Amnesty International has called on the United Nations to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel after the 22-day offensive in Gaza that killed hundreds of civilians. In a report released on Monday, London-based Amnesty said weapons procured from foreign countries were used by both sides to the conflict. In particular, Amnesty says it has evidence that Israel used white phosphorous shells in civilian areas, a contravention of international humanitarian law. Amnesty claims it has collected fragments of white phosphorous shells in Gaza with markings that show the shells were produced in the United States. Phosphorous burns carry a much greater risk of mortality that other types of burns as it continues to ignite until deprived of oxygen—sometimes burning through to the bone—and often resulting in liver, heart and kidney failure. “To a large extent, Israel's military offensive in Gaza was carried out with weapons, munitions and military equipment supplied by the U.S.A. and paid for with U.S. taxpayers' money,” Malcolm Smart, Amnesty's Middle East director, said in the report. He called on the United States to immediately suspend military aid to Israel. The United States is to provide US$30 billion in military aid to Israel under a 10-year agreement that runs till 2017—a 25-percent increase compared with the period preceding the Bush administration, Amnesty said. Meanwhile, a Palestinian human rights group has sued the British government claiming the government is violating international law by its continued trade with Israel. Al-Haq—a Ramallah-based rights group—said that Israel violated international law during its Gaza offensive and that Britain should suspend military and financial assistance to Tel Aviv “until it demonstrates full respect for its human rights obligations.” More than 1,300 Palestinians were killed during the Gaza offensive with another 5,400 wounded.
