"Israel's bombardment of Gaza is not self-defence – it's a war crime", statement by lawyers

excerpt from a statement issued today by a number of a number of legal experts. The full statement can be found at the Sunday Times;

"ISRAEL has sought to justify its military attacks on Gaza by stating that it amounts to an act of "self-defence" as recognised by Article 51, United Nations Charter. We categorically reject this contention.

The rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas deplorable as they are, do not, in terms of scale and effect amount to an armed attack entitling Israel to rely on self-defence. Under international law self-defence is an act of last resort and is subject to the customary rules of proportionality and necessity.

The killing of almost 800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 3,000 injuries, accompanied by the destruction of schools, mosques, houses, UN compounds and government buildings, which Israel has a responsibility to protect under the Fourth Geneva Convention, is not commensurate to the deaths caused by Hamas rocket fire."

Today a clinic in Gaza, financed by Swedish development aid, was destroyed by Israeli bombardments. Newslinks; I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX. Recommended reading by Ali Esbati at SVT Opinion (in Swedish).