Harsh Words

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria- Walid Moallem, the Syrian Foreign Minister, warned Israel on Wednesday about launching any war against his country, saying that such actions would result in a larger conflict.  In remarks made to Syrian journalists in Damascus, Moallem was quoted as saying, “Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities.”

During his session with reporters, Moallem was questioned about comments made on Monday by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.  Barak said that “in the absence of peace negotiations with Syria, we might find ourselves in a forceful conflict that could lead to an all out war.” In response, Moallem said such statements “heightened the risk of war in the region.”

Moallem warned that “if such a war comes, it will be widespread even if it is just waged against southern Lebanon or Syria.”  He added that there would be no chance of “peace negotiations being launched after such a war.”

In related comments, Syrian President Bashar Assad noted that “Israel was not serious in achieving peace and that everything showed it was working toward a war.”  Syria and Israel held preliminary talks mediated by Turkey back in 2008 over the Golan Heights which was seized by the Israelis after the 1967 war.  Since that day, little progress has been made on the peace prospects between the two countries.

In a stern response, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman advised Syria to abandon its dream of recovering the Israeli held Golan Heights.  Lieberman further added that the Syrians “have crossed a red line that cannot be ignored.  Our message must be clear to Assad: ‘In the next war, not only will you lose but you and your family will lose power.”

Lieberman’s firm stance contrasted sharply with that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier in the week, stated that Israel seeks peace.  Netanyahu’s statements said that he “would be willing to go anywhere in the world, and doesn’t rule out assistance by a fair third party, to promote the political process in order to begin peace talks with Syria without any preconditions.”

For more information, please see:

Washington Post- Israel Warns Syria it Would Lose Future War- 4 February 2010

The Daily Star- Moallem Warns Israel: Starting War with Syria Would Lead to Wider Conflict- 3 February 2010

The Jerusalem Post- Assad: Israel Pushing Middle East to War- 3 February 2010

Yemen Emerging as U.S Intelligence “Foremost” Concern

By Ahmad Shihadah 

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

WASHINGTON D.C., United States - Al Qaeda's offshoot in Yemen has emerged as the "foremost concern" for U.S. spy agencies since the group was tied to two attacks in the United States last year. According to a sweeping assessment of the global terrorism threat issued Tuesday by the nation's top intelligence officer, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair. 

According to intelligence officials, Al Qaeda is coming up with even more creative ways towards effectively making a strike at American targets, both within the United States as well as overseas. The biggest concern may not even be the magnitude of such an attack if and when one does get through, but the fact that Al Qaeda’s techniques seem to have evolved into “ways that oftentimes make it difficult to detect,” as explained by Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon E. Panetta.

Blair told a Senate panel that American spy agencies have intensified surveillance of the Al Qaeda affiliate's operations amid concern that the group -- once considered a regional menace -- is focused on the "recruitment of Westerners or other individuals with access to the U.S. homeland." Telling the group "directed" a plot aimed at taking down an airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day, providing training and explosives to the Nigerian suspect who was subdued by other passengers after allegedly attempting to detonate a bomb he had smuggled aboard.

Al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen-based offshoot is known, has been implicated in two of the most serious plots to surface in recent years. Blair said the group "directed" a plot aimed at taking down an airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day, providing training and explosives to a Nigerian who was subdued by other passengers on the aircraft after allegedly attempting to detonate a bomb he had smuggled aboard in his clothes.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times – Concerns Grow Over Al-Qaeda’s Group in Yemen – 3 February 2010 

Examiner – Another Terror Attempt in U.S. “Certain” According To Intelligence Officials – 3 February 2010 

US Navy Seals – Another Al-Qaeda Terrorist Attack in the Works? – 3 February 2010 

The Baltimore Sun – U.S. Intelligence Calls Al-Qaeda Group in Yemen ‘Foremost Concern” – 3 February 2010 

 

Female Suicide Bomber Kills Scores in Iraq

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq - On February 1 a female suicide bomber attacked a procession of Shi'ite Muslims who were on a pilgrimage to the southern city of Karbala, located approximately eighty kilometers southwest of Baghdad. The attack killed at least fifty four people. Among the dead were many women and children. Additionally, over one hundred people were injured in the attack. 

Major-General Qassim Atta, the spokesman for the Baghdad operational command confirmed that "a woman wearing an explosives-filled belt blew herself up in the middle of a crow of pilgrims going to Karbala." Defense ministry spokesman General Mohammed al-Askari said that the suicide bomber came for Diyala province which has in the past been a stronghold of Al Qaeda.

Hundreds of thousands of Shi'ites pour into the streets for the religious rite of Arbaeen. It marks the forty days after the Ahsura anniversary that commemorates the killing of seventh century Imam Hussein. Imam Hussein's shrine is considered one of the holiest places in Shi'ite Islam. Worshipers beating their heads and chests in ritual mourning. Due to risk of attacks, thirty thousand members of the Iraqi security forces were deployed to Karbala for the holy festival.

This was the third attack by suspected Sunni insurgents in the past week. Top Baghdad security officials have been forced to acknowledge that extremists are adopting new methods to outwit bomb-detection squads. Iraqi authorities lack enough policewomen to conduct searches at most checkpoints. Additionally, security forces have been reluctant to use bomb-sniffing dogs against people due cultural sensitivities. Atta insisted that security officials informed all checkpoints to be careful and to intensify the search procedures. 

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's released a statement blaming the Baath party. This was the party of executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The statement said, "We hold Baathists and their Takfiri allies responsible for this massacre." Takfiri is the term used by the Iraqi government for members of Al Qaeda. 

US and Iraqi officials have feared a step up in violence from Al Qaeda in Iraq prior to the March 7 parliamentary elections. The elections are intended to serve as a large step towards reconciliation between the majority Shi'ites and Sunnis who lost control after Hussein was removed.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera - Deadly Blast Hits Iraq Pilgrims - 2 February 2010

AP - Female Suicide Bomber in Iraq Kills 54 - 2 February 2010

AFP - Female Suicide Bomber Kills 41 in Baghdad: Officials - 1 February 2010

BBC - Female Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens in Iraq -1 February 2010

Turkey Looks for a Solution with Cyprus

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

NICOSIA, Cyprus- As U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived on the island of Cyprus late Sunday afternoon he had a message for both the Turkish and the Greek Cypriots.  Mr. Ban stated that “a solution is in reach.  The future is in your hands.”

Cyprus has been split into a Greek and a Turkish sector since 1974, when troops from Turkey landed in the north of the island in response to a coup by Greek nationalists.  Almost a decade later, the Turkish population in the north declared itself independent, but the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or KKTC, is recognized only by Ankara.

When all is said and done, the fate of the peace talks is as important to Turkey as it is to the Cypriots themselves.  That is because an agreement on the island would remove one of the biggest obstacles for Turkey’s bid to become a member of the EU.  That bid for membership is currently being blocked due to the Turkish government’s refusal to recognize the Greek Cypriot republic, which is an EU member.

Furthermore, productive peace talks may enable Turkey to boost its attempts to become a regional superpower with very little, if any, problems in its relations with regional neighbors.  At the same time, however, the Turkish government is treading carefully.  They must be careful to ensure that they are not neglecting national interests at the expense of a solution regarding Cyprus.

Dimitris Christofias, the Greek Cypriot President, has been involved in unification talks under U.N. supervision with Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader, since 2008.  Last week, Talat said much progress has been made on the delicate question of sharing power between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority, but no deal has been struck as of yet.  Moreover, many difficult issues such as property and security are still on the table.

Said Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, “We are trying to get this thing solved within the year.”  He also noted that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called him last week to determine whether Turkey was willing to undertake a joint effort to reach a solution.  Erdogan said that Turkey was willing to talk “without preconditions.”

For more information, please see:

Tehran Times- U.N. Chief Ban Ki-moon says Cyprus Solution Possible- 2 February 2010

The National- Turkey’s Eye is on Cyprus Peace- 1 February 2010

New York Times- U.N. Chief Offers Support for Cyprus Peace Talks- 1 February 2010

Israel: Two Officers Reprimanded For UN Compound Strike in Gaza

 

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

JERUSALEM, Israel/West Bank – Israel announced on February 1 that it has reprimanded two top military officers for an attack on a United Nations’ compound in Gaza during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in the winter of 2008-2009.

 

The UN compound, in Gaza’s Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood, was hit by white phosphorus shells on January 15, 2009. The compound had been sheltering nearly seven hundred Palestinians who were trying to escape the heavy artillery that rained down on Gaza. Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz had reported that one UN employee and two Palestinian civilians were injured in the shelling of the UN compound.

 

Israel’s admission was part of its response to Judge Richard Goldstone’s report on the Gaza War, commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council. The Goldstone Report accused both Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes during the twenty-two-day conflict. After the Goldstone Report was submitted to the UN, the General Assembly demanded that both Israel and Hamas conduct internal investigations into the allegations of war crimes. The Israeli official response came after months-long investigations opened by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. One of the investigating teams specifically looked into the use of white phosphorus shells in Gaza, and found that there were no violations of orders and that the white phosphorus shells had been fired in open areas.

 

White phosphorus is most often used to illuminate enemy targets and to create a smoke screen, but is also highly incendiary and can burn flesh. The shells contain hundreds of pieces of felt loaded with phosphorus that ignite when fired from 155 mm. cannon. White phosphorus is legal when used in open ground, but under international conventions, its use is banned in built-up areas where civilians are located.

 

The two commanders who had reportedly been reprimanded were Division Commander Brig. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg and Givati Brigade Commander Col. Ilan Malka. The two officers did not lose their rank, but Israeli officials said the reprimand would be placed in their files, and would be considered if the two men came up for promotion.

 

The UN deadline for Israel and Hamas to conduct internal investigations is February 5, 2010. Hamas has not conducted its own internal investigation.

 

For more information, please see:

 

BBC News – Israel Reprimands Top Officers Over UN Compound Strike – 1 February 2010

 

Ha’aretz – IDF Denies Disciplining Top Officers Over White Phosphorus Use in Gaza War – 1 February 2010

 

Ma’an News Agency – Israel’s Goldstone Response Admits Use of White Phosphorus – 1 February 2010

 

New York Times – Israel Rebukes 2 for U.N. Gaza Compound Shelling – 1 February 2010

 

Palestine News Network – Israel “Disciplines” Army Officers – 1 February 2010

Yemeni Fighters Leave Saudi Arabia

By Ahmad Shihadah 

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

SA’NAA, Yemen – Fighting between Saudi forces and Houthi fighters on the border with Yemen has ended, Saudi officials have said. Prince Khaled bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, said on Wednesday that his forces had achieved a “clear victory over the enemy” on the Yemen-Saudi border. 

“They did not withdraw. They have been forced out,” said Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs. Prince Khaled’s statement was the first response from a Senior official after Yemeni rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announced Monday the voluntary withdrawal of his fighters. 

Saudi ground forces and warplanes have pounded Houthi militants since the rebels killed a Saudi border guard and infiltrated a string of villages in early November. The fighting which led to fear of wider regional chaos, drew the kingdom into a sporadic 5-year old conflict between insurgents and Yemeni government 

The leader of the Houthi rebel group said that his fighters were withdrawing from Saudi Arabia after three months of fighting along the border. Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi offered a ceasefire in a message posted on the Internet on Monday January 24, saying he wanted to prevent further civilian casualties. 

Houthi forces entered Saudi Arabia in November after making accusation that the government in Riyadh was aiding the Yemeni in their campaign against the rebels. Fighting between members of the minority Shi’ite Zaydi sect and the state has occurred sporadically since 2004. The rebels accuse the Yemeni government of social, economic and religious marginalization. 

Western powers and Yemen’s neighbors fear the growing chaos in the impoverished Arab country could allow al-Qaeda to strengthen its operations there, spreading instability across the region and beyond 

For more information, please see: 

Arab News – ‘Infiltrators Chased Out of Country’ – 28 January 2010

Al-Jazeera – Saudi-Houthi Border Fighting Ends – 27 Wednesday 2010 

Los Angeles Times – Saudis Say Fighting with Yemen Insurgents Ceased – 28 January 2010

BBC News – Saudi Troops ‘Forced Yemen Rebels from Their Soil’ – 27 January 2010 

Reuters – Saudi Says Achieved Victory Over Yemen Rebels – 28 January 2010

Israel, Hamas Deny Wrong-Doing Ahead of UN Gaza Report Deadline

 

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

JERUSALEM, Israel/West Bank – As the U.N. General Assembly’s deadline for a second report on the 2008-2009 Gaza War approaches on January 29, both the Israeli government and Hamas party leadership are denying they deliberately targeted citizens during the 22 days of fighting.

 

Israel announced that it would release its own report on January 29, responding to allegations of war crimes, made in the investigation by the U.N. Human Rights Council, and was led by South African Judge Richard Goldstone. The Goldstone Report accused both Israel and Hamas with war crimes and crimes against humanity, citing incidents during which each party’s military forces allegedly targeted civilian populations. The Goldstone Report also alleged that Israeli forces deliberately targeted humanitarian property, with the intent of completely destroying the Gaza infrastructure and terrorizing the Gaza population. Finally, the Goldstone Report called upon both the Israeli and Hamas governments to conduct internal investigations into its accusations, and for any war crimes to be tried by the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

 

In its anticipated response, Israel is expected to give explanations of Israeli Defense Forces actions in Gaza, without specifically addressing any of the allegations in the Goldstone Report. Likewise, Hamas has claimed that it only targeted Israeli military installations, and hit civilian buildings “by mistake.” Human Rights Watch has responded to the Hamas statement, saying it was “belied by the facts,” and that “[c]ivilians were the target…and deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime.”

 

Outgoing Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz on January 28 that Israel must conduct an independent internal investigation into the Goldstone Report’s allegations to preserve its legitimacy.

 

Mazuz said that although he thought the Goldstone Report was biased, there was a danger of a “Serbianization” of Israel.

 

“Therefore I believe that Israel has a clear interest in conducting a serious, expert examination that will deal with the report and produce an opposing report,” said Mazuz. “It would be a serious mistake not to establish some sort of committee. We must remove the shame of accusing Israel of being a country that commits war crimes.”

 

For more information, please see:

 

Ha’aretz – Deadline Nears For Second UN Report on Gaza War – 29 January 2010

 

Ha’aretz – Mazuz: Israel Must Probe Gaza War to Counter Goldstone – 29 January 2010

 

Christian Science Monitor – Why Hamas Is Denying It Targeted Civilians in Israel – 28 January 2010

 

New York Times – Israel Completing Rebuttal to Goldstone Report – 23 January 2010

Iran Hangs Two Election Protesters

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran - On January 28 the Iranian government hanged two men convicted of being enemies of God (Mohareb). These marked the first executions of protesters wince the protests over the disputed presidential election in June that awarded second term to Iranian President Mahmound Ahmedinejad. The executions of the two men were condemned by both nations around the world and Amnesty International.

Iranian state television reported that Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmani Pour were executed. Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi confirmed the hanging as well. Dolatabadi explained that "they objected to the preliminary sentencing, but the appeals court upheld the verdict and they were hanged (on January 28." He also said that Zamani and Pour "belonged to the monarchist group Tondar. During their trials they confessed to obtaining explosives and planning to assassinate officials."

Zamani was among the scores of people who were arrested in the mass protests that followed the election. However, Pour's lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, denied that her client had anything to do with the post-election riots. Sotoudeh told the Associated Foreign Press that Pour "was arrested in Farvardin (the Iranian month convering March-April) before the election and charged with cooperation with Tondar." 

Sotoudeh explained that Pour was convicted in a show trial in July 2009 and that he confessed to the charges because of threats made against his family. She insists that what her client went through constituted a "show trial." 

Baqer Moin, an Iranian author and journalists, said that the executions were intended to "set an example and frighten some of the people who may shout slogans that are not of the liking of the authorities." Moin also explains that the executions could be used to head off any possible mass rally that could take place on the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Civil unrest erupted in Iran after the June 12 Presidential election. The opposition insisted that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad won the election through fraud. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets. Dozens of protesters were killed with hundreds being detained. The Iranian government, in response to the protests, insisted that they were were a foreign backed bid to undermine the country's Islamic system of government. 

For more information, please see:

AFP - Iran Hangs First Two Post-Election 'Rioters' - 28 January 2010

Al Jazeera - Iran Executes Two Over Poll Unrest - 28 January 2010

AP - Iran Hangs Opposition Activists - 28 January 2010

BBC - Iran 'Executes Two Over Post-Election Unrest' - 28 January 2010