Amnesty International's findings as regards the conduct of Israel's war in Lebanon paints a devastating picture of a wide range of atrocities committed against the civilian population. Even if the Israeli government's assertion that Hizbullah's hiding within the population makes civilian casualties unavoidable is taken at face value, the report shows a pattern of gross excess:
The widespread destruction of apartments, houses, electricity and water services, roads, bridges, factories and ports, in addition to several statements by Israeli officials, suggests a policy of punishing both the Lebanese government and the civilian population in an effort to get them to turn against Hizbullah. Israeli attacks did not diminish, nor did their pattern appear to change, even when it became clear that the victims of the bombardment were predominantly civilians, which was the case from the first days of the conflict.
The report calls for"immediate establishment of a comprehensive, independent and impartial inquiry into violations of international humanitarian law by both Hizbullah and Israel in the conflict. The inquiry should examine in particular the impact of this conflict on the civilian population. It should propose effective measures to hold accountable those responsible for crimes under international law, and to ensure that the victims receive full reparation." No doubt the United States will use its Security Council veto power to block any UN attempt to create a body to perform such an inquiry.
In the video below, the always entertaining George Galloway leaves a British interviewer befuddled:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment