So what is the purpose of the Israeli attacks against the Lebanese military if they expect them to control Hezbollah in the south? Anyway most commentators do not think that the Lebanese military has the power to do that. I am astounded that almost no major media even calls attention to the fact that Israel is engaged in major war crimes in attacking infrastructure and civilians who obviously have nothing to do with terrorism. Only a few have called attention either to the fact that using US supplied military equipment for these purposes also violates US law. Our premier Harper simply parrots the US line that Israel has a right to defend itself that the blame lies with SYria and Iran, and even that the Israel response was measured. Right! Ten Lebanese( and the odd Canadian) for each Israeli killed.
--- Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Cole, Juan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Israel Invades Lebanon; > Ongoing Airstrikes Kill Dozens of Lebanese > Civilians; > Hizbullah Rockets Wound 11 in Haifa > > Israel invaded Lebanon on Monday, sending ground > troops into the > south. Israeli leaders say that they do not intend a > long-term > occupation. But then war is unpredictable. > > Israel's government killed another 42 Lebanese > civilians in aggressive > airstrikes on targets mostly unrelated to Hizbullah > on Monday. > > Thousands of innocent Lebanese have been forced from > their homes by > the bombings, especially in the South, and have > headed up to Beirut > (which the Israelis are also indiscriminately > bombing). Some 100,000 > Lebanese have fled to Syria, though Israeli bombing > of roads and > bridges has not made it easy for them to get out. > Although, because of > widespread Western racism, very few over here care > about these > displaced persons, they face a desperate situation. > Roads have been > bombed out, and bridges are gone. Lebanese > television reported on > numerous villages bombed. Rescue teams attempting to > take an injured > woman to a better hospital with more supplies were > blocked when they > found the bridge destroyed. > > If the reports coming out of Lebanon can be > believed, the Israelis are > only sometimes striking known Hizbullah safe houses > or facilities or > missile emplacements. A lot of their bombardment > appears aimed at > punishing civilian populations and forcing them > north to Beirut. Such > an approach would help explain the high number of > civilian casualties. > That is, there may be an element of ethnic cleansing > in Israeli > tactics. > > The Irish Times reports: > > ' The civilian toll continued to mount in Lebanon > yesterday as Israeli > planes struck dozens of targets. Nine civilians, > including two > children, were killed when they were hit by a > missile that struck a > bridge in the southern port city of Sidon . In the > southern city of > Tyre , rescue workers pulled nine more bodies from > the civil defence > building that was hit on Sunday in an Israeli > strike. Close to 200 > civilians have been killed in Lebanon since the > Israeli offensive > began last week, when Hizbullah attacked an Israeli > border patrol, > killing three soldiers and capturing two. Five more > soldiers were > killed when they gave chase into Lebanon .' > > Hizbullah sent rockets on Israel again Monday, with > four hitting > Haifa, including a strike that collapsed a building > and injured 11 > persons. Since the outbreak of the fighting last > Wednesday, 24 > Israelis have been killed, 12 soldiers and 12 > civilians. > > The elements of an eventual resolution of the > current Israeli war on > Lebanon are becoming clear in international > diplomacy. Italian PM > Romano Prodi is already thinking about how to round > up 10,000 UN > peacekeepers to insert in the Lebanese south as a > buffer between the > Israeli army and Hizbullah. Russia agrees and is > willing to > participate. My advice: don't send the blue helmets > unless you > authorize them to shoot back when attacked. > > On the other hand, the Irish Times report above says > that Israeli > officials reject a UN deployment and insist instead > that the Lebanese > army must be stationed along the border. > > It is probably the Olmert government's hope that > this posting will set > the Lebanese army against Hizbullah, producing > intra-Lebanese fighting > that serves Israeli interests. > > Israel, however, does not always get its way. We'll > see. Peacekeeping > is a ways off. The Israelis will fight their war > first. > -- > Jim Devine / "You need a busload of faith to get > by." -- Lou Reed. >
