Some answers
I'd like to relate to some questions which came up in comments to this blog
Isn't killing innocent children, women and the elderly an attack of terrorism?
No, not when
a) there's no intention to kill innocent civilians and considerable care is taken to limit civilian deaths and injuries. Even though 450 Lebanese civilian deaths are terrible, this is a very small number considering that the Israeli Aif Force has made over 2000 bombing sorties against the Hezbollah since the start of the war.
b) those civilians are aiding, abetting, supporting and hosting terrorists firing dangerous weapons at innocent people. Let's remember that Hezbollah is intentionally and exclusively targeting the Israeli population and that 100% of deaths and injuries on the Israeli side from Hezbollah rockets have been civilians .
The media keeps on saying how the Israeli army has warned the citizens of Lebanon to flee their homes because the army will be dropping bombs. Where are the citizens going to flee to? Some can't even get passed the check points.
Indeed there have been reports that in some places the Hezbollah prevented Lebanese civilians from leaving their villages. The Hezbollah seem perfectly prepared to sacrifice Lebanese lives so they can use civilians as human shields. I call that moral blackmail and we cannot play along. However, this was not the case in Qana where the civilans stayed without coercion. It is, of course, desparately difficult for poor people in a severly bombed war zone to find refuge. We hope that as many as possible will find some way of distancing themselves from the Hezbollah fighters, even if it is in the fields and orchards of the villages.
Is it illegal for Israelis and Arabs to meet ?
80% of Israelis are Jews and 20% are Arabs and there is no limitation of any kind for Israeli Jews and Arabs to meet. My point was that, by and large, Jews and Arabs don't mix socially especially in Israel's major population areas. Ironically, in the north of Israel which has a considerable Arab population and where people are holed up in shelters for the last two weeks, there is much interaction - mostly at work, less on a social level. Before the Palestinian Intifada and suicide attacks in buses, shopping malls and other civilian targets, over 100,000 Palestinians came into Israel each day to work. Israel has built a wall to protect itself and there is no vitually no contact between Israeli civilians and Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza.
- David
Isn't killing innocent children, women and the elderly an attack of terrorism?
No, not when
a) there's no intention to kill innocent civilians and considerable care is taken to limit civilian deaths and injuries. Even though 450 Lebanese civilian deaths are terrible, this is a very small number considering that the Israeli Aif Force has made over 2000 bombing sorties against the Hezbollah since the start of the war.
b) those civilians are aiding, abetting, supporting and hosting terrorists firing dangerous weapons at innocent people. Let's remember that Hezbollah is intentionally and exclusively targeting the Israeli population and that 100% of deaths and injuries on the Israeli side from Hezbollah rockets have been civilians .
The media keeps on saying how the Israeli army has warned the citizens of Lebanon to flee their homes because the army will be dropping bombs. Where are the citizens going to flee to? Some can't even get passed the check points.
Indeed there have been reports that in some places the Hezbollah prevented Lebanese civilians from leaving their villages. The Hezbollah seem perfectly prepared to sacrifice Lebanese lives so they can use civilians as human shields. I call that moral blackmail and we cannot play along. However, this was not the case in Qana where the civilans stayed without coercion. It is, of course, desparately difficult for poor people in a severly bombed war zone to find refuge. We hope that as many as possible will find some way of distancing themselves from the Hezbollah fighters, even if it is in the fields and orchards of the villages.
Is it illegal for Israelis and Arabs to meet ?
80% of Israelis are Jews and 20% are Arabs and there is no limitation of any kind for Israeli Jews and Arabs to meet. My point was that, by and large, Jews and Arabs don't mix socially especially in Israel's major population areas. Ironically, in the north of Israel which has a considerable Arab population and where people are holed up in shelters for the last two weeks, there is much interaction - mostly at work, less on a social level. Before the Palestinian Intifada and suicide attacks in buses, shopping malls and other civilian targets, over 100,000 Palestinians came into Israel each day to work. Israel has built a wall to protect itself and there is no vitually no contact between Israeli civilians and Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza.
- David
posted by David Lisbona | 10:27 PM
7 Comments:
By all independent account, amnesty, international observers etc, the IDF does not take ‘considerable care’. Not only in Lebanon, but until last year it was seen as perfectly fine to leave children as human shields in crossfire situations. This has continued despite it being illegal under the ruling of the Israeli High Court. See the Israeli website btselem for the background.
As for leaving, so far two conveys of refugees in south Lebanon were bombed, how could they leave, knowing this to have happened to those who have? See http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19902835-2703,00.html, along with many others for details.
Israeli Defense forces have, for years demolished homes, cut off power supplies, and a few months ago Olmert casually talked of cutting off food to Palestinians until they were starving.
I also find it interesting that you compare civilian deaths with bombs dropped, rather than civilian deaths in Israel from rockets, or even the effectiveness of the bombing, since by all accounts the bombings are not removing any of the rockets used to fire by Hezbollah.
davi
d~'m writing form lisbon , sorry my bad english
but it seems that to you a lebenese live has no value
can you imagine that people in lebanon suport hezbolah, and after the atacks will even suport mmore?
sérgio
Sorry to say, haven't read as much garbage in a longtime as you've written in your first answer in the original post.
Israel is a racists' and militarists' country, they don't care much about other (non-jewish) people. History might have made them somewhat justifiably like that, don't know. What I do know as a "neutral" person is that there's only one, hopefully "peaceful" solution for this huge problem that affects the whole world: Israel has to vanish, they should pack up and all go to the United States, which sports more or less the same "couldn't care less about other people" attitude and which is run by you know what.
Let's just hope and pray they don't show up here in Europe.
They are baby killers and they do it on purpose and the IDF pilots and their politicians have a blast if they see all those pictures from Lebanon.
I will never ever buy any product from Israel again. It's a shame that the world is standing buy and watch them commit these horrible war atrocities.
It is Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, along with Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia who should be held accountable for the deaths of "innocent civilians" who are killed during this war. When you allow Hezbollah to put taks, rockets/missiles, etc in your backyard don't complain to me wen your backyards are bombed. Qana was a Hezbollah haven, it's citizens embraced and supported Hezbollah. By doing so they invited these attacks.
I am amazed at the number of people who are so quick to blame Israel. Why exactly should we feeel bad for the Arabs...did they not make their own bed by embracing Hezbollah (and Hamas for that mtter)? Shoulkd Israel cave to the terrorists of the world? It is the United States that is next on Hezbollah's radar. All those who think Israel is the bad guy should get ready to be the next victims of terrorist attacks.
Protocol 1 of Article 48 of the Genva Conventions says:
"Combatants must distinguish between civilian and military property and attack only military property".
The conventions do NOT justify killing civilians because they have been leafletted or because they arer being used as human shields. Killing civilians is NEVER justified.
Protocol 1, Article 51 says: "Indiscriminate attacks are those which are not directed at a specific military objective or those which use a method of attack that cannot be directed at or limited to a specific military objective."... "This includes area bombardment where a number of clearly separated military objectives are treated as a single military objective, and where there is a similar concentration of civilians or civilian objects. This also includes attacks where the expected incidental loss of civilian life or damage to civilian objects is excessive to the military advantage anticipated. If it becomes apparent that an objective in an attack is not a military one, or if that attack could cause incidental loss of civilian life or damage to civilian objects, then the attack must be called off."
Israel lost this war a fortnight ago.
It cannot destroy Hezbollah, or even weaken it (more rockets are being fired now than in week one).
The IDF strategy to rely primarily on air assault would never work against an entrenched guerilla force.
The US has been no help - Bush's only comment was caught on microphone by accident, and Rice has been laughably incompetent.
Arab condemnation of Hezbollah in week one has now swung around to open support.
The UN is powerless to intervene because the US veto in the Council has now totally compromised that body.
Western countries were more concerned at pulling their citizens out of harm's way- so the PR story instantly began by favouring Lebanon.
Coincidentally, Israel has killed almost 100 Palestinians while also pursuing Hezbollah - all attention is on Israeli aggression.
This has been one of the most poorly throught-through efforts by any Israeli government - it is a complete defeat. And not a single objective as been achieved.
I live here in the netherlands and follow the war on television,the comments from reporters.After the attack on that building the world was shocked and condemned Israel.I know that Israel tries to do everything to keep casualtie's low under civilians.But since the war began,I not have heard any country in the world condemning with hard words Hezbollah for using civilians as a child and locating their rockets next to civilian buildings!!And everybody in the world screams for a cease fire and condemnation of Israel,but what wants the world;if there is a cease fire that hezbollah can fire rockets into israel??And Israel is not to allowed to retailiate??If the world wants a cease fire,then let the word take care during that time that Hezbollah not attacks Israel!! But it is easy for people to give opinions about the war,but you can only give an opinion if you are on the spot and if you feel howit is when a rocket from Hezbollah is fired into your home. Our political minister told;THE ONE WHO STARTED THIS PROVOCATION,IS THE ONE WHO HAS TO STOP !!{and that is hezbollah!}
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