7/20 Middle East Live Thread

FR Live Thread ^ | 7/20/06 | me

[TexKat]

UN warns of war crimes in Lebanon

Killing of civilians in Lebanon is likely to subject Israeli soldiers to war crime trials in international courts, UN human rights high commissioner says
Ronen Bodoni

The continuation of Israel's operation in Lebanon and the rising civilian death toll is likely "could engage the personal criminal responsibility of those involved, particularly those in a position of command and control," Louise Arbour, the high commissioner for human rights, told the New York Times.

“International humanitarian law is clear on the supreme obligations to protect civilians during hostilities,’’ she said.

“Indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians,” she said in a statement released by her office in Geneva. “Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged innocent civilians is unjustifiable.”

“Hizbullah fighters too are bound by the rules of international humanitarian law, and they must not target civilian areas,” it said, referring to the indiscriminate shelling of Israeli cities.

The statement was issued following calls for a cease-fire by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora who warned of a humanitarian crisis in his country.

Siniora said over 300 civilians have been killed by Israeli air strikes on his country.

Europe fearing response by Islamists

If the death toll in Lebanon continues to rise, pressure on Israel to stop its operation will increase and so will pressure on Washington to press its ally to stop the offensive.

According to a Washington Post report, European officials are concerned that the Bush administration's siding with Israel will fuel tension between the west and Arab nations, encourage Islamists to carry out terror attacks against western targets, strengthen support for Osama Bin Laden, and escalate the fighting between coalition forces and insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The one thing that is guaranteed to send the Arab world and the Persian world over the edge is for the US to be seen ultimately to be doing what they always believed - to be fully in cahoots with Israel," a European official told the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity. "The danger of allowing it to continue is that the United States is more and more despised. It's not like the US had a good reputation within the region to start with."

The White House denied it is coordinating with Israel or "sitting around at the war table saying 'Do this, this and this,'" press secretary Tony Snow said.

"We're not colluding, we're not cooperating, we're not conspiring, we're not doing any of that," he told reporters. "The Israelis are doing what they think is necessary to protect their borders."

The State Department also denied that the Bush administration is backing Israel's military operation in Lebanon.

"I don't think anybody disagrees on the desire to end the violence in the region, but let's remember what the root causes of the violence are," spokesman Sean McCormack said.

A senior administration official told the Post that it is too early to speak of a diplomatic solution. "The conditions that the G-8 (Group of Eight industrialized nations) talked about are not in place to get a real and permanent cease-fire that addresses the fundamental problems of the region," he told the newspaper.

He said Israel faces "a terrible problem" because Hizbullah is operating from within civilian areas. "They make mistakes, and there are accidents," he said. "It is impossible for them to avoid all the collateral damage."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3278907,00.html

[JustaCowgirl]

I hope you're right. I couldn't sleep last night for thinking about the possibility those soldiers were being kept in those tunnels.

[mware]

John Scott just showed some video of the bunker that was hit.

Unbelievable they focused the camera on a stuffed animal in the rubble.

[del4hope]

MMMM....he didn't exactly look conservative, did he?

[CAluvdubya]

At least Scott worded his report in such a way as to question if it really was a mosque.

[McGavin999]

Welcome home! We've been praying for you non-stop.

[pgkdan]

If they caught, and then displayed, captured IRANIAN soldiers, that's a VERY BIG THING..

You're right...I've been hoping for just that. A photo op with two or three uniformed Iranians with their id's displayed on a table for all the world to see. Of course if that happened today they'd be portrayed as heroes by CNN and the rest of the drive-by-media for rushing to Lebanon to rescue the innocent civilians being murdered by Israel!

[Txsleuth]

I heard Harvey Kushner on a radio show this morning..and rebel_yell's post #216, talking about how most of the people that he was with, leaving Lebanon were NOT English speaking Americans, worries me...

Kushner was saying that a big percentage of them will be Hezbollah "plants" going to their cells...and that our govt. are expediting their way into America.

Remember what I posted last night? JOE BIDEN was on C-span last night bragging about how HE called up Condi and demanded that she get them out QUICK..and waive the fees.

I wonder if Biden will take the BLAME for letting a bunch of Hezbollah FREE RIDES into their sleeper cells her in the USA, when WE are attacked HERE??

[musicman]

Bookmark

[sageb1]

"Flashback Koft Anan, Bigot"

Good find.

[ELS]

the "ultimate get" an interview with a citizen of New Orleans, who after spending 3 days stuck in the Superdome after Katrina, moved to Beirut to get away from it all for a while, and clear his head.

Really?!

[austinaero]

"Everyone calls OBL stupid.."

Speaking of, anyone hear anything from Bin Laden lately?

[JustaCowgirl]

So now we can say Hezbollah terrorists keep stuffed animals?

Is it possible someone threw the stuffed animal in there for the effect it would have when the camera was trained on it?

These creeps know how to set things up to get sympathy from the all-too-gullible masses, they're masters of it.

[Miss Marple]

I agree, ken. Good post on that possibility. Thanks!

[TexKat]

Israel raids former al-Khiam detention center (Photo:Reuters)

Cycle ends: IDF targets al-Khiam detention center

At least five rockets fired at buildings in former detention center in south Lebanon; 'Israel interested in eliminating memories of Zionist terror there,' al-Manar says of attack Roee Nahmias

The Israel Air Force on Thursday attacked a detention center operated by Israel in the southern Lebanese city of al-Khiam during its presence in south Lebanon.

According to a report in Hizbullah's al-Manar television station, the Israeli air force dropped at least five bombs on the compound.

One of the bombs exploded in an area separating a jail wing and a post belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

An al-Manar reported said "Israel is interested in erasing the memories of Zionist terror from there." The station said Israeli drones hovered over the compound before and during the attack.

And also from Lebanon: Until now, Hizbullah gave no further information, beyond denying that none of its leaders was injured in the air force raid on southern Beirut.

In parallel, the air force attacked targets in Baalbek, Ras el-Ain, and al-Hirmel in the Bekaa Valley.

In al-Hirmel, a bridge and a station belonging to al-Manar were hit. Three people were injured in the attack.

For now relative calm reigns over Beirut and Tyre, a unusual thing in comparison to other days.

Simultaneously, the US navy is using Greek ships to evacuate foreign nationals from Beirut. Al-Jazeera reported that 8,000 of an estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon have asked to be evacuated.

[ScaniaBoy]

While we wait for OBL to amke contact ( /sarcasm ) here are some good news:

Air Force Kills Two Terrorists Trying to Attack
16:22 Jul 20, '06 / 24 Tammuz 5766

(IsraelNN.com) The Israeli Air Force has killed to armed Arab terrorists who tried to fire an anti-tank missile at soldiers. Four other terrorists were injured, according to an IDF spokesman.

The incident occurred in the central area of the Gaza region.

[Carolinamom]

per FNC...Bush speech at 10:30est.