Amnesty International is equal in its condemnation of Palestine atrocities

Given Orla O’Neill (Letter Irish Examiner, April 11), puts such great store in what Amnesty International has to say, it is reasonable that she also pays attention to what it has to say about the Palestinians whose delusions she panders to.

Ms O’Neill is one of those people who always tries to find someone else to blame when something is wrong. It’s never that person’s fault or in this case it’s never the Palestinians’ own fault they are in such a mess. The corruption, the violence, the repression of women — it’s all Israel’s fault and to do with the flaws of Islam and the Muslim culture. Every other culture evolves over time but not them because they (will be) rewarded in the next world according to the scale of misery they inflict in this world.

For the 2015/16 year the opening of the Amnesty summary of life in Gaza and the West Bank is worth repeating: “The Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Hamas de facto administration in the Gaza Strip both restricted freedom of expression, including by arresting and detaining critics and political opponents. They also restricted the right to peaceful assembly and used excessive force to disperse some protests. Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees remained common in both Gaza and the West Bank. Unfair trials of civilians before military courts continued in Gaza; detainees were held without charge or trial in the West Bank.

“Women and girls faced discrimination and violence; some were victims of so-called ‘honour’ killings by male relatives. Courts in both Gaza and the West Bank imposed death sentences; no executions were reported.

“Neither the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank nor the Hamas authorities in Gaza took steps to investigate and ensure accountability for war crimes and other serious abuses, including summary killings, committed during the 2014 conflict with Israel and previous conflicts”.

No wonder there is no line of Israeli Arabs fleeing to go live elsewhere as they know no other country in that region comes close to providing the same quality of life Israel does, even with all its faults. If Palestinian delusionists are going to quote from Amnesty to attack Israel they shouldn’t be surprised when the roof of their glass house falls in on them. If we shouldn’t trade or deal with Israel, it stands to reason that given, Amnesty International no less has confirmed the level of corruption and self-imposed squalor in the Palestinian territories, then we shouldn’t be sending our aid money there as it never reaches the intended recipients and we should direct it to more worthy causes.

Desmond FitzGerald

Canary Wharf

London

England