IMEMC, July 22, 2010

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli government has refused to provide the United Nations assurance to discontinue its illegal usage of internationally banned white phosphorus bombs, which it used heavily in its latest war on the Gaza Strip, causing hundreds of Palestinian deaths, in addition to serious environmental damage.

Israel submitted an official report to the UN this week admitting its use of white phosphorus bombs in its war on Gaza after having previously denied such allegations, and assuring that it would use the bombs in a "restricted" manner, but refusing to assure complete discontinuation.

The report said: "The army has taken measures to minimize civilian injuries and damage to their property in future military conflicts, including restricting the use of white phosphorus bombs in populated areas."

According to Hebrew mass media, the Israeli report was submitted in preparation for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s briefing of the Security Council on the results of the investigation which the UN had demanded from both Israel and the Hamas movement, following the Goldstone report, which documented Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip 17 months ago, which resulted in at least 1400 deaths and 5000 injuries on Palestinians, and total destruction of Gaza Strip’s infrastructure within 22 days.

For his part, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a press statement on Wednesday that the report submitted by the Israeli government to the UN Secretary-General convicts Israel of using WP in the killing of Palestinian citizens, confirming that the conviction calls for concrete actions to prosecute Israeli leaders in international criminal courts.

He added: "The Arab League and the Palestinian Authority are obliged to stop all forms of negotiation and normalization of relations with the Zionist enemy, which will take continued (negotiations) as a cover-up for its crimes."

He called on the international community to expedite the trial of Israeli leaders and war criminals, and to pressure Israel and harness its crimes, asking all human rights organizations to take action to expose Israel’s crimes and prosecute it in both national and international courts.

Barhoum noted that the report’s mention of future wars reveals Israel’s malicious intentions and its insistence on continually targeting the unarmed Palestinian people, especially in the absence of international justice and the presence of American bias towards Israel and its extremist government.