Eshkol Regional Council head Chaim Yalin has filed a complaint with the United Nations over Gaza terrorists' attacks on southern Israel, and over the recent use of phosphorus in mortar shells fired toward Israeli civilians.
"For nine years, residents of the Eshkol regional council, on the border with the Gaza Strip, have suffered salvos of Kassam rockets and mortar shells, sponsored and fired by terror organizations in Gaza towards innocent civilians,” he wrote. The IDF is condemned for protecting Israel, while Hamas attacks civilians “without being judged or criticized by any official,” he added.
Yalin called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to “put an end to this hypocrisy” and stand up for Israelis in the western Negev. The population of the western Negev is suffering, he said.
A complaint was also filed by Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Meron Reuben. “Since Monday, 13 September 2010, Hamas terrorists launched 14 rockets and mortars from in the Gaza Strip that sought to terrorize the civilian populations... Some of these attacks that deliberately targeted civilians contained white phosphorous, a fact publicly acknowledged by Palestinian statements in the media,” Reuben stated.
Reuben charged Hamas with launching attacks “in a concerted effort to derail peace talks.” The terrorism “reinforces Israel’s decision to exercise its right of self-defense against Hamas and all other groups that threaten and endanger Israeli citizens,” he added.
Phosphorus, which can cause severe burns and death, is forbidden for use as a weapon against civilians. Phosphorous rounds are often used to create a smoke screen for military actions or for nighttime illumination, uses which are permitted by international law. The IDF used phosphorus to create a cover while fighting Hamas in the Cast Lead counterterror operation in Gaza. Hamas, in contrast, uses its weapons to deliberately target civilians.