Britain Criticises Israeli Tactics

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 7-22-2006 | Ned Temko - Conal Urquart - Peter Beaumont

[blam]

Britain criticises Israeli tactics

Ned Temko in London, Conal Urquart in Tel Aviv and Peter Beaumont in Beirut
Saturday July 22, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

A family flee their home in southern Lebanon. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP

Britain has dramatically broken ranks with George Bush over the Lebanon crisis, publicly criticising Israel's military tactics and urging the Americans to 'understand' the price being paid by ordinary Lebanese civilians.

The remarks, made in Beirut today by the Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells, were the first public criticism of the US voiced by Britain. The Observer can also reveal that Tony Blair urged restraint in a private telephone convseration with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, last week.

Sources close to the Prime Minister said that Olmert replied that Israel faced a dire security threat from the Hizbollah militia and was determined to do everything necessary to defeat it.

Britain's policy shift came as Israeli tanks and warplanes pounded targets across the border in south Lebanon today ahead of an immenently expected ground offensive to clear out nearby Hizbollah positions which have been firing dozens of rockets onto towns and cities inside Israel. Downing Street sources said Blair still believed Israel had every right to respond to the missile threat, and held the Shia militia responsible for provoking the cirisis by abducting two Israeli soldiers and shelling Israel.

But they said they had no quarrel with Howells's scathing denunciation of Israel's military tactics. Speaking to a BBC reporter before travelling on for talks in Israel, where he will also visit missile-hit areas of Haifa and meet his Israeli opposite-number, Howell said: 'The destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people. These have not been surgical strikes. If they are chasing Hizbollah, then go for Hizbollah.

[NearlyNormal]

Howell said: 'The destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people. These have not been surgical strikes. If they are chasing Hizbollah, then go for Hizbollah.>

When you have an enemy that cowers amongst innocent civilians and stores its ammo in public places, the unfortunate is bound to occur. This is a war, and there is no doubt that the casualty count would be much higher had the bombs been dropped by islamic militants. Apparently Howell sees the 7/11 bombings in London as having been surgical strikes.

[Robe]

Proper caption s/b......

After launching a indiscriminate Katusha rocket out of their back yard a terrorist family flees before Israel can retaliate

[Eagles6]

According to the msm only Lebanese civilians have been killed. Now hezbollah is not Lebanese military and are hence being counted as civilians. How many "civilians" are hezbollah militia? Anyone have those numbers.

Notice, also, that no Israeli civilians have been killed, only Israelis.

[Dallas59]

When the parents and husbands and owners of these dead babies, and wives and ducks and kitty cats and pretty birds stop harboring terrorists and weapons in their homes and Mosques, maybe their wouldn't be dead babies and ducks and kittys...etc...Case closed.

[evad]

.... the death of so many children and so many people.

I assume he must be talking about the firing of rockets by hizzbu-allah at random into Israeli cities.

[tessalu]

Any country in this world should kmow that when they allow attacks upon other countries from their own soil, that they are sending out invitations to be attacked themselves.

Pitiful! The stupid are pitiful. They wail over their own stupidity.

[Grendel9]

What the Guardian is REALLY saying is

"The remarks, made in Beirut today by the Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells, were the first public criticism of the US voiced by Britain."

Mr. Howells' remarks don't seem to coincide
with 10 Downing Street. But we aren;'t told
THAT until much deeper into the article!
Obviously, Keller and Siegel of the NYT
cut their teeth on reading the Guardian!

[stop_fascism]

Love the Brits, but they weren't overly concerned about civilian causalties during WWII. What's the difference? This time, it's Jews defending themselves.

[Logical me]

If they are chasing Hizbollah, then go for Hizbollah

And just how do they purpose to do that? Idiots. Never have a solution just how to do it, but always has a complaint.

[maronite]

im sorry, i hate hezbollah as much as the next person, but not just because its israel does it mean that everything they do is always right. things arent always black or white. today a christian man was killed, he was working at a television relay station for a christian tv network. a civil defense building was destroyed killing more than 10 people all civil defense workers who are supposed to give aid to refugees and go to bomb targets and save lives etc.. also the other day after they bombed the power plant in the south they bombed an army barracks that houses an army logistics unit whose job is to repair electricity lines. they also bombed a bus full of people fleeing the country.
Are you telling me that hezbollah were to blame for all these?

[Polybius]

..........they had no quarrel with Howells's scathing denunciation of Israel's military tactics. Speaking to a BBC reporter before travelling on for talks in Israel, where he will also visit missile-hit areas of Haifa and meet his Israeli opposite-number, Howell said: 'The destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people. These have not been surgical strikes. If they are chasing Hizbollah, then go for Hizbollah.

Normandy, 1944. The British assault on the French city of Caen:

The assault on Caen was preceded by a savage bombardment as 467 bombers dumped 2,651 tons of explosive on the stricken city convinced nervous soldiers that their battle was half-won. In fact, few Germans were in Caen, and fewer of them were among the 400 dead or the thousands injured. Germans in the fortified villages outside Caen were also outside the bomb line.

[monkeywrench]

Yes, hezzbollah are responsible for all that, as they started all this. For how long should the Israelis put up with the attacks of the sand nazi's?

[MadLibDisease]

"...but not just because its israel does it mean that everything they do is always right."

Is everything Israel does right? No, however the world leans in the opposite direction. EVERYTHING Israel does is wrong, end of story, according to them. Why doesn't the world scream out loud about Israels' enemies tactics of mounting their attacks with innocent civilians around? If someone is shooting rockets at me and I have the weapons I sure as hell will fire back EVEN if the enemy is in the midst of civilians. This is what Israels enemies do. That way when Civilians die when Israel returns fire, the other side can shout ATROCITY. Terrorists play the media angle to the hilt, they're very good at it

[Chgogal]

Mr. Howell, why don't you demand that Hezbollah live up to the Geneva Conventions and stop hiding their missiles and missile launchers amongst the civilian population? I think it is about time we civilians demand that terrorists start acting more manly instead of hiding behind their women and children.

Mr. Howell, I believe you are afraid of your Muslim-extremist population and your rant, therefore, is taken with that in mind.

[MinorityRepublican]

Hey you got a great profile there. Now let me ask you a question.

I know that the Christian militas were decimated in the Lebanese Civil War, but why can't the Christians start another one right now. After all we don't want the Hezbollah, Syrians, Iranians, etc in charge of Lebanon after the Israelis leave once again?

[Dallas59]

It's a war between Israel and the Hezzies. The Hezzies set up shop in civilian areas, homes, churches and DECLARED WAR on Israel. It's war.

[gotribe]

That "christian" man should have been fighting hezbollah, not working on a TV antennae.

[good1]

Let's all gather 'round in a circle, hold hands and sway to the music:

Someone's crying, lord, Hezbolla. Someone's crying, lord, Hezbolla. Someone's crying, lord, Hezbolla, O lord, Hezbolla.

Someone's dyin' lord, Hezbolla. Someone's dyin' lord, Hezbolla. Someone's dyin' lord, Hezbolla. O lord, Hezbolla.

I'm looking real far down inside for some kind of sympathy for Hez, and the people who support it, but, no, nothing there.

I doubt if there are any "innocent civilians" in Lebonon.

[Praxeus]

Then these people need to get the heck out of the war zone.

How many German civilians do you think we killed in our bombings in ww2. How many Nip civilians when we dropped the two glow-bombs in japland?

The lebbies should have done something about the hezbollah before it came to this.. if they couldn't then they should have called in help.

The rent's due. Tough.