Amnesty International

Calls for ‘Full Arms Embargo’ Against Israel as Lebanon Massacres Imperil Ceasefire Hopes

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Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A view of the destruction after the Israeli military carried out airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Murat Åengül/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The United States and all other countries need to cut off weapons to Israel immediately.”

Fresh demands for a total arms embargo against Israel emerged Wednesday as the country’s devastating onslaught in Lebanon—leveling apartment buildings and killing more than 250 people—threatened to derail tenuous progress toward a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.

“The United States and all other countries need to cut off weapons to Israel immediately,” said Dylan Williams, vice president for government affairs at the US-based Center for International Policy. “Full arms embargo.”

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Avi Lewis, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, wrote on social media that “Canada must bring sanctions against Israel, cancel the Canada-Israel free trade agreement, implement a real two-way arms embargo, and use every diplomatic and economic tool at our disposal to rein in Israel.”

“US-Israeli impunity has shredded the international order,” he added. “Canada should lead in rebuilding it.”

US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he “will be offering a resolution to stop US military aid to Israel” when Congress returns to session next week. The US is Israel’s chief arms supplier; recent data shows that 99% of Israel’s weapons imports are from the US and Germany.

Israel launched its barrage of airstrikes on Lebanon, including busy areas in central Beirut, just hours after US President Donald Trump, Iranian leaders, and Pakistani mediators announced a two-week ceasefire agreement aimed at providing space for a lasting resolution to the war that the US and Israel launched in late February.

Pakistan’s prime minister said explicitly that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement, but the Trump White House and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the country was excluded, prompting fury in Iran.

“If this isn’t yet another case of the US early reneging, then what is it?” asked Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

US Vice President JD Vance claimed Wednesday that there was a “legitimate misunderstanding” about the terms of the ceasefire, saying the Iranians “thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t.”

“That said, the Israelis have actually offered to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful,” Vance said.

More Israeli airstrikes were reported in Beirut as Vance made his comments.

Israel’s assault on Wednesday marked the deadliest day for Lebanon during the latest round of bombing, which began days after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. Lebanon held a national day of mourning on Thursday as rescue efforts continued across the country.

One woman, identified as Haniya Faraj, told The New York Times that nine of her relatives were wounded in an Israeli attack on a neighborhood in central Beirut.

“I don’t know if there are more, my head is about to explode,” she said. “I can’t reach all my family members.”

The Associated Press reported that its journalists “saw charred bodies in vehicles and on the ground at one of Beirut’s busiest intersections in the central Corniche al Mazraa neighborhood, a mixed commercial and residential area. Using forklifts, rescue workers removed smoldering debris and sifted through ruins for survivors.”

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement that the Israeli government “has an appalling track record of carrying out unlawful attacks in Lebanon and displaying a callous disregard for civilian life, fueled by the impunity Israeli officials feel they enjoy.”

“These attacks are a reminder that states must immediately halt the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel, given the overriding risk that they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law,” said Morayef.

European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, condemned Israel’s massive bombardment of Lebanon and reiterated that the country must be included in the ceasefire agreement.

“We condemn these strikes in the strongest possible terms,” said Macron. “They pose a direct threat to the sustainability of the ceasefire that has just been reached. Lebanon must be fully covered by it.”

Sánchez, who has vocally condemned the Iran war from the start as illegal and immoral, went further, urging the European Union to “suspend its Association Agreement with Israel.”

“There must be no impunity for these criminal acts,” said Sánchez.

Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.

Continue ReadingCalls for ‘Full Arms Embargo’ Against Israel as Lebanon Massacres Imperil Ceasefire Hopes

‘Nightmare for Civilians’: Israel Inflicts 1,400+ Casualties on Lebanon War’s Deadliest Day

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Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A woman injured in an Israeli airstrike arrives at a hospital in Nabatieh, Lebanon on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

“Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers, and journalists amongst those killed—the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll,” said one campaigner.

Humanitarian campaigners, civil rights defenders, and progressive members of Congress were among those calling on the Trump administration to pressure Israel to stop bombing Lebanon after Israeli airstrikes killed or wounded more than 1,400 people—many of them civilians—on Wednesday.

In what Amnesty International called an “unprecedented escalation,” the Israel Defense Forces said it carried out the “largest coordinated wave of strikes” of its renewed war on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Around 100 sites in the country were bombed in one 10-minute period alone in what the IDF dubbedr “Operation Eternal Darkness.”

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Lebanese officials said that at least 303 people were killed and 1,165 others wounded by Israeli strikes on Wednesday, the deadliest day of attacks since Israel resumed bombardment of Lebanon and likely since it started bombing its northern neighbor after the Hamas-led Palestinian attack of October 7, 2023.

While Lebanese authorities do not break down casualties according to combatant status, officials and residents of the capital city of Beirut said that civilians were the main victims of Wednesday’s bombings, which targeted apartment towers and other civilian structures in numerous densely populated urban areas.

One witness, a woman named Fatima, told Amnesty International what she saw in the immediate aftermath of an IDF strike on a building across the street from her home in Beirut’s Salim Salam neighborhood.

“It was apocalyptic,” she said. “Bodies on the ground. Blood everywhere. I saw countless wounded adults and children. I walked further but it was the same scene in the other neighborhoods too. I did not know where to go. I just walked aimlessly trying to get as far as possible. It was a nightmare.”

Dr. Firass Abiad, a surgeon and wformer Lebanese health minister, told The Guardian that American University of Beirut Medical College, where he works, received about 70 patients at the same time, a situation he said was intentionally caused by Israel “to flood the health system.”

“There was a 90-year-old who I just left a bit ago. He passed away from his wounds,” he said. “There was nothing we could do. These are civilians who, without any warning, their whole apartment building was flattened. So you can imagine the severity of injuries that we’re getting.”

Shaden Fakih, a 24-year-old calisthenics trainer, described trying to find his friend who was inside a building when it was bombed. He couldn’t locate his friend, but he was seen carrying an elderly woman from the rubble.

“There’s no Hezbollah here, the Israelis are just getting happy when they bomb people, it’s not about Hezbollah,” Fakih said in an interview with The Guardian. “Just stop bombing us. If you want to kill Hezbollah, go for it, but don’t kill civilians, because you’re creating anger in us against Israel and we will have to act like Hezbollah just to defend our country. But I don’t want to do that, I just want to live in peace.”

“It’s been the worst day since the war started,” he added. “And what I’m most sad about is that my pretty Lebanon, our beautiful Lebanon, soon it will all be brought down to the ground.”

As Common Dreams reported, Israeli strikes have wiped out entire families in Lebanon and Iran. In Gaza, more than 2,700 families have been erased from the civil registry.

Responding to Wednesday’s attacks, Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa regional director Heba Morayef said that “just hours after the world cautiously welcomed news of a US-Israeli ceasefire with Iran, in Lebanon the nightmare for civilians has become more terrifying.”

“Even before today’s attack… more than 1,500 people had been killed and over a million people displaced from their homes across the country,” Morayef continued, referring to Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon after Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones southward in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has left more than 250,000 Palestinians dead, injured, or missing.

“Civilians in Lebanon are already paying an unbearable price with children, health workers, and journalists amongst those killed—the latest attacks will only escalate this devastating human toll,” Morayef added. “These attacks are a reminder that states must immediately halt the transfer of arms and weapons to Israel given the overriding risk that they will be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

The Washington, DC-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement late Wednesday, “Once again, Israel’s genocidal government is trying to derail a ceasefire and ensure peace does not succeed by slaughtering innocent civilians.”

“The Trump administration must stop them from carrying out this brutal plan,” the group added. “Israel has demonstrated time and again that it cannot be trusted to abide by peace agreements. It is time for our government to cut all support for Israel’s atrocities.”

These and other groups, as well as governments in the Mideast and beyond, and US progressives, are demanding that Lebanon be included in the ceasefire. Although Israel agreed to the truce, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza—asserts that the deal does not include Lebanon.

Iran categorically rejects Israel’s claim and is using its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Israel to reconsider its stance.

Some US progressives called for President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to stop attacking Lebanon, and for a suspension of American arms transfers to the IDF.

“It is unconscionable we continue to provide aid to Israel as they continue to murder civilians and violate international law in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Thursday on Bluesky. “No more money to Israel’s genocidal apartheid regime.”

Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.

Continue Reading‘Nightmare for Civilians’: Israel Inflicts 1,400+ Casualties on Lebanon War’s Deadliest Day

‘Stop This Lawless War,’ Advocates Say as Trump Warns of Coming Power Plant, Bridge Attacks in Iran

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Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A demonstrator holds a sign reading, “Trump is the threat” while participating in a protest in Washington, DC on March 7, 2026.  Photo by Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images

“Trump is being driven insane by his inability to defeat Iran,” said a UK journalist. “This is a threat to commit unspeakable war crimes.”

Following President Donald Trump’s Sunday morning Truth Social post detailing his intent to further break international law by bombing Iran’s power plants and civilian infrastructure, the message sent by numerous critics to White House officials, the US Congress, and US allies was the same: “Act now to stop this lawless war.”

That demand was made by Just Security editor and Rutgers University law professor Adil Haque of the international community after Trump announced on social media that this coming Tuesday “will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”

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“There will be nothing like it!!!” the missive continued. “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

The threat was one of Trump’s most blatant yet regarding his plans to bomb Iran’s power plants and other civilian infrastructure in retaliation for Iran’s de facto blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil and other imports. Iran announced a deal with Iraq on Saturday to allow its shipments through the waterway and was in talks with Oman on Sunday, but about 3,000 vessels carrying shipments have been stranded in the strait since the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran began imposing heavy restrictions in retaliation for the US-Israeli invasion of the country.

Attacking power plants “could amount to a war crime,” Amnesty International said late last month as Trump ramped up threats against the critical facilities, because they are “essential for meeting the basic needs and livelihoods of tens of millions of civilians.”

“When power plants collapse, horrific consequences cascade instantly,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns last month. “Water pumping stations would stop functioning, clean water would become scarce, and preventable diseases would spread. Hospitals would lose electricity and fuel, forcing surgeries to be canceled and life-support machines to shut down. Food production and distribution networks would collapse, deepening hunger and causing widespread food scarcity. Many businesses would also shut down with devastating economic consequences including mass unemployment.”

On Sunday, Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard said she was “running out of language to denounce and condemn” Trump’s escalating threats and called the Truth Social post a “revolting statement.”

“Iranian civilians will be the first to suffer from the destruction of power plants and bridges,” she said. “No heat, no electricity, no water, no capacity to move or to flee, and all that it means for their right to life.”

Trump has also threatened Iran’s water desalination plants, which could lead the country to retaliate with similar attacks across the region, impacting the water supply of millions of people across Gulf Arab states. On Saturday, Kuwait blamed Iran for an airstrike that hit a power and desalination plant, while Iranian officials blamed Israel for the attack.

Political analyst Omar Baddar warned that “Iranian civilians will pay the biggest and most immediate price of his madness, but the ripple effect will not spare much of the world.” He was among those who commented that Trump’s latest remarks on the war sounded “exceedingly desperate” as news reports pointed to mounting evidence that the US is not succeeding at Trump’s goal of defeating Iran’s military—despite the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s persistent claims that “we are punching them while they’re down.”

As The New York Times reported Friday, US intelligence has found that Iran is swiftly returning its missile bunkers to operation following US and Israeli bombings. The country’s exact capability is unclear because the IRGC “is deploying significant numbers of decoys, and the United States is not sure how many of the apparent launchers it has destroyed were real,” the Times reported. Iran is also reportedly using a new air defense system.

“Trump is being driven insane by his inability to defeat Iran,” said UK journalist Owen Jones of Trump’s Sunday post. “This is a threat to commit unspeakable war crimes.”

On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported that top White House aides and officials, including Hegseth, have been advising Trump that “Iran’s power-generating facilities and bridges are legitimate military targets because destroying them could cripple the country’s missile and nuclear program.”

“There are no ‘legitimate military targets,’” said Charles Idelson, former communications director of National Nurses United. “Just war crimes, in an illegitimate war started without justification, following deliberate lies about the state of negotiations, and [that] has featured multiple attacks on civilians beginning with blowing up a girls’ elementary school.”

Trump threatened to escalate attacks against power plants a day after Israel attacked Iran’s largest petrochemical hub in Mahshahr—an assault that had previously been reported to have injured five people. Late on Saturday, The New York Times reported that five people had been killed and 170 had been injured in the attack on the sprawling complex, which helps provide electricity to 500,000 people and produces materials including chemicals and polymers.

Reports have pointed to people in the Mahshahr area suffering from the impact of the strike as “chemical pollution from the petrochemical explosions has spread through the city in such a way that breathing is impossible,” as one person with family in the city said.

As Trump warned of further assaults on critical infrastructure, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the US Congress to end its spring recess in order “to reconvene and to reassert their authority over matters of war and peace and to ensure that no president can unilaterally drag our nation into war.”

“Congress must not remain on vacation while the president openly promises to commit war crimes that could trigger even more regional and global conflict,” said the group, which also condemned Trump’s “deranged mocking of Islam.”

In his latest conflicting statement on the state of the war, Trump told Fox News Sunday that a deal could be reached with Iran on Monday but warned that he was “considering blowing everything up” if an agreement was not reached.

US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) urged top White House officials to take action by spending Easter Sunday “calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment,” which empowers a presidential Cabinet to declare that a president is unable to perform their duties.

“This is completely, utterly unhinged,” said Murphy. “He’s already killed thousands. He’s going to kill thousands more.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) repeated CAIR’s demand, saying Trump’s remarks were “the ravings of a dangerous and mentally unbalanced individual.”

“Congress has got to act NOW,” said Sanders. “End this war.”

Original article by Julia Conley republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says "Wish someone would lock him up".
Orcas discuss rotting brain. Front Orca says “Wish someone would lock him up”.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it's easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel's genocidal expansion.
Donald Trump warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog, says that it’s easy atm, she only needs to report war crimes supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion.

Continue Reading‘Stop This Lawless War,’ Advocates Say as Trump Warns of Coming Power Plant, Bridge Attacks in Iran

Palantir to analyse sensitive financial intelligence data under FCA deal

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palantir-analyse-sensitive-financial-intelligence-data-under-fca-deal

NHS staff blockade the entrance to NHS England’s headquarters in central London demanding the cancellation of its contract with Palantir, which supplies advanced technology to Israel’s military, April 3, 2024

PALANTIR has been awarded a contract to analyse the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) internal intelligence data, sparking concerns over possible leaks.

The FCA confirmed on Sunday that the US tech company will aim to help tackle financial crime and identify risks to consumers and markets.

A spokesman added: “We ran an open, competitive procurement process and have strict controls in place to ensure data is protected.”

But Cardiff University’s Professor Michael Levi, an internationally recognised expert in money laundering, told the Guardian that it was “a relevant question as to whether Palantir’s owners might tip off their friends about methodologies.”

He asked: “What are the protocols agreed between the FCA and Palantir about the onward use of things that they have learned in that process?”

…

Amnesty International UK’s business and human rights director Peter Frankental said: “Companies linked to human rights abuses should not be given access to sensitive UK public data full stop. First it was our health data, now it’s financial intelligence.

“The UK government is taking an unacceptable risk by allowing Palantir Technologies to embed itself in systems handling the public’s most sensitive information and profit from it at the expense of our privacy, integrity and values. We are calling for a full review into whether it is appropriate to grant this level of access to a company so closely associated with some of the most serious human rights concerns of our time.”

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palantir-analyse-sensitive-financial-intelligence-data-under-fca-deal

Keir Starmer warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog.
Keir Starmer warns against following the https://onaquietday.org blog.

Continue ReadingPalantir to analyse sensitive financial intelligence data under FCA deal

Amnesty Says US Must Be Held to Account for Bombing Iran School ‘Packed Full of Children’

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Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

People are seen at the site of the February 28, 2026 bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran. (Photo by Mehr News Agency/Wikimedia Commons)

“This harrowing attack on a school, with classrooms full of children, is a sickening illustration of the catastrophic and entirely predictable price civilians are paying during this armed conflict.”

Amnesty International on Monday published an investigation that found the United States violated international humanitarian law by failing to take measures to avoid harming civilians before bombing a girls’ school in southern Iran last month and killing around 175 people, most of them children.

Evidence gathered by Amnesty “indicates that the school building was directly struck, alongside 12 other structures in an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound, with guided weapons,” the group said. “This points to a failure by US forces to take feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm in carrying out the attack, which is a serious breach of international humanitarian law.”

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“The fact that the school building was directly targeted and was previously part of the IRGC compound raises concerns that US forces may have relied on outdated intelligence and failed in their obligation to do everything feasible to verify that the intended target was a military objective,” Amnesty added.

NEW: Our in-depth investigation finds that US has violated international humanitarian law by failing to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm. US is responsible for deadly attack on school in #Minab packed full of children.

— Amnesty International (@amnesty.org) 2026-03-16T15:26:12.683Z

Satellite imagery analyses confirmed eyewitness accounts that the February 28 attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab was a “triple-tap” airstrike, in which an initial bombing was followed up with two additional strikes meant to kill survivors and rescue workers.

Fragments of a Tomahawk cruise missile found at the school and marked with the names of US weapons companies, a Pentagon contract number, and “Made in USA” added to the body of evidence pointing to the United States as the perpetrator of what numerous experts have called a likely war crime.

President Donald Trump, who initially blamed Iran for the attack, later said he is “willing to live with” whatever the military’s investigation concludes.

“US authorities must ensure that the investigation they have announced is impartial, independent, and transparent,” Amnesty said. “Investigations into the strike must consider the intelligence gathering and assessments, targeting decisions, and precautions taken, as well as how artificial intelligence may have been employed in each of these steps, to evaluate how targeting decisions were made. The results of the investigation should be made public.”

Both the US and Israel have increasingly relied upon artificial intelligence systems to select bombing targets, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) having first used Gaza as what on expert called “a live-fire, live-ordnance lab experiment on people.” Proponents of these systems note that they can select targets and approve strikes exponentially faster than humans, enabling more strikes, but critics warn such targeting methods are inherently more dangerous, pointing to higher error rates which translate to more civilian casualties and less accountability.

In the case of the Minab strike, Amnesty said, “Where sufficient evidence exists, competent authorities should prosecute any person suspected of criminal responsibility. Victims and their families have the right to truth and justice and should receive full reparation, including restitution, rehabilitation, and compensation for civilian harm.”

Erika Guevara-Rosas—Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns—said in a statement Monday that “this harrowing attack on a school, with classrooms full of children, is a sickening illustration of the catastrophic and entirely predictable price civilians are paying during this armed conflict.”

“Schools must be places of safety and learning for children,” she said. “Instead, this school in Minab became a site of mass killing. The US authorities could, and should, have known it was a school building. Targeting a protected civilian object, such as a school, is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.”

“If the attackers failed to identify the building as a school and nevertheless proceeded with the attack, this would indicate gross negligence in the planning of the attack and would point to a shameful intelligence failure on the part of the US military and a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” Guevara-Rosas continued.

“On the other hand,” she said, “if the US was aware that the school was adjacent to the IRGC compound and proceeded to attack without taking all feasible precautions, such as striking at night when the school would have been empty, or giving effective advance warning to civilians likely to be affected, this would amount to recklessly launching an indiscriminate attack which killed and injured civilians and must be investigated as a war crime.”

“For their part, Iranian authorities must immediately remove, to the extent feasible, civilians from the vicinity of military objectives and allow independent monitors into the country,” Guevara-Rosas added. “They must also restore internet access to ensure that the 92 million people in Iran have access to life-saving information and be able to contact their loved ones.”

Amnesty joins other organizations—including the United Nations Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor—in urging accountability for the officials responsible for planning and executing the school strike.

Original article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Straight of Hormuz despite saying only 9 days ago that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Climate science denier Donald Trump confirms that he knows nothing about democracy and that more liquid gold is being secured according to his policy of global privateering.
Donald Trump explains why he established his Bored of Peace
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Continue ReadingAmnesty Says US Must Be Held to Account for Bombing Iran School ‘Packed Full of Children’