Chemical Qassam rocket fired from Hamas controlled Gaza, explodes into Eshkol Council
(Photo credit: Eshkol Council Spokesman)
Eshkol Council Complains to UN After Gaza regime fires chemical weapons at the Western Negev residents.
 
Haim Jelin, chairman of the Eshkol Regional Council, on Monday forwarded a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, complaining of the use of chemical warheads against residents of southern Israel by the Gaza regime.
 
The letter describes how phosphorous-tipped missiles were fired at a farm in the Eshkol Regional Council on Sunday. Use of phosphorus as munitions directed at civilians is prohibited by the Geneva Convention and defined as a war crime by the United NAtions.
 
“The Israel Defense Forces, charged with protecting the residents of the State of Israel, are criticized and judged due to their being the military of a UN member state,” Jelin’s letter said, adding that “in contrast, Hamas, the ‘neighborhood bully,’ is not subject to international laws, and feels free to use illegal weaponry against an innocent civilian population – without being judged or criticized by any international body. I call upon you to put an end to this hypocrisy! In the western Negev region lives an entire population that suffers the consequences of prolonged regional combat, and attention must be paid to this.”

January 2, 2012

Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
United Nations
Dear Sir:

 

Re: Complaint regarding Gaza Strip terrorist organizations’ use

of phosphorus shells against a civilian population

 

For ten years now, residents of the Eshkol Regional Council, bordering the Gaza Strip, have absorbed Kassam rocket fire and mortar rounds fired under the auspices of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, and targeting innocent civilians living here since the founding of the State of Israel. The sole interest of the residents is to work their agricultural lands in peace. These lands provide them with their livelihood, their daily bread.

Yesterday, January 1st,2012, at 07:00 AM, two salvos of mortar shells were fired from the territory of the Gaza Strip towards farmers working fields in the Eshkol Regional Council. After the firing, two shells were identified on the ground and had a phosphorus explosive head. As you know, use of phosphorus as munitions directed at civilians is prohibited by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (Geneva, October 1980).

The Israel Defense Forces, charged with protecting the residents of the State of Israel, are criticized and judged due to their being the military of a UN member state. In contrast, Hamas, the “neighborhood bully,” is not subject to international laws, and feels free to use illegal weaponry against an innocent civilian population – without being judged or criticized by any international

body. I call upon you to put an end to this hypocrisy! In the western Negev region lives an entire population that suffers the consequences of prolonged regional combat, and attention must be paid to this.

This letter is written to you as an official complaint in the name of 13,000 residents of the Eshkol Regional Council, regarding the firing of phosphorus shells toward a civilian population.

I request of you to receive this complaint as the internationally accepted method of protest, in our democratic and enlightened world, for the purpose of condemning use of illegal weapons and enforcing international rules even on our neighbors to the west.

Sincerely,

Haim Jelin

Chairman, Eshkol Regional Council

 

Copies:

Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel

Mr. Ehud Barak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense

Mr. Avigdor Lieberman, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister

Mr. Ron Prosor, Israel Ambassador to the UNJanuary 2012

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