P U L S E

Today’s broadcast of Al Jazeera’s Inside Story featured Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev (previously featured on PULSE here), Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti, and Bill van Esveld, a senior researcher from Human Right’s Watch (HRW).  Their debate, moderated by presenter Nick Clark, was focused on the nature of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza during its December 08/January 09 onslaught which claimed the lives of over 1,000 Palestinians.  According to HRW’s most recent investigative report, Gazan civilians were killed by Israeli Drone-Launched Missiles:

This 39-page report details six incidents resulting in 29 civilian deaths, among them eight children. Human Rights Watch found that Israeli forces failed to take all feasible precautions to verify that these targets were combatants, as required by the laws of war, or that they failed to distinguish between combatants and civilians.

In response Regev repeats some of Israel’s most common lines on all questions or criticisms of their conduct towards Palestinians, even resorting to dismissing every report that has surfaced since the assault as biased — except of course for Israel’s own version.  Van Esveld, who is part of an organization that few would venture to call biased in favor of the Palestinians, has some interesting responses to Regev as well.

Be sure to watch this important clip.

Tagged: Al Jazeera Inside Story, Bill van Esveld, Human Rights Watch, Israel, Mark Regev, Mustafa Barghouti, War crimes