於2009-10-27發佈

有關戈史登(高德史東)報告相關訊息

以下是2009年10月16日聯合國人權理事會第12屆特別會議,辯論戈史登報告中,英國上校理查‧德坎普的發言。

主席先生,謝謝您!

我是曾在阿富汗的英國部隊前司令指揮官。我曾任職於北約和聯合國,受命於指揮部隊分別在北愛爾蘭、波士尼亞和馬其頓,並參加了波灣戰爭。自從2003年入侵伊拉克以來,我花了相當的時間,為英國政府的聯合情報委員會,研究國際恐怖主義。

主席先生,根據我的知識和經驗,我可以這樣說:在鑄鉛行動中,故往至今,以色列國防軍比起任何其他軍隊,是更多地在戰地中維護平民百姓的。

以色列如此而行,但卻要面對故意將軍事能力隱藏於人民之後,並將人民視為肉盾的敵人。

哈馬斯,如真主黨一樣,是推動傳媒計畫的專家。這兩個恐怖組織總是預備好人民願意接受採訪,對戰爭罪行譴責以色列軍隊。他們善於籌劃歪曲事件。

以色列國防軍將面臨一個挑戰,而我們英國人不需去面對同樣的狀況;這已經是習慣性了。巴甫洛夫依據許多國際媒體和國際人權組織,來推定以色列國防軍錯在傷害人權。

事實是,以色列國防軍採取了非常措施,通知針對迦薩目標地區的平民,投下了200多萬張傳單,並打了10萬多通的電話。許多任務,原本可以毀壞哈馬斯的軍事能力,但為了避免平民傷亡而中止。在衝突期間,以色列國防軍允許大量的人道主義援助進入迦薩地區。這些援助物資幾乎到了你敵人的手中,而這在軍事戰術上,通常是很不可思議的。但以色列國防軍卻願意冒這些風險。

儘管這些,當然還是有無辜平民被炸死。戰爭是混亂和錯誤百出的。在阿富汗和伊拉克時,英國、美國和其他部隊出現了失誤,探究其因有許多人為疏失。但這些錯誤不是戰爭罪行。

沒有任何可以比得上哈馬斯戰爭方式後果,就是造成平民傷亡。哈馬斯刻意犧牲自己的平民。

主席先生,以色列是別無選擇的,她為了捍衛自己的人民,而以火箭來制止哈馬斯襲擊以色列百姓。

我再重述:在歷史上,以色列國防軍比起任何其他軍隊,是更多地在戰地中維護平民百姓的。

謝謝您,主席先生。

閱讀影音,您可點閱以下的網址:
http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=7536409

(來源 : 特別感謝以色列經濟文化辦事處提供原文及網址。愛回事工中文編譯。)


Thank you, Mr. President.
I am the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan. I served with NATO and the United Nations; commanded troops in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia; and participated in the Gulf War. I spent considerable time in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and worked on international terrorism for the UK Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee.

Mr. President, based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population.

Hamas, like Hizballah, are expert at driving the media agenda. Both will always have people ready to give interviews condemning Israeli forces for war crimes. They are adept at staging and distorting incidents.

The IDF faces a challenge that we British do not have to face to the same extent. It is the automatic, Pavlovian presumption by many in the international media, and international human rights groups, that the IDF are in the wrong, that they are abusing human rights.

The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas, dropping over 2 million leaflets, and making over 100,000 phone calls. Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties. During the conflict, the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza. To deliver aid virtually into your enemy's hands is, to the military tactician, normally quite unthinkable. But the IDF took on those risks.

Despite all of this, of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes.

More than anything, the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas’ way of fighting. Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians.

Mr. President, Israel had no choice apart from defending its people, to stop Hamas from attacking them with rockets.

And I say this again: the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Delivered by Colonel Richard Kemp
UN Human Rights Council
12th Special Session, 16 October 2009
Debate on Goldstone Report