By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem
Independent.ie
Wednesday September 09 2009



The body of a girl who was found in the rubble of her destroyed house following an Israeli air strike on a house in Zeitoun [Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP]

ISRAELI'S official figures seriously underestimated the civilian Palestinian death toll exacted during its onslaught in Gaza early this year, according to new research to be published today.

The first detailed casualty figures from an Israeli human rights organisation since the war ended puts the number of children under 16 killed in the offensive at 252 as opposed to the 89 cited by the military.

>>B'Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), which carried out "months of meticulous investigation and cross-checks with numerous sources", gathered death certificates, photos and testimonies relating to all 252 of the children.

Unlike the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) B'Tselem also made public the names of all those it said were killed.

It said that since the IDF had refused to furnish the agency with its own detailed list, it was impossible to compare the names but that "the blatant discrepancy between the numbers is intolerable".

The IDF is currently investigating allegations that a soldier shot and killed two young Palestinian girls and wounded their sister as they walked from their house with their parents and grandmother, who was waving a white flag.

It is one of several investigations still under way into the conduct of Operation Cast Lead, which the IDF have repeatedly insisted was conducted according to international law.

B'Tselem's total Palestinian death toll exceeds by more than 200 the 1,166 cited by the IDF, which said that around 709 of the dead were "Hamas terror operatives" and that a total of 295 "not involved" Palestinians were killed.

Probe

By contrast, B'Tselem puts the total figure for those who "did not take part in the hostilities" at 773 and is calling for an "independent and credible" probe into the military's conduct of the war.

While acknowledging that the numbers did not themselves prove "that Israel violated the laws of war", they should be considered along with "numerous testimonies" by IDF soldiers and Palestinians during and after the operation, B'Tselem said. (© Independent News Services)

- Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

Future World Dominator!



From mumpandgrump.com

Julie Henry, Education Correspondent
Telegraph.co.uk
19/07/2008

A school has banned its pupils from using "street slang" as part of a strict behaviour policy which is transforming its exam results.

Pupils are not allowed to use the phrase "innit" or other examples of "playground patois" when talking to teachers. Formal language must be used at all times in communications with adults and pupils have been told that street slang should be "left at the school gates". ( >>Read on )

My friend from melo, Cherish, who also has her Blast-O-Words and Crap livejournal, has a beautiful 5 year old daughter named Elizabeth whose birthday is today. Yesterday she got to go to the zoo and had a lot of fun. I was looking for something to give her and found this adorable illustrated children's book online. I enjoyed reading it myself. :)




>>The Wiener Dog Magnet