Dear President Obama, When you meet with President Peres …

Israeli President, Shimon Peres, speaking to AIPAC at annual conference today.

Israeli President, Shimon Peres, speaking to AIPAC at annual conference today.

Israeli President, Shimon Peres, flew to the United States to give a speech at the 2009 AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) annual conference in Washington DC Monday and to meet with President Obama Tuesday at the White House.  YouTube already has a video of his speech.

Although George Mitchell, Special Envoy to the Middle East who was appointed by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met with Israeli officials, this will be the first meeting between President Obama and a high ranking official from the newly established Israeli government under Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu which is considered ‘right-wing’.

 AIUSA asked President Obama to raise the issues of increasing settlement expansion in the West Bank and the eviction of Palestinian families and demolition of homes in east Jerusalem.  Despite repeated U.S. statements condemning the demolitions and settlement expansion in the Occupied Territories, settlement expansion and demolitions continue.  Settlement building/expansion, evictions and demolitions in occupied territory are also illegal under international law.

Demolitions in east Jerusalem have increased dramatically in the last two years with wide swathes of land slated for demolitions.  Settlement expansion which has been in the works for some time is now being given the green light by newly elected government officials. 

Obama has also been asked to follow up on recent events in Gaza.  Despite statements by Sec’y Clinton that goods and humanitarian aid is getting into the Gaza Strip, other sources such as the U.N. and other monitors on the ground continue to report excessive restrictions which continue to keep out spare parts for medical equipment or equipment needed to rebuild, such as bulldozers.

We’ve also asked that Obama urge Israel to cooperate with the investigation being conducted by the team created by the United Nations Human Rights Council and under the leadership of Justice Richard Goldstone, a highly respected war crimes prosecutor.  Justice Goldstone has stated that he will be investigating the allegations of human rights abuses by all parties involved in the conflict.  The team is currently meeting in Geneva to organize and outline their investigation into war crimes committed during the Gaza crisis.  The government of Israel has publicly stated that they do not plan to cooperate with the team.

Even though the two leaders will be focused on the peace process, human rights are directly linked to any workable resolution.  Both parties must respect the basic human rights of each other and the United States must play a key role in getting all the  parties involved to recognize this basic tenet.

UPDATE May 6, 2009: Video covering comments made at AIPAC conference and responses.

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

20 thoughts on “Dear President Obama, When you meet with President Peres …

  1. The Red Cross says air strikes by US forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday, May 5th, are now thought to have killed dozens of civilians including women and children.

    In the approximately 100 days since Obama has been in office, Obama has authorized military strikes that have killed hundreds of civilians, making him a war criminal.

    In this same period the last 100 days, Israel has killed exactly 7 Palestinians so since Obama has been in office the US has acted far worse, far more criminally in Afghanistan than Israel has acted towards the Palestinians.

    Therefore the proposal that Amnesty sent to President Obama that he raise the subject of Palestinian rights with President Peres of Israel is all backwards.

    In actuality, it is President Shimon Peres who must speak to President Obama and demand that President Obama immediately cease authorizing these barbaric war crimes involving massively disproportionate use of force by the US military against Taliban freedom fighters engaged in a 100% legal under international law right to resist the foreign occupation of their homeland, American attacks which which have resulted in the mass slaughter of hundreds of Afgani civilians in just the last few months alone.

    But fat chance that a gigantically hypocritical organization like Amnesty International could care less about 100's of Afghani civilians who have died as a result of war criminal Obama's orders, because it is so much more fun to criticize Israel than be forced to examine your own countries far worse behavior, isn't it ?

  2. The Red Cross says air strikes by US forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday, May 5th, are now thought to have killed dozens of civilians including women and children.

    In the approximately 100 days since Obama has been in office, Obama has authorized military strikes that have killed hundreds of civilians, making him a war criminal.

    In this same period the last 100 days, Israel has killed exactly 7 Palestinians so since Obama has been in office the US has acted far worse, far more criminally in Afghanistan than Israel has acted towards the Palestinians.

    Therefore the proposal that Amnesty sent to President Obama that he raise the subject of Palestinian rights with President Peres of Israel is all backwards.

    In actuality, it is President Shimon Peres who must speak to President Obama and demand that President Obama immediately cease authorizing these barbaric war crimes involving massively disproportionate use of force by the US military against Taliban freedom fighters engaged in a 100% legal under international law right to resist the foreign occupation of their homeland, American attacks which which have resulted in the mass slaughter of hundreds of Afgani civilians in just the last few months alone.

    But fat chance that a gigantically hypocritical organization like Amnesty International could care less about 100’s of Afghani civilians who have died as a result of war criminal Obama’s orders, because it is so much more fun to criticize Israel than be forced to examine your own countries far worse behavior, isn’t it ?

  3. Come on Amnesty International USA, where is the outrage !!!
    You have the nerve to ask President Obama, who only yesterday authorized a horredous war crime that killed all these innocent civillians to complain to Israel about something trivial like a lack of timely building permits ?? Are you guys out of your minds ??

    May 7, 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/

    "Up to 100 civilians, including women and children, are reported to have been killed in Afghanistan in potentially the single deadliest US airstrike since 2001. The news overshadowed a crucial first summit between the Afghan President and Barack Obama in Washington yesterday.

    US military officials in Kandahar said that the number of fatalities was nearer 30, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the death toll was far higher.

    Jessica Barry, an ICRC representative, said that an international Red Cross team in Bala Baluk saw “dozens of bodies in each of the two locations” on Tuesday. “There were bodies, there were graves, and there were people burying bodies when we were there,” she said. “We do confirm women and children.”

    Many of those killed and injured had taken refuge in the villages to escape the fighting between the Taleban and the Afghan National Army, which had US “trainers” embedded within it. They had the ability to call in the US jets, part of a new command operating outside the auspices of Nato but under a new command known as US for Afghanistan. "

  4. Come on Amnesty International USA, where is the outrage !!!
    You have the nerve to ask President Obama, who only yesterday authorized a horredous war crime that killed all these innocent civillians to complain to Israel about something trivial like a lack of timely building permits ?? Are you guys out of your minds ??

    May 7, 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/

    "Up to 100 civilians, including women and children, are reported to have been killed in Afghanistan in potentially the single deadliest US airstrike since 2001. The news overshadowed a crucial first summit between the Afghan President and Barack Obama in Washington yesterday.

    US military officials in Kandahar said that the number of fatalities was nearer 30, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the death toll was far higher.

    Jessica Barry, an ICRC representative, said that an international Red Cross team in Bala Baluk saw “dozens of bodies in each of the two locations” on Tuesday. “There were bodies, there were graves, and there were people burying bodies when we were there,” she said. “We do confirm women and children.”

    Many of those killed and injured had taken refuge in the villages to escape the fighting between the Taleban and the Afghan National Army, which had US “trainers” embedded within it. They had the ability to call in the US jets, part of a new command operating outside the auspices of Nato but under a new command known as US for Afghanistan. "

  5. Come on Amnesty International USA, where is the outrage !!!
    You have the nerve to ask President Obama, who only yesterday authorized a horredous war crime that killed all these innocent civillians to complain to Israel about something trivial like a lack of timely building permits ?? Are you guys out of your minds ??

    May 7, 2009 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/

    "Up to 100 civilians, including women and children, are reported to have been killed in Afghanistan in potentially the single deadliest US airstrike since 2001. The news overshadowed a crucial first summit between the Afghan President and Barack Obama in Washington yesterday.

    US military officials in Kandahar said that the number of fatalities was nearer 30, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the death toll was far higher.

    Jessica Barry, an ICRC representative, said that an international Red Cross team in Bala Baluk saw “dozens of bodies in each of the two locations” on Tuesday. “There were bodies, there were graves, and there were people burying bodies when we were there,” she said. “We do confirm women and children.”

    Many of those killed and injured had taken refuge in the villages to escape the fighting between the Taleban and the Afghan National Army, which had US “trainers” embedded within it. They had the ability to call in the US jets, part of a new command operating outside the auspices of Nato but under a new command known as US for Afghanistan. "

  6. Come on Amnesty International USA, where is the outrage !!!
    You have the nerve to ask President Obama, who only yesterday authorized a horredous war crime that killed all these innocent civillians to complain to Israel about something trivial like a lack of timely building permits ?? Are you guys out of your minds ??

    May 7, 2009
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6237189.ece

    “Up to 100 civilians, including women and children, are reported to have been killed in Afghanistan in potentially the single deadliest US airstrike since 2001. The news overshadowed a crucial first summit between the Afghan President and Barack Obama in Washington yesterday.

    US military officials in Kandahar said that the number of fatalities was nearer 30, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the death toll was far higher.

    Jessica Barry, an ICRC representative, said that an international Red Cross team in Bala Baluk saw “dozens of bodies in each of the two locations” on Tuesday. “There were bodies, there were graves, and there were people burying bodies when we were there,” she said. “We do confirm women and children.”

    Many of those killed and injured had taken refuge in the villages to escape the fighting between the Taleban and the Afghan National Army, which had US “trainers” embedded within it. They had the ability to call in the US jets, part of a new command operating outside the auspices of Nato but under a new command known as US for Afghanistan. “

  7. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-09-voa14.c

    “Investigators Say Afghan Civilians Died in Airstrikes
    By Barry Newhouse, Voice of America
    09 May 2009

    A joint U.S.-Afghan investigation has found that civilians were killed several days ago in airstrikes against Taliban forces."

    Amazing, Even Voice of America, the official propaganda arm of the US government can admit that President Obama ordered the deaths of hundreds of civilians, women, children , the elderly, last week, but not Amnesty International USA, the supposed defender of civilians targeted illegally by the disproportionate use of force in warfare.

    Amnesty of course goes completely silent on the subject of Afghanistan civilians. It is like Afghanistan and the bombings by the US Air force that kill babies and women on a daily basis do not even exist, according to Amnesty International.

    If Amnesty International had even one ounce of decency and fairness left, which you obviously do not, you would be calling for President Obama's immediate impeachment and extradition to the Hague to stand trial for this war crime, along with Gates and any US Generals who had a hand in approving this vicious mass murder air strike, just as you have called for this to be done to Israelis who you accuse of far less serious supposed war crimes that the Israelis supposedly committed while they were in fact defending their homes and civilians in direct response to 10s of thousands of rockets fired in random attacks from 2 kilometers away in Gaza, and not in defense of an unjustified illegal colonial occupation of a country 10,000 kilometers away like the US is doing in Afghanistan.

  8. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-09-voa14.c

    “Investigators Say Afghan Civilians Died in Airstrikes
    By Barry Newhouse, Voice of America
    09 May 2009

    A joint U.S.-Afghan investigation has found that civilians were killed several days ago in airstrikes against Taliban forces."

    Amazing, Even Voice of America, the official propaganda arm of the US government can admit that President Obama ordered the deaths of hundreds of civilians, women, children , the elderly, last week, but not Amnesty International USA, the supposed defender of civilians targeted illegally by the disproportionate use of force in warfare.

    Amnesty of course goes completely silent on the subject of Afghanistan civilians. It is like Afghanistan and the bombings by the US Air force that kill babies and women on a daily basis do not even exist, according to Amnesty International.

    If Amnesty International had even one ounce of decency and fairness left, which you obviously do not, you would be calling for President Obama's immediate impeachment and extradition to the Hague to stand trial for this war crime, along with Gates and any US Generals who had a hand in approving this vicious mass murder air strike, just as you have called for this to be done to Israelis who you accuse of far less serious supposed war crimes that the Israelis supposedly committed while they were in fact defending their homes and civilians in direct response to 10s of thousands of rockets fired in random attacks from 2 kilometers away in Gaza, and not in defense of an unjustified illegal colonial occupation of a country 10,000 kilometers away like the US is doing in Afghanistan.

  9. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-09-voa14.c

    “Investigators Say Afghan Civilians Died in Airstrikes
    By Barry Newhouse, Voice of America
    09 May 2009

    A joint U.S.-Afghan investigation has found that civilians were killed several days ago in airstrikes against Taliban forces."

    Amazing, Even Voice of America, the official propaganda arm of the US government can admit that President Obama ordered the deaths of hundreds of civilians, women, children , the elderly, last week, but not Amnesty International USA, the supposed defender of civilians targeted illegally by the disproportionate use of force in warfare.

    Amnesty of course goes completely silent on the subject of Afghanistan civilians. It is like Afghanistan and the bombings by the US Air force that kill babies and women on a daily basis do not even exist, according to Amnesty International.

    If Amnesty International had even one ounce of decency and fairness left, which you obviously do not, you would be calling for President Obama's immediate impeachment and extradition to the Hague to stand trial for this war crime, along with Gates and any US Generals who had a hand in approving this vicious mass murder air strike, just as you have called for this to be done to Israelis who you accuse of far less serious supposed war crimes that the Israelis supposedly committed while they were in fact defending their homes and civilians in direct response to 10s of thousands of rockets fired in random attacks from 2 kilometers away in Gaza, and not in defense of an unjustified illegal colonial occupation of a country 10,000 kilometers away like the US is doing in Afghanistan.

  10. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-09-voa14.cfm

    “Investigators Say Afghan Civilians Died in Airstrikes
    By Barry Newhouse, Voice of America
    09 May 2009

    A joint U.S.-Afghan investigation has found that civilians were killed several days ago in airstrikes against Taliban forces.”

    Amazing, Even Voice of America, the official propaganda arm of the US government can admit that President Obama ordered the deaths of hundreds of civilians, women, children , the elderly, last week, but not Amnesty International USA, the supposed defender of civilians targeted illegally by the disproportionate use of force in warfare.

    Amnesty of course goes completely silent on the subject of Afghanistan civilians. It is like Afghanistan and the bombings by the US Air force that kill babies and women on a daily basis do not even exist, according to Amnesty International.

    If Amnesty International had even one ounce of decency and fairness left, which you obviously do not, you would be calling for President Obama’s immediate impeachment and extradition to the Hague to stand trial for this war crime, along with Gates and any US Generals who had a hand in approving this vicious mass murder air strike, just as you have called for this to be done to Israelis who you accuse of far less serious supposed war crimes that the Israelis supposedly committed while they were in fact defending their homes and civilians in direct response to 10s of thousands of rockets fired in random attacks from 2 kilometers away in Gaza, and not in defense of an unjustified illegal colonial occupation of a country 10,000 kilometers away like the US is doing in Afghanistan.

  11. Judo,

    Amnesty International applies a single standard of human rights to all countries. We apply the same standard to the U.S., Egypt, Afghanistan and any other country as we do to Israel, and we have more than 40 years of documented research to prove that. How we apply our documented research is subject to strategic decisions about what might be most effective. Some actions and statements are very public, and others will be done diplomatically behind the scenes.

    In a previous post, you state, “…because it is so much more fun to criticize Israel than be forced to examine your own country’s far worse behavior, isn’t it?” I thought you might want to know that AI was created in and based out of England. The United States is only one of over 100 different AI sections.

    Also, AI has never hesitated to condemn human rights violations wherever they occur. Only two examples of Amnesty acting on U.S. issues are the actions on the so-called ‘War on Terror’ that’s been going on for years and immigrant detention. See http://www.amnestyusa.org/war-on-terror/page.do?i
    and http://www.amnestyusa.org/immigrant-detention/pag… respectively.

    Amnesty has also not been silent on the killing of civilians in Afganistan. See ‘Urgent investigation needed into civilian deaths in Afganistan’ at http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2….

    Amnesty does not compare human rights violations and call one ‘worse’ than any other. We look at each situation and hold one standard based on international law.

    People often compare the work AI does on Israel/OT/PA with other countries to distract from the real issues on the ground there. The point is and shall remain, if Israel commits human rights violations, Amnesty will call them to account just as if the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Egypt, China, Peru, Italy or even the United States violates human rights. The same actions or statements may not be made as one blueprint doesn’t work in all cases, but Amnesty holds the same standard for all parties.

  12. Judo,

    Amnesty International applies a single standard of human rights to all countries. We apply the same standard to the U.S., Egypt, Afghanistan and any other country as we do to Israel, and we have more than 40 years of documented research to prove that. How we apply our documented research is subject to strategic decisions about what might be most effective. Some actions and statements are very public, and others will be done diplomatically behind the scenes.

    In a previous post, you state, “…because it is so much more fun to criticize Israel than be forced to examine your own country’s far worse behavior, isn’t it?” I thought you might want to know that AI was created in and based out of England. The United States is only one of over 100 different AI sections.

    Also, AI has never hesitated to condemn human rights violations wherever they occur. Only two examples of Amnesty acting on U.S. issues are the actions on the so-called ‘War on Terror’ that’s been going on for years and immigrant detention. See http://www.amnestyusa.org/war-on-terror/page.do?i
    and http://www.amnestyusa.org/immigrant-detention/pag… respectively.

    Amnesty has also not been silent on the killing of civilians in Afganistan. See ‘Urgent investigation needed into civilian deaths in Afganistan’ at http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2….

    Amnesty does not compare human rights violations and call one ‘worse’ than any other. We look at each situation and hold one standard based on international law.

    People often compare the work AI does on Israel/OT/PA with other countries to distract from the real issues on the ground there. The point is and shall remain, if Israel commits human rights violations, Amnesty will call them to account just as if the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Egypt, China, Peru, Italy or even the United States violates human rights. The same actions or statements may not be made as one blueprint doesn’t work in all cases, but Amnesty holds the same standard for all parties.

  13. Judo,

    Amnesty International applies a single standard of human rights to all countries. We apply the same standard to the U.S., Egypt, Afghanistan and any other country as we do to Israel, and we have more than 40 years of documented research to prove that. How we apply our documented research is subject to strategic decisions about what might be most effective. Some actions and statements are very public, and others will be done diplomatically behind the scenes.

    In a previous post, you state, “…because it is so much more fun to criticize Israel than be forced to examine your own country’s far worse behavior, isn’t it?” I thought you might want to know that AI was created in and based out of England. The United States is only one of over 100 different AI sections.

    Also, AI has never hesitated to condemn human rights violations wherever they occur. Only two examples of Amnesty acting on U.S. issues are the actions on the so-called ‘War on Terror’ that’s been going on for years and immigrant detention. See http://www.amnestyusa.org/war-on-terror/page.do?i
    and http://www.amnestyusa.org/immigrant-detention/pag… respectively.

    Amnesty has also not been silent on the killing of civilians in Afganistan. See ‘Urgent investigation needed into civilian deaths in Afganistan’ at http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2….

    Amnesty does not compare human rights violations and call one ‘worse’ than any other. We look at each situation and hold one standard based on international law.

    People often compare the work AI does on Israel/OT/PA with other countries to distract from the real issues on the ground there. The point is and shall remain, if Israel commits human rights violations, Amnesty will call them to account just as if the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Egypt, China, Peru, Italy or even the United States violates human rights. The same actions or statements may not be made as one blueprint doesn’t work in all cases, but Amnesty holds the same standard for all parties.

  14. Judo,

    Amnesty International applies a single standard of human rights to all countries. We apply the same standard to the U.S., Egypt, Afghanistan and any other country as we do to Israel, and we have more than 40 years of documented research to prove that. How we apply our documented research is subject to strategic decisions about what might be most effective. Some actions and statements are very public, and others will be done diplomatically behind the scenes.

    In a previous post, you state, “…because it is so much more fun to criticize Israel than be forced to examine your own country’s far worse behavior, isn’t it?” I thought you might want to know that AI was created in and based out of England. The United States is only one of over 100 different AI sections.

    Also, AI has never hesitated to condemn human rights violations wherever they occur. Only two examples of Amnesty acting on U.S. issues are the actions on the so-called ‘War on Terror’ that’s been going on for years and immigrant detention. See http://www.amnestyusa.org/war-on-terror/page.do?id=1011329
    and http://www.amnestyusa.org/immigrant-detention/page.do?id=1641031, respectively.

    Amnesty has also not been silent on the killing of civilians in Afganistan. See ‘Urgent investigation needed into civilian deaths in Afganistan’ at http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2009050810564&lang=e.

    Amnesty does not compare human rights violations and call one ‘worse’ than any other. We look at each situation and hold one standard based on international law.

    People often compare the work AI does on Israel/OT/PA with other countries to distract from the real issues on the ground there. The point is and shall remain, if Israel commits human rights violations, Amnesty will call them to account just as if the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Egypt, China, Peru, Italy or even the United States violates human rights. The same actions or statements may not be made as one blueprint doesn’t work in all cases, but Amnesty holds the same standard for all parties.

  15. Edith,
    Has Amnesty sent an investigative team to Afganistan to investigate the credible first hand eye witness reports direct from the Red Cross observers on the ground that more than a 140 civilians were killed in Afganistan last week by US bombings on civilian targets with White Phosporus ?

    Or is it just in the case of Israel that you do this ?

    And will Amnesty International be now calling for an arms embargo against the United States as you do against Israel ?

  16. Edith,
    Has Amnesty sent an investigative team to Afganistan to investigate the credible first hand eye witness reports direct from the Red Cross observers on the ground that more than a 140 civilians were killed in Afganistan last week by US bombings on civilian targets with White Phosporus ?

    Or is it just in the case of Israel that you do this ?

    And will Amnesty International be now calling for an arms embargo against the United States as you do against Israel ?

  17. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti

    "Reuters reported last week that U.S. military doctors had confirmed that they had treated an 8-year-old girl with white phosphorus burns in hospital. Her case was not on the list the military released on Monday.

    The girl's father told Reuters their house was hit by a volley of artillery fired by Western troops.

    Human Rights Watch has urged the military to release more details of the incident.

    Since Reuters published its account last week, Afghanistan's human rights commission has said it is investigating whether white phosphorus played a role in an incident last week in which Afghan officials say over 140 civilians were killed.

    That incident, in western Farah province, has caused a crisis between Afghanistan and the United States. President Hamid Karzai has demanded a halt to all U.S. air strikes, something Washington says it cannot do.

    Many of the victims in the Farah incident had severe burns. The U.S. military acknowledges bombing two villages after participating in ground fighting nearby, but says it did not fire any white phosphorus ammunition in the battle."

  18. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti

    "Reuters reported last week that U.S. military doctors had confirmed that they had treated an 8-year-old girl with white phosphorus burns in hospital. Her case was not on the list the military released on Monday.

    The girl's father told Reuters their house was hit by a volley of artillery fired by Western troops.

    Human Rights Watch has urged the military to release more details of the incident.

    Since Reuters published its account last week, Afghanistan's human rights commission has said it is investigating whether white phosphorus played a role in an incident last week in which Afghan officials say over 140 civilians were killed.

    That incident, in western Farah province, has caused a crisis between Afghanistan and the United States. President Hamid Karzai has demanded a halt to all U.S. air strikes, something Washington says it cannot do.

    Many of the victims in the Farah incident had severe burns. The U.S. military acknowledges bombing two villages after participating in ground fighting nearby, but says it did not fire any white phosphorus ammunition in the battle."

  19. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti

    "Reuters reported last week that U.S. military doctors had confirmed that they had treated an 8-year-old girl with white phosphorus burns in hospital. Her case was not on the list the military released on Monday.

    The girl's father told Reuters their house was hit by a volley of artillery fired by Western troops.

    Human Rights Watch has urged the military to release more details of the incident.

    Since Reuters published its account last week, Afghanistan's human rights commission has said it is investigating whether white phosphorus played a role in an incident last week in which Afghan officials say over 140 civilians were killed.

    That incident, in western Farah province, has caused a crisis between Afghanistan and the United States. President Hamid Karzai has demanded a halt to all U.S. air strikes, something Washington says it cannot do.

    Many of the victims in the Farah incident had severe burns. The U.S. military acknowledges bombing two villages after participating in ground fighting nearby, but says it did not fire any white phosphorus ammunition in the battle."

  20. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051101937.html

    “Reuters reported last week that U.S. military doctors had confirmed that they had treated an 8-year-old girl with white phosphorus burns in hospital. Her case was not on the list the military released on Monday.

    The girl’s father told Reuters their house was hit by a volley of artillery fired by Western troops.

    Human Rights Watch has urged the military to release more details of the incident.

    Since Reuters published its account last week, Afghanistan’s human rights commission has said it is investigating whether white phosphorus played a role in an incident last week in which Afghan officials say over 140 civilians were killed.

    That incident, in western Farah province, has caused a crisis between Afghanistan and the United States. President Hamid Karzai has demanded a halt to all U.S. air strikes, something Washington says it cannot do.

    Many of the victims in the Farah incident had severe burns. The U.S. military acknowledges bombing two villages after participating in ground fighting nearby, but says it did not fire any white phosphorus ammunition in the battle.”

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