If we are to believe Human Rights Watch, it was Hamas which violated the laws of war by firing rockets into Israel during last month's conflict in Gaza. But HRW has it the wrong way around. Israel's declared aim in launching its offensive on Nov. 14 was to stop rocket attacks from Gaza; however, it was Israel which started the orgy of killing two days earlier with the assassination of Ahmed Al-Jabari, the effective chief of staff of Hamas's resistance wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades. Al-Jabari had negotiated with Israel the release of a couple of hundred Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He had also negotiated the renewal of a truce with Israel just hours before his assassination. The Israeli air force began dropping laser-guided bombs on private homes, alleging that those who were targeted worked for Hamas. The wanton strikes murdered entire families - such as the Al-Dalu family which lost 14 members - because Israel views the families, relatives and even friends of Palestinian resistance activists as legitimate targets. More than 1,000 other civilians were also wounded, many sustaining life-threatening injuries. Israel admitted that it deliberately targeted civilian homes, claiming that Hamas operatives may have been hiding there. The same Human Rights Watch and other rights organizations accused Israel at the time of committing war crimes. As usual, Israel dismissed international criticism, reiterating its favorite mantra that it has the right to defend itself. When Gaza was attacked, Islamic Jihad was stipulating the terms for peace. When the onslaught came, the brutality of the Israeli aggression was clear to all. Israel killed 146 Palestinians, including 35 children, and wounded 1,200 others, half of them women and children. The death toll went to show, yet again, Israel's voracious appetite for crimes of war. HRW is not infallible. It has been criticized by national governments, other NGOs, the media and even its own founder for being influenced by US government policy. HRW does suffer from a systematic lack of credibility, not least because its primary donor is the George Soros Open Society Foundation which last year contributed $100 million of the $128 million received by the organization. Any organization sponsored so largely by one individual, no matter the noble cause it espouses, is at risk of built-in biases and a conflict of interest. To be sure, HRW reported that Israeli attacks on journalists and media facilities during the operation violated laws of war because Israel provided no specific information to justify claims that communications equipment on rooftops was a valid military target after two Palestinian cameramen were killed during the attacks. It's not enough for Israel to charge that a journalist is a fighter or a TV station is a command center. The second Gaza war ended in eight days. Compared to the first conflict that erupted at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, last month's war was considerably shorter and less destructive. But death and destruction and, above all, the reason for the clash — the Israeli occupation — remained constant, as is the case with all wars between the Palestinians and Israel.
