Top Vatican Official Calls Gaza a "Concentration Camp"

Cardinal Renato Martino , Pope Benedicts top official on issues of peace and justice, and former Vatican envoy to the UN, likened Gaza under the Israeli offensive to a "big concentration camp" in a recent interview.

The Cardinal noted that both sides in the current conflict were concerned only with their own interests . "But the consequences of this selfishness is hatred, poverty, injustice. It is always the defenseless populations that pay."

Not surprisingly Israeli officials have responded to the Cardinals statement with outrage claiming that it unfairly paints Israel as similar to the Nazi regime. Apparently the truth is a little too hard for many Israelis to digest.

Catholic News has more on this issue here:
Gaza Strip resembles a concentration camp, says top Vatican official

Israeli Use of Human Shields

That Palestinians have made use of human shields in recent conflicts is an oft repeated charge by supporters of the Zionist regime. Generally these accusations imply that Palestinians have waged war from inside urban areas or in close proximity to civilian structures. What isn't as well known is that the Israelis themselves make use of human shields. They have stationed military forces within cities and they have also used Palestinians (including children!) as literal shields when going into dangerous areas.

Not only have the Israelis used these tactics in the past but it appears that they are up to their old tricks again in their current assault on Gaza as well. They have been stationing Israeli troops in houses and buildings occupied by Palestinian civilians. If these Israeli troops are attacked civilians would likely be hurt and their houses destroyed . The Israelis are hoping that these human shields will prevent Hamas fighters from targeting the IDF.

Malcolm Smart, Amnesty Internationals Middle East and North Africa Program director said the following:

"Our sources in Gaza report that Israeli soldiers have entered and taken up positions in a number of Palestinian homes, forcing families to stay in a ground-floor room while they use the rest of their house as a military base and sniper position,"

"This clearly increases the risk to the Palestinian families concerned and means they are effectively being used as human shields,"

(Aljazeerah) Amnesty International Says Israel Uses Palestinians as Human Shields

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Here are some links shedding light on past Israeli uses of human shield tactics :

(Christian Science Monitor) Report: Israeli soldiers used children as 'human shields'

( Haaretz ) IDF probes soldiers' use of Palestinian human shields

(The Guardian) : Israel's human shields draw fire

(BBC) Israel faces human shield claim

(B'Tselem )Israeli soldiers use two Palestinian minors as human shields

(Telegraph UK) Israeli troops 'used 11-year-old girl as a human shield'