LCCC ENGLISH NEWS BULLETIN
JULY 31/2006
Latest New from the Daily Star for July
31/06
UN cancels convoy to South as Israel withholds clearance
Israel and Hizbullah engage in fierce fighting
Siniora and Berri declarenational day of mourning
Siniora tells Rice not to bother with visit until
truce is secured
Army commander lauds Lebanese troops for protecting
national unity
Furious mob damages United Nations headquarters in
Beirut to protest Qana
Qana relives 1996 massacre as air strike kills at
least 60 civilians
New massacre at Qana propels region into uncharted
diplomatic terrain
Nasrallah says victory will belong to all Lebanese
Israel crosses Lebanon's red line with Qana attack
Global condemnation for latest Qana massacre
Bint Jbeil's Web site becomes digital battlefield
Consumers begin to feel pinch of fuel shortage
Dwindling reserves haunt aid workers as need grows
Deal with non-state actors on their own terms-By
Gayle Meyers
The real problem is getting to a solution-By
Jeffrey D. Sachs
Latest New from Miscellaneous sources for July
31/06
US diplomacy runs into a dead
end-Euronews.net
Children among dead in strike on Lebanon-AP
Annan calls emergency meeting on Mideast-AP
Lebanon calls for emergency Security Council meet-Daily
News & Analysis
IDF prepared for attack by Syria-Jerusalem
Post - Israel
Hizbullah: What were they thinking?American
Chronicle
Syria's Assad calls Israel's Qana attack terrorism-Reuters
Israeli military winning
conflict, general says-CTV.ca
Olmert says Qana was base for
Hezbollah missile launches-CBS
Rice pressing for Israel-Lebanon
deal to end war-Khaleej
Times
Rice Meets With Top Israeli
Officials-ABC
News
Lebanese Stage Mass Protest of
Israeli Bombing of Civilians-Voice
of America
No talks with Rice before ceasefire -Lebanon-Reuters.uk
Lebanon: Rice not welcome-Gulf News
Rice, PM discuss French force in south Lebanon-Ha'aretz
Israel says in no rush for Lebanon ceasefire-Reuters
Dozens killed, hurt in Israeli airstrike-AP
Rice postpones trip to Beirut after attack-AP
Israel launches new incursion in Lebanon-Independent Online
New Israeli thrust triggers south Lebanon battle-Reuters
Displaced in Lebanon find it increasingly hard to meet food needs-AME Info
Many casualties in Lebanon strike-BBC News - UK
South Lebanon left with people pleading for aid-Houston Chronicle
US exploiting Lebanon crisis to rein in Syria and Iran-Middle East North
Africa Financial Network
Australian Contribution to Lebanon Peacekeepers to Be Limited-Bloomberg - USA
Lebanon refugees trapped between bombs and poverty-Scotsman - United Kingdom
Hezbollah: Halt Israeli aggression-Mail & Guardian Online
Many Arabs Applaud Hezbollah-Washington Post
In Devastated Lebanese Town, Signs of Hezbollah in the Streets and-New York
Times
Iran Basks in Hezbollah's Reflected Glory, but Its Own Position-New York
Times
Israel Pulls Out of Hezbollah Stronghold-ABC News
Diplomatic divide over Lebanon crisis widens-The Tribune
Blair talks to Bush, Chirac on
Lebanon peace force-Reuters
Israelis edge closer to war with Syria-Telegraph.co.uk
Syria denounces call for international force in Lebanon-Peninsula On-line
No let-up in cross-border
attacks-Euronews.net
Ninety Missiles Over Sabbath, IAF Bombs Syria-Lebanon Border-Arutz Sheva
No Help From Syria, Iran: Nasrallah-Arab News
Seattle condemns hate-crime-Ynetnews
Islamic Jihad leader killed-KLTV
Analysis: Syria is the key for a successful agreement-Jerusalem
Post
Egyptian FM to visit Syria amid continuous Lebanon crisis-People's
Daily Online
PM Olmert: Kana is a Katyusha-Firing Center
By Hillel Fendel-Aretz Sheva
The responsibility for today's IDF attack on Kana lies with Hizbullah & Lebanon,
Israel says, as the citizens were repeatedly warned to leave. Hundreds of
Katyushas were fired from Kana at Israel. The IDF Spokesman's office says that
Hizbullah uses the civilians as "human shields," and many reports have been
received attesting to the fact that Hizbullah does not allow the citizens to
leave - despite many IDF warnings to do so.
Israel also blames the Lebanese Government for not preventing the above
situation. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says that Kafr Kana and environs are a
"center for Katyusha firing on Kiryat Shmonah and Afula... Dozens of Katyushas
have been fired from there, and the terrorists hide there after firing the
rockets." Olmert emphasized that the residents had often been warned that they
must leave the area. "Israel does not have a policy of killing innocent people,"
Olmert said, in an obvious contrast with Hizbullah and Hamas. A senior IDF
officer told Voice of Israel Radio, "Hizbullah fires rockets at Kiryat Shmonah
and Afula from within Kafr Kana and then runs to hide inside the buildings."
Israeli spokesmen later took a more conciliatory tone, expressing "deep sorrow"
for the "tragic mistake" and promising an investigation.
Earlier, Olmert had said that Israel would not be rushing to a ceasefire before
its main objectives are attained. A minister in the Olmert cabinet, Education
Minister Yuli Tamir of Labor, estimated that this morning's incident in Kafr
Kana would not lead to a quick end to the warfare. The three-story building in
Kafr Kana was hit directly by an IAF bomb at 7:30 AM, collapsing atop the
shelter in which many people were sleeping. Neighboring buildings were also
heavily damaged. Foreign news crews are on hand, sending scenes of the
destruction across the globe. Close to 1,800 Hizbullah rockets have been fired
at Israel in the past 19 days, killing 19 Israeli citizens. The rockets have
also sent tens of thousands into shelters for days at a time, as well as tens of
thousands of others to find refuge with relatives, friends, hotels or
dormitories in central and southern Israel.
A senior IDF officer said the IDF "has been bombing Kafr Kana for three days
already... Most civilians have left already, and most of those who remain are
Hizbullah rocket launching cells. We have bombed ten launchers in the city, and
dozens more in the vicinity. Today, we attacked a building towards which the
terrorists ran; we would not have done so had we seen civilians there."Another
official said, "The IDF warned the civilians to leave, and it was serious about
it. I don't like to see innocent people killed, but if there have to be innocent
civilians killed, I would rather they be in southern Lebanon than in Haifa."
The Lebanese Government has informed U.S. Secretary of State Condolleeza Rice
that it is not interested in meeting with her for further diplomatic talks, and
that it demands an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.Arab affairs expert Dr.
Guy Bechor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya told Israel Radio that
Hizbullah leader Sheikh Nasrallah, despite the bravado he displays in his
speeches, is not in good shape. "Nasrallah has agreed to the deployment of
Lebanese forces in southern Lebanon and to a ceasefire as well," Bechor said,
"and what is more, he has betrayed the Palestinians - because he no longer
mentions his demand that Israel release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, but
talks only of having the two or three Lebanese prisoners freed. He knows that
time is now working against him."
Rockets in Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon
By Hillel Fendel-Aretz Sheva
Sunday morning wave of Katyushas hits northern Israel, causing injuries, sending
tens of thousands into shelters. The IDF hit targets in Lebanon, including a
house in terrorist-stronghold Kafr Kana.
Close to 100 Katyusha rockets were fired at northern Israel through
mid-afternoon on Sunday, wounding several people seriously and moderately -
including a reporter for Haaretz. Targeted towns and cities included Hatzor,
Nahariya, Kiryat Shmonah, and more.
Some 25 Hizbullah-fired Katyusha rockets smashed into northern Israel's Kiryat
Shmonah and vicinity early Sunday morning, hitting at least one building. Seven
rockets hit Acco, wounding ten people, while in Nahariya, a Magen David Adom
medical team evacuated two wounded, including one who was hit by shrapnel. More
rockets were fired at Haifa, Kfar Blum and elsewhere.
Over the course of the Sabbath, close to 100 Katyushas landed in Tzfat, Carmiel,
Acco, Nahariya, Maalot, Tiberias, Kiryat Shmonah and elsewhere. Though tens of
thousands of people were forced to spend yet another Sabbath in their shelters,
only one person was injured by the rockets. Heavy damage was caused to medical
facility in Acco.
Tens of other thousands of people have left their homes for central and southern
Israel.
The official count of Katyusha rockets that have hit Israel in the past 19 days
is nearing 1,800. Of these, close to a quarter fell, as they were intended, in
populated areas, killing 19 civilians. In addition, nearly 1,100 people have
been wounded, including 66 in critical or "moderate" condition, and 43 people
are still hospitalized.
On Friday, for the first time, Hizbullah fired a much higher-quality Katyusha,
known as a Fajr-5. The Fajr is a long-range missile that can reach as far as
Netanya, with a particularly heavy explosive payload of 100 kilograms. Five of
them landed as far south as the Beit She'an-Afula area; no one was hurt. The IDF
announced shortly afterwards that Air Force planes succeeded in destroying the
launcher that fired the missiles.
In Kafr Kana, Lebanon, a three-story building bombed by the IDF was totally
destroyed, killing at least 50 people, many of whom were in the shelter below.
Israel has repeatedly warned civilians in the area to leave, but Hizbullah
terrorists, who used them as "human shields," prevented them from doing so.
A senior Israel Air Force officer said that the army has been bombing the area
for three days because of dozens of Katyushas fired from the village. Some of
the Katyushas hit an Israeli hospital.
ceasefire
30 Jul 2006
July 30 (Reuters) - Israel is in no hurry to strike a ceasefire that would
end fighting in Lebanon, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday.
"Israel is in no rush to reach a ceasefire before we get to that point where we
could say that we reached the main objectives we had set forth. This includes
the ripening of the diplomatic process and preparing the multinational force,"
Olmert said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting.
Olmert says Qana was base for Hezbollah missile launches
Posted: 7/30/2006 4:25:02 AM
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's prime minister says a Lebanese village where dozens of
people were killed in an air strike has been a launching pad for Hezbollah
missiles. Ehud Olmert said at Israel's weekly Cabinet meeting that "the army did
not get an order to strike at Lebanese civilians."
Israeli missiles struck Qana early today, flattening houses on top of sleeping
residents. Civil defense workers said up to 50 civilians who had sought refuge
in a building that collapsed were killed.
The official says at least 27 children have been found in the rubble.
The attack on Qana came as heavy fighting erupted along the border between
Hezbollah and the Israeli army.
No talks with Rice before ceasefire -Lebanon
Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:33 AM BST
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Sunday he
would not hold any talks on resolving the latest Middle East crisis before an
immediate ceasefire after Israeli bombing killed at least 40 civilians in south
Lebanon. Minutes later Lebanese officials said Lebanon had told U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice that it could not meet with her before a cease-fire
ends the 19-day-old Israeli offensive. "There is no place on this sad morning
for any discussion other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well
as an international investigation into the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now,"
Siniora told a news conference in Beirut. Siniora called for unity "in the face
of the Israeli war criminals". "The persistence of Israel in its heinous crimes
against our civilians will not break the will of the Lebanese people," he said.
Protesters swarm into Beirut UN building after Qana strike
By Aluf Benn and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents and News Agencies
Protesters angry over an Israeli air strike in Qana that killed up to 50
refugees broke into the main UN building in the Lebanese capital Sunday, burning
UN and American flags. Twenty-tree of the dead were children, the Lebanese Red
Cross said. Dozens of others were reportedly trapped in the rubble. Several
houses collapsed and a three-story building where about 100 civilians were
sheltering was destroyed, witnesses and rescue workers said.
Around 500 protesters massed outside the building, which was empty on the we
weekend day. Some pushed through police barricade, smashed windows and broke
inside the building. Outside, demonstrators chanted slogans against Israel and
the United States and denounced Arab governments for not doing enough to stop
Israel's 19-day bombardment of Lebanon. The bombings, initially in response to a
Hezbollah cross-border raid in which eight IDF soldiers were killed and two
kidnapped, escalated with hundreds of Hezbollah rocket attacks against Israeli
towns and cities.
The protests came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said it was time for a
ceasefire in the region, after the Qana raid.
Rice arrived in the region Saturday night for the start of another round of
shuttle diplomacy between Jerusalem and Beirut, aiming to push a diplomatic
solution for ending the war in Lebanon.
Defense sources said that in view of Rice's return to Israel, it appears that
for the first time since the start of the war, the "diplomatic clock" is
beginning to tick faster.
Rice met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday night in private. She will
depart for Lebanon Sunday and will decide following meetings there whether to
return to Israel for more talks.
The deal being put forth by Rice is for the deployment in Lebanon of an
"international stabilization force" comprising 10,000 to 30,000 troops in return
for Israel's withdrawal from the controversial Shaba Farms, on the western
slopes of Mount Hermon.
The international force would assist the Lebanese army to deploy in southern
Lebanon and inspect the crossings between Syria and Lebanon, so that no arms
will be smuggled to Hezbollah.
Rice did not ask Olmert during their meeting to end the fighting at this stage,
but it is assumed at the Defense Ministry that the Israel Defense Forces has 7
to 10 days to continue its operation in Lebanon.
By Wednesday the U.S. would like to gain approval for a new Security Council
resolution that will call for an end to hostilities.
Israel sources estimate the U.S. will allow a few more days for mopping up
operations by the IDF.
According to the sources, the General Staff has received orders to accelerate
its offensive on areas close to the border in order to deepen any possible
attack on the Hezbollah before the declaration of a cease-fire.
Sources in Jerusalem said France has agreed to participate in the international
force presented by Rice, and that the release of the abducted Israeli soldiers
would be part of the deal. France has drawn up a draft UN Security Council
resolution that would call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Israel
and Lebanon and
prepare for the deployment of an international force.
French President Jacques Chirac's office said in a statement on Saturday that it
would not deploy its troops until a cease-fire has been reached. "The agreement
between the sides is a precondition for the entry of a multinational force in
south Lebanon," read the statement.
Rice thanked Olmert Saturday night for allowing the opening of corridors for the
transfer of humanitarian assistance to Lebanese civilians.
Prior to the Olmert-Rice meeting, sources in Jerusalem said the Bush
administration has asked Israel to be flexible over the issue of a pullout from
Shaba Farms, so that the support of the Lebanese government to the deal being
formulated can be assured. However, following the meeting Saturday night,
sources in the Prime Minister's Office said Rice did not present the withdrawal
from Shaba Farms as a condition for the support of the government of Lebanon.
"Our position is based on the decision of the Security Council that ruled that
there is no territorial dispute between us [Lebanon and Israel]," the sources
said.
The Bush administration would like to further the Shaba Farms issue as a gesture
to Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which would be in return for an
official Lebanese government request for such a force to be deployed in its
territory. Over the weekend Olmert indicated his willingness to discuss the
Shaba Farms issue.
In response to a press question, officials at the Prime Minister's Office
reiterated the view Olmert presented during a meeting with France's Chirac,
during their meeting last month, that Israel will agree to talk about a pullout
from Shaba Farms after Security Council resolution 1559 calling for the
disarmament of Hezbollah is implemented and following the international
recognition of a Syrian declaration that the Shaba Farms are Lebanese territory.
The defense establishment is opposed to the inclusion of Shaba Farms into any
diplomatic arrangement for ending the current confrontation, out of concern that
this will be interpreted as an achievement by Hezbollah's leadership. The IDF is
not opposed to a pullout on security grounds, but would prefer to see the matter
raised under different circumstances and not as part of a cease-fire deal.
The defense establishment is also willing to release the three Lebanese
prisoners held in Israel, in return for a return of the abducted soldiers, Ehud
Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.
France presents UN draft resolution calling for immediate ceasefire
France has drawn up a draft UN Security Council resolution that would call for
an immediate cessation of hostilities in Israel and Lebanon and
prepare for the deployment of an international force. The document, distributed
to the 15 Security Council members on Saturday, anticipates a draft resolution
the United States is planning that would place up to 20,000 peacekeepers along
Lebanon's borders with Israel and with Syria.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will preside over a meeting of
possible troop contributors to such a force, which would include the 25-member
European Union, which has expressed interest, as well as Turkey and nations now
contributing to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
Chirac, whose country has emerged as the potential leader of the force, has said
troops could not be sent until there was a cease-fire accompanied by a political
deal. In many respects, the French draft is similar to proposals the United
States and Annan have been discussing, except that it calls for an immediate end
to the fighting. The United States alone has refused to back such calls, arguing
that conditions first had to be ripe for a sustainable cease-fire.
At least 483 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Lebanon in the
conflict, and 51 Israelis have died.
In addition to an immediate cessation of hostilities, France, in its draft
resolution, outlined the following conditions for a permanent cease-fire:
-The release of abducted Israeli soldiers and "settlement of issue" of Lebanese
prisoners in Israel.
-Disarmament of all militia in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, and the deployment
of the Lebanese army along the Israeli-Lebanese border and throughout the
country
-A buffer zone in southern Lebanon between the Israeli border and the Litani
River, free of any armed personnel and weapons, except those of the Beirut
government's security forces and UN-mandated international forces.
-Annan, in coordination with regional and international parties, is to help
secure agreement in principle from Lebanon and Israel for a political framework
on the above cease-fire conditions.
-The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, after fighting has stopped, is to monitor
implementation of an agreement and help humanitarian access and the return of
the homeless.
-Delineation of international borders in Lebanon, especially the
Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms area, now part of Syria but claimed by Lebanon.
Hezbollah, before the current fighting, has used the Shebaa Farms to justify
armed resistance against Israel.
-The Security Council, after confirmation that Lebanon and Israeli have agreed
in principle on a political framework for a sustainable cease-fire, should
authorize deployment of an international force to support the Lebanese armed
forces.
Hezbollah ministers agree to disarm guerillas
Rice welcomed as a "positive step" the agreement by Hezbollah cabinet members to
seek an immediate cease-fire that would include the disarming of militias.
In Beirut, Hezbollah politicians signed on to a proposed peace package earlier
Saturday that includes strengthening an international force in south Lebanon and
disarming the guerrillas, the government said.
The agreement, reached at a cabinet meeting, was the first time Hezbollah had
agreed to a proposal for ending the crisis that includes the deploying of
international forces.
Speaking to reporters en route to Jerusalem, Rice also praised Lebanese Prime
Minister Fouad Siniora for persuading Hezbollah to agree.
"The most important thing that this does for the process is that it shows a
Lebanese government that is functioning as a Lebanese government," Rice told
reporters traveling with her. "That is in and of itself extremely important."
Olmert, meanwhile, met with Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Israel Defense
Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz for consultations Saturday, Israel Radio
reported.
Blair: Agreement on peacekeeping force possible within days
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saturday he believed it was possible to
get agreement on a peacekeeping force for Lebanon within days and that this
could clear the way for a cease-fire.
Asked if he believed it was possible to get agreement on a multinational force
and even a cease-fire within days, Blair told a BBC television interviewer: "I
think that it is possible to do that, provided we are clear about the
ambitions."
"You won't get the force actually in [to Lebanon] within a few days but I think
you could get agreement in principle to the international stabilization force.
You then have to work out the details of it," he said.
"I think you could get a United Nations resolution based on an agreement between
the governments of Israel and Lebanon and I think if people can see then a
pathway to a proper, stable lasting resolution of the conflict then I think you
can get a cease-fire, yes," said Blair, who is in San Francisco during a
five-day U.S. visit.
Blair has come under strong criticism in Britain for supporting Bush and
refraining from calling for an immediate cease-fire.
He denied in the interview that he was giving a green light to Israel to do what
it wanted.
"What is happening in the Lebanon is absolutely terrible for the people there.
... But you're not going to resolve it unless you can get the cease-fire on both
sides," he said.
The conflict began on July 12, when Hezbollah guerillas in southern Lebanon
carried out a cross-border raid on Israel Defense Forces soldiers patrolling the
frontier, kidnapping two and killing eight others.
Iran rejects terms of UN resolution on atomic work
Sun Jul 30, 2006 6:21 PM BST
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TEHRAN (Reuters) - The people of Iran are entitled to produce their own nuclear
fuel, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday, rejecting the terms of a
draft U.N. resolution that demands it give up its nuclear work. France on Friday
issued a draft resolution to the Security Council demanding Iran suspend nuclear
activities by August 31 or face the threat of sanctions if it refuses. A vote is
expected this week."The people of Iran, in accordance with international norms
and laws, have the right to take advantage of peaceful nuclear technology,"
Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Tehran, sticking by Iran's right to
produce its own fuel. Earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza
Asefi warned a resolution against Iran would create what he called a deeper
crisis in the Middle East, but he declined to be more specific.He also said Iran
would stop considering international incentives aimed at ending its uranium
enrichment programme if the U.N. Security Council passes a resolution against
its atomic programme. The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China
and Germany approved a package of commercial and technical incentives aimed at
getting Tehran to stop a nuclear programme, which the West fears will be used to
make nuclear bombs.
But Iran, which insists it is enriching uranium only for use in power stations,
gave itself until August 22 to reply. Western powers deemed this too long and
hastened moves to haul Tehran before the U.N. Security Council. Asefi said Iran
could still reply to the incentives, if the Security Council held its fire.
Human Rights Watch
Sent : July 30, 2006 7:38:39 PM
Israel/Lebanon: Israel Responsible for Qana Attack
(Beirut, July 30, 2006) – Responsibility for the Israeli airstrikes that killed
at least 54 civilians sheltering in a home in the Lebanese village of Qana rests
squarely with the Israeli military, Human Rights Watch said today. It is the
latest product of an indiscriminate bombing campaign that the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) have waged in Lebanon over the past 18 days, leaving an estimated
750 people dead, the vast majority of them civilians.
“Today’s strike on Qana, killing at least 54 civilians, more than half of them
children, suggests that the Israeli military is treating southern Lebanon as a
free-fire zone,” said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch.
“The Israeli military seems to consider anyone left in the area a combatant who
is fair game for attack.”This latest, appalling loss of civilian life
underscores the need for the U.N. Secretary-General to establish an
International Commission of Inquiry to investigate serious violations of
international humanitarian law in the context of the current conflict, Roth
said. Such consistent failure to distinguish
combatants and civilians is a war crime.
A statement issued today by the IDF said that responsibility for the Qana attack
“rests with the Hezbollah” because it has used the area to launch “hundreds of
missiles” into Israel. It added: “Residents in this region and specifically the
residents of Qana were warned several days in advance to leave the village.”
On July 27, Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon said that Israel had given
civilians ample time to leave southern Lebanon, and that anyone remaining could
be considered a supporter of Hezbollah. “All those now in south Lebanon are
terrorists who are related in some way to Hezbollah,” he said, according to the
BBC.
“Just because the Israeli military warned the civilians of Qana to leave does
not give it carte blanche to blindly attack,” Roth said. “It still must make
every possible effort to target only genuine combatants. Through its arguments,
the Israeli military is suggesting that Palestinian militant groups might ‘warn’
all settlers to leave Israeli settlements and then be justified in targeting
those who remained.”
Even if the IDF claims of Hezbollah rocket fire from the Qana area are correct,
Israel remains under a strict obligation to direct attacks at only military
objectives, and to take all feasible precautions to avoid the incidental loss of
civilian life. To date, Israel has not presented any evidence to show that
Hezbollah was present in or around the building that was struck at the time of
the attack.
Tens of thousands of civilians remain in villages south of the Litani River,
despite IDF warnings to leave. Some have chosen to stay, but the vast majority
is unable to flee due to destroyed roads, a lack of gasoline, high taxi fares,
sick relatives, or ongoing Israeli attacks. The sick and poor are those who
mostly remain behind.
The attack took place around 1:00 a.m. today, when Israeli warplanes fired
missiles at the village of Qana. Among the homes struck was a three-story
building in which 63 members of two extended families, the Shalhoub and Hashim
families, had sought shelter. The civilians had taken refuge there because it
was one of the larger buildings in the area and had a reinforced basement,
according to the deputy mayor of the town, Dr. Issam Matuni.
According to the Lebanese civil defense and the Lebanese Red Cross, at least 54
civilians, including 27 children, were crushed to death when the building
collapsed. Rescue teams were unable to reach the village until 9:00 a.m. because
of ongoing heavy IDF bombardment in the area. None of the bodies recovered so
far have been militants, and rescue workers say they have found no weapons in
the building that was struck.
Qana was the site of a 1996 Israeli air strike on a U.N. compound sheltering
fleeing civilians that killed more than 100 people. Human Rights Watch research
established at the time that the 1996 strike was also an indiscriminate attack
by the Israeli military.
Human Rights Watch researchers have been in Lebanon since the onset of the
current hostilities and have documented dozens of cases in which Israeli forces
have carried out indiscriminate attacks against civilians while in their homes
or traveling on roads to flee the fighting. A report of these findings and their
legal consequences will be issued later this week.
Human Rights Watch has also documented Hezbollah’s deliberate and indiscriminate
firing of Katyusha rockets into civilian areas in Israel, resulting in 18
civilian deaths to date. These serious violations of international humanitarian
law are also war crimes. “War crimes by one party to a conflict never justify
war crimes by another,”Roth said.
To see Human Rights Watch’s work on the Israel-Lebanon conflict, go to:
http://hrw.org/campaigns/israel_lebanon/
WORLD COUNCIL OF THE
CEDARS REVOLUTION
Press Release-New York, July 30, 2006
HEZBOLLAH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MASSACRE
The World Council of the Cedars Revolution, after having observed
the security developments in the last 48 hours and the horrific deaths caused by
warfare between Hezbollah and Israel on Lebanese territories, and in the area of
Qana in particular; and after having reviewed the causes of the civilian
casualties, including children and women who were located in a shelter, the
Council declares the following:
1)
Its total dismay at the sight of innocent civilians who
were killed during an exchange of long range fire between Hezbollah and Israeli
forces. These civilians were put in a defenseless posture between the two
warring parties, against all laws of war, and were killed and maimed as a result
of irresponsible acts of war. Their deaths and the injuries caused by the
shelling calls for an immediate investigation by the international community as
to the causes of the fight and the particular military acts that lead to the
massacre. The Council calls on the United Nations to dispatch a team to the
region to investigate this and other incidents where civilians are caught in the
firefight, and establishes the reasons for their victimization.
2)
The Council, in view of the history of this conflict,
which started by an irresponsible War launched by Hezbollah, without
authorization by the Lebanese Government, and triggered harsh Israeli responses
causing damages to the people and infrastructure of Lebanon, blames Hezbollah,
its leadership and the Syrian and Iranian regimes for dragging Lebanon into the
horrors of a suicidal War. The WCCR accuses Hezbollah and its regional allies of
intentionally forcing the civil society of Lebanon, and in particularly the
communities under the control of Hezbollah’s militias, to become a shield for
Hezbollah’s military operations. By doing so, Hezbollah is breaching
international law and must respond to international responsibility. Any military
force, which is in control of the security of a civilian population in
geographical areas, is responsible for their security. By maintaining that
control over south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley, Hezbollah, even as a Terrorist
organization is responsible for the safety and security of all civilians it has
under its control. Hence the WCCR, representing the aspirations of millions of
Lebanese inside the country and in its Diaspora, urges the United Nations to
take immediate action by dispatching international troops to protect the
civilian populations of Lebanon from the effects of the ongoing war on Lebanese
territories.
3)
The Council, after reviewing reports from South Lebanon,
strongly condemns the deployment by Hezbollah of artillery and rockets in the
vicinity of civilian population centers. This tactic, which puts civilians at
risk of death and destruction, is a war crime to be sanctioned by international
law. The Council attributes the responsibility of the deaths of Lebanese
citizens by Israeli fire, to Hezbollah’s leadership and to its Secretary General
Hassan Nasrallah. For installing guns and launchers just next to a civilian
shelter and firing from it, during a military confrontation that already started
two weeks ago, is a calculated decision to cause retaliation and deaths, which
are being used in the media to further the image of Hezbollah. This tactic,
while using the pro-Jihadi media in the region, and abusing the horrific images
of corpses of Lebanese citizens, won’t change the reality of Hezbollah’s
responsibility and won’t be used to shield Nasrallah from the international
community or from the popular majority of the Lebanese people.
4)
The Council calls for an investigation of this war crime
by questioning Hassan Nasrallah and the Hezbollah militiamen who were deployed
at the location of the massacre. The Cedars Revolution is not going to allow
Terrorists to use the blood and flesh of Lebanese citizens to shield their
organization from disarmament. It won’t accept that an entire Lebanese community
is taken into hostage by a Pro-Iranian, pro-Syrian organization which aim is to
obstruct democracy in Lebanon and reverse the Cedars Revolution.
5)
As expresses its deepest condolences to the families of
the massacre’s victims, the Council calls on the Lebanese masses to resist the
tactics of Terrorism and to upraise against Hezbollah’s control of civilian
centers. Let M. Nasrallah and his supporters chose another land to wage their
personal wars with whomever they want. Lebanon is not their private property to
use and abuse. The Council calls on the Lebanese people to mobilize in order to
end this suicidal war, even if it is going to take another revolution.
The World Council of the Cedars Revolution
Joe Baini, President, Australia
Tom Harb, Secretary General for UNSCR 1559, USA
Dr Anis Karam, President World Lebanese Cultural Union
Fady Bark, Secretary General, World Lebanese Cultural Union
Attorney John Hajjar, North American director, USA
Attorney Joanne Fakhre, Director Caribbean Region
Toni Nissi, Coordinator Committee 1559, Lebanon
Sami Khoury, Chairman, Hispanic America
George Chaya, Media Chairman, Latin America
Iskandar Riachi, Secretary, Cedars Revolution, Brazil
Roni Doumit, Secretary General, WCCR, Europe
Kamal El-Batal, Human-rights, WCCR