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Last update - 09:59 03/01/2009
Amnesty International says U.S. response to Gaza 'lopsided'
By Reuters
Tags: Amnesty International, Gaza 

Human rights group Amnesty International on Friday accused the United States of having a "lopsided" response to the crisis in Gaza and told the top U.S. diplomat to press all sides to reach an immediate cease-fire.




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n a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Amnesty's U.S. branch said the U.S. government must not ignore Israel's "disproportionate response" against Gaza and policies the group said had brought Hamas-ruled Gaza to the brink of "humanitarian disaster."

"Amnesty International USA is particularly dismayed at the lopsided response by the U.S. government to the recent violence and its lackadaisical efforts to ameliorate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," the group told Rice in the letter, which was released to the media by Amnesty.

Amnesty said it was also deeply concerned by weaponry and military equipment supplied to Israel by Washington that the group said had been used in recent strikes on densely populated residential areas in Gaza.

"The United States must suspend the transfer of weapons to Israel immediately and conduct an investigation into whether U.S. weapons were used to commit human rights abuses," said Amnesty.

The United States came under heavy criticism during Israel's 2006 war with Lebanon for supplying cluster bombs to Israel that were used in the conflict.

The United Nations estimates that Israel dropped a few million cluster bombs on Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of those bomblets failed to explode and have continued to maim and kill after that war's end.

Amnesty also urged the United States to put pressure on Israel to open border crossings into Gaza to human rights workers and journalists and to allow humanitarian aid through.

A U.S. State Department official who requested anonymity rejected claims that the U.S. response had been pro-Israeli or lopsided.

Asked about claims Israel was using disproportionate force, he said: "The use of force is based on military objectives. Israel has never claimed that this is vengeance. They are looking to end Hamas' ability to attack Israel."

Israel launched an air campaign a week ago against Gaza in retaliation for rocket attacks by Hamas deep into Israel. So far the air strikes have killed at least 425 Palestinians while rockets fired from Gaza have killed four Israelis.


Related articles:
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  • Livni: Gaza truce would give Hamas legitimacy
  • IAF strike in Gaza kills senior Hamas political-military liaison
  • Barrage of Gaza rockets strikes Ashkelon, Be'er Sheva, Ashdod
  • Ari Shavit / Israelis who blame Israel are not helping Gazans
  • Poll: Most Israelis support continuing Gaza military op
  • Israel Harel / Like in Lebanon, Israel blinked first in Gaza
  • Amira Hass / Thousands of Gazans near Rafah displaced by IAF bombing of tunnels
  • Olmert: Israel has no interest in a prolonged war in Gaza
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Crisis in question
    The Arab League slams Livni's remark 'there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza'
    Acts of Terror
    In their waning days in power, Bush and Rice work to try organize a truce.
      1.   Amnesty International 22:30  |  Greg Russell 02/01/09
      2.   Amnesty International Has Many Concerns 22:31  |  flyingdoc57 02/01/09
      3.   The proper response? 22:46  |  JB 02/01/09
      4.   Lopsided indeed 22:59  |  Gershon Reed 02/01/09
      5.   Well, of course it is "lopsided"... 23:28  |  Silvienne 02/01/09
      6.   Amnesty International is Right 23:40  |  Timothy 02/01/09
      7.   Amnesty is right, but wrong 00:04  |  JP 03/01/09
      8.   Totally lopsided 00:08  |  utagawa 03/01/09
      9.   Presicent Roosevelt appeal 00:11  |  Freedom_fare 03/01/09
      10.   #3 Timothy, forgot to mention: the head of AI is Palestinian 00:13  |  an imp. detail 03/01/09
      11.   Of course Amnesty is right about the Palestinians 00:19  |  Joe Sittizen 03/01/09
      12.   Amnesty International 00:24  |  Morton 03/01/09
      13.   Amnesty International = Hypocrites 00:28  |  Angel 03/01/09
      14.   #4 - "Unfortified" is the key word there. 00:30  |  JP 03/01/09
      15.   AI - The Pot Calling the Kettle Black 00:31  |  Citizen of the Peopl 03/01/09
      16.   3Timy Forgot defenceless palis drilling Israelis with rockets for 00:42  |  Joe 03/01/09
      17.   So who cares? 00:48  |  Mark Lincoln 03/01/09
      18.   Re: Amnesty International is Right to Timothy 00:51  |  LP 03/01/09
      19.   To Gershon Reed 00:52  |  Marc Lebanon 03/01/09
      20.   Amnesty International is biased 00:55  |  Great White North 03/01/09
      21.   Israel`s Response to Attacks is Disproportionate 00:56  |  Peter W. 03/01/09
      22.   Typical - Jabberwocky from Apologists for Islamofascism 01:01  |  Tod Zuckerman 03/01/09
      23.   AI-"lopsided" 01:09  |  Arie 03/01/09
      24.   to timothy in US:Where are your sources? 01:12  |  Arie 03/01/09
      25.   Amnesty Intl is Antisemitic and Criminal 01:41  |  Elly 03/01/09
      26.   Lopsided or not 01:43  |  Caro 03/01/09
      27.   Israel and US Policy Caused This Crisis in Gaza 01:56  |  Average American 03/01/09
      28.   #3 Timothy....Amnesty International? 02:05  |  Lynn 03/01/09
      29.   the only disproportionate response I see 02:07  |  Lynn 03/01/09
      30.   Shut up AI 02:09  |  Scott G 03/01/09
      31.   Who`s lopsided? 02:27  |  KT 03/01/09
      32.   Why I Don`t Give to AI 02:51  |  Ron 03/01/09
      33.   Amnesty International sure has a point. 03:27  |  Tom Kaufmann 03/01/09
      34.   Amnesty International tries to help terrorists-will fail 03:28  |  Realist 03/01/09
      35.   Disproportianete: maybe Embarrassing: soon 03:44  |  Mark B. 03/01/09
      36.   Lynn - Why? 03:46  |  Mark of Lewiston 03/01/09
      37.   #20 Arie and his request for sources of info 04:11  |  Timothy 03/01/09
      38.   Mark B...absolutely 04:15  |  Lynn 03/01/09
      39.   Amenesty International another group whos funding must end 04:42  |  Livin In Rishon 03/01/09
      40.   Lobsided? 04:51  |  Mickey 03/01/09
      41.   Disproportunate 07:27  |  Fredy Ross 03/01/09
      42.   Amnesty International 07:37  |  Louis Fried 03/01/09
      43.   proportionate answer means 10:57  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 03/01/09
      44.   Hamas has been committing war crimes and crimes against humanity 12:54  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 03/01/09
      45.   14 Americans are against Amnesty International and 6 are for. 12:54  |  S 03/01/09
      46.   OH PIPE IT... 15:52  |  Yosemite 03/01/09
      47.   Amnesty International 18:57  |  Jas 03/01/09
      48.   The international legal concept of proportionality. 18:57  |  Jean Van Daem 03/01/09
      49.   Tom Kaufman & Proportionality 19:19  |  Brad 03/01/09
      50.   More On Proportionality 19:24  |  Brad 03/01/09
      51.   The US position balances out the lop sided UN position 19:53  |  Adrian de Klerk 03/01/09
      52.   Flying Doctor 20:31  |  A real doctor 03/01/09
      53.   Hear hear! Bravo, AI! 22:41  |  Ivar 03/01/09
      54.   Amnesty 23:21  |  dariush 03/01/09
     Read & React
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    Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff: Now IDF is getting personal with Hamas
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    Yossi Sarid: If you (or I) were Palestinian
    Responses: 128
    Anshel Pfeffer: Right and Left, Diaspora Jews more critical of Israel than ever
    Responses: 80
    Bradley Burston: To win in Gaza, Israel only has to survive
    Responses: 50


    More Headlines
    23:27 Israel launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip
    22:23 Barak: Gaza invasion won't be short, and it won't be easy
    22:39 Hamas: Gaza will become graveyard for Israeli troops
    22:44 Israel okays mobilizing tens of thousands of IDF reservists
    22:41 EU presidency: Israel ground op in Gaza 'defensive not offensive'
    20:14 Netivot home collapses as Hamas intensifies rocket fire from Gaza
    23:15 Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for and against Israel's Gaza op
    22:41 WATCH: Israeli ground assault in the Gaza Strip underway
    13:32 ANALYSIS / Are air strikes enough, or is a ground op needed in Gaza?
    17:47 Arab League slams Livni remark 'there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza'
    14:04 Bush calls Hamas attacks 'acts of terror', says working on truce
    10:41 ANALYSIS / Israel must prepare to turn its military might from Gaza to Iran
    09:42 UN chief wants international monitors for Gaza cease-fire
    00:30 Hamas: Israel faces more abducted soldiers if it invades Gaza
    18:59 Gaza 2009 - To win, all Israel has to do is survive
    18:45 Top Iran official holds talks with Syria on Gaza violence
    09:59 Amnesty International says U.S. response to Gaza 'lopsided'
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