The South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu told the United Nations this week that he believes that a 2006 Israeli attack on the southern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun “showed a disproportionate and reckless disregard for Palestinian civilian life”, and could possibly be considered a war crime.
Tutu was part of an investigatory commission created by the United Nations (UN) shortly after the incident to travel to Gaza and conduct an investigation. But Israel refused to issue the renowned Archbishop and anti-apartheid activist a visa, and the investigation was unable to go forward. Tutu finally was allowed to enter Beit Hanoun this May, 18 months after the incident, and did not manage to conduct an investigation.
In the 2006 attacks, 19 Palestinian civilians, including children, were killed in a barrage of Israeli artillery shells. Said Tutu this week, "It is not too late for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation of the shelling to be held”.
Israeli authorities reject the validity of Tutu's statement, with one Israeli official, Aharon Leshno-Yaar, stating, “There is no need for such a mission by the Human Rights Council and by Archbishop Tutu”, adding that the internal investigation carried out by the Israeli military, which ruled that the shelling was an accident, was sufficient.
Nearly 4,000 Palestinians and 900 Israelis have been killed since the current uprising against the Israeli military occupation began in late 2000. Human rights groups estimate that around 80% of those killed, both Israelis and Palestinians, have been civilians.
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