60 killed in IAF strike on Qana in southern Lebanon
Rice says time for cease-fire, cancels Beirut trip after IAF strike kills at least 50 people in Qana
The news out of Lebanon this morning is even more depressing than usual, with the reports that an IAF air strike levelled a four-story building in Qana, killing or wounding somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 people. The video footage is graphic proof that the victims of war are too often the young and the innocent. What’s being lost in the gruesome reality of this attack is that the graphic footage of dead women and children is that the Arab media is already furiously at work using these pictures to thoroughly propagandize the Arab street.. Before you know it, angry hordes will be taking to the streets, chanting “Death to Israel! Death to America!” Yes, Israelis are careless, brutal butchers who live to kill Arab women and children, and America is their chief sponsor.
There can be no justification for the slaughter of innocent women and children, but to call this slaughter “indiscriminate” would be to succumb to the sheer volume of pro-Arab propaganda. What about the reality that Hezbollah has made a practice of staging attacks on Israel from heavily civilian areas? What of the reports that rockets were launched against Israel from a site 20-30 yards from the building that was hit by IAF bombs? What of the fact that the Lebanese government has allowed Hezbollah to essentially occupy the southern 1/3 of Lebanon, which Hezbollah has used to stage attacks against Israeli civilians?
Could the IAF have done a better job of taking out their desired target? Certainly. But when it’s a practice of Hezbollah to use Lebanese civilians as shields, it stands to reason that civilians are going to be in harm’s way. Israel is not solely to blame. Yes, the Israeli military is confirming that their planes missed their intended target, that the actual target was some 20-30 yards from the building that was hit. However, if Hezbollah hadn’t used a civilian area as a base of operation (and if the Lebanese government had actually shown some cojones), some 60 Lebanese civilians would still be alive.
TYRE, Lebanon (CNN) — An Israeli airstrike leveled a four-story building in Qana, Lebanon, on Sunday that was used as a refugee shelter, killing or wounding up to 60 people, many of them women and children, Lebanese officials said.
Outrage over the attack sparked protests in Beirut, and in Jerusalem, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice postponed talks in the Lebanese capital regarding a cease-fire proposal.
Israeli aircraft hit the four-story residential building in Qana early Sunday, Lebanese army sources said.
The bodies of at least 27 children were among 35 corpses found in the rubble, said Abu Shadi Jradi, a civil defense official at the scene, told The Associated Press.
Certainly the sight of bodies of women and children being pulled from the rubble is a horrific thing. Too often, civilians seem to be taking the brunt of the casualties in this war. Before we rush to judgement, though, we should try to maintain some perspective here. First, Hezbollah has over time deliberately installed parts its military infrastructure among the civilian population of south Lebanon. Second, the government of Lebanon has been complicit in allowing Hezbollah to become the de facto authority on the ground in the southern 1/3 of the country. Third, Israel, if their contention is to be believed, has made a concernerted effort to warn civilians to leave the war zone.
The IDF said the Qana neighborhood bombed was a launching ground for Hezbollah rockets aimed at Israel and that residents had been warned to leave by radio announcements and by air-leaflets because it was a combat area.
What happened this morning in Qana is truly a horrible thing. To place the blame solely on Israel, though, is to only admit to part of the reality on the ground in south Lebanon. If the Lebanese government is guilty of allowing Hezbollah to set up shop among Lebanese civilians, then both Hezbollah AND the Lebanese government are to blame as well as Israel.
Yes, from a public relations standpoint, this is a disaster for Israel. You can bet the Arab TV networks and other anti-Israel media will be using the footage from Qana to paint the Jewish state as little more than a collection of bloodthirsty baby-killers. Thus will those killed become little more than fuel for yet more anti-Israel propaganda.
Much will be said, and is already being said, about how there appears to be “little evidence” that the building in Qana was used by Hezbollah for launching rockets against Israel…as if Hezbollah fighters are going to leave behind “Hezbollah was here” stickers on the walls.
It’s often been said, and truthfully so, that the first casualty of war is truth. The truth, of course, is that somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 innocent civilians were killed in the IAF air strike. What will be lost in the rush to propagandize this attack is the role of Hezbollah and the Lebanese government in creating the environment that bred what Israel saw as the necessity for this attack. Must Israel be forced to avoid attacking targets in civilian areas when they know full well that the area was being used to launch attacks against Israeli civilians?
If you feel the need to condemn Israel’s attack, then you should at least be fair and condemn Hezbollah and the Lebanese government for their complicity in creating the circumstances. Of course, fairness in this war has long since fallen victim to propaganda and religious hatred.
You are simply talking out of your ass now. Just fuckin jump back on Bush's cock. Read my lips, you CONDONE the killing of innocents by pushing this bullshit about how hezbollah makes israel kills civilians. Israel kills civilians because they feel justified in doing it. Simple as that. They engage in collective punishment against non-jews. They are just as racist as the arab militants. And you... you're just a dumb shit Texan who believes in bush's fairy tales.
Andre . . you ignorant slut. You "haters" are great at basing opinion on 7 second sound bites on Air America rather than fact. Hezzolah uses the Lebanese neighborhoods to launch their attacks on Israel then blend into the surroundings to hide behind women and babies. If these slime want to fight they should do so courageously and with honor. There is no honor in hoping to avoid retaliation by hiding behind civilians . .civilians who, I might add, tolerate Hezbollahs presence in their neighborhoods. Im no big fan of Israel, but I certainly believe that they have every right to retaliate inkind against the hundreds of missiles purposely aimed into their concentrated civilian areas and to defend themselves against the the islamic fascists effort at genocide. Israel at least targets military objectives . . .if the civilians wish to stay around Hezbollah miliary operations to shield them, then they make themselves targets. The aim of Hezbollah on the other hand is to not only kill civilians but to annihilate all jews and christians and even other muslims indiscriminately, and most of all Americans. They are the "haters." The very building in which the women and children (funny how few men) were supposedly killed was the site of the launch of multiple short ranged missles at maximum range into Israel. After the airraid by Israel on that target it was almost eight hours before the building collapsed caused by new explosions (most likely Hezbollah stored or planted ordinance, and even then the roof was intact. Did all of these supposed victims hang around in the building until it fell down. Hezbollah are masters of staging these things for the benefit of the media and have been caught at it before. Dont be so quick to judge the US and Israel before you have all of the information. Only the US and Israel are expected to comply with the conventions of war . . . for Hezbollah, its a free-for-all with no rules. After all, no member of Hezbollah would have any problem with putting a bullet in your head, or blowing up your childs elementary school, or your church. The policy of appeasement from folks such as yourself only encourages these fanatics to go further and further.
Apparently, innocent people are more valuable to Hezbollah dead than alive.
The loss of life in Qana was tragic and apparently unintentional. When Hezbollah begins to apologize for the hundreds of deaths caused by homocide bombers over the years, I might begin to trust them. Until then, any notion of lasting peace is a pipe dream at best and a scam at worst. If history is any guide the latter is more likely.
I meant to add that the images on the link I posted above are disturbing. They depict the bodies of young victims being displayed in various scenes and poses, for several hours after their initial recovery.
Dear dumbass twins,
If the Israeli bombing was merely "self defense" then WTF is it doing bombing Beirut? Or the airport? Or the infrastructure? It is COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT! If a country is going to go out of its way to bomb civilian targets it cannot cry when it's own civilian targets are targeted. Simple as that. If that notion is unpalatable then maybe one should rethink the idea of going to war. Hezbollah would not be in the strong position it is in today if news images of non-combatant Palestinian civilians shot and blown to pieces were not shown almost every day for YEARS across the world. Anti-Israeli sentiment will grow as Lebanese civilians take their place. Innocent civilians are wrong to kill no matter what. But with the obvious technological advantage that Israel enjoys it should not have a 10 to 1 ratio of civilian dead. Unless, of course, it does not care who they kill. The Israeli mindset use past persecution to justify its extreme behavior. That is how it can claim the laying of waste to Lebanon is self defense. The same exact way The US invade Iraq was promulgated with the idea that it was self defense. The only thing surprising is the consistency that dumbasses (i.e. you two dumbshits) fall for it every time. The only way out is to hold the same value of human life no matter what side the border.
1)--"Much will be said, and is already being said, about how there appears to be 'little evidence' that the building in Qana was used by Hezbollah for launching rockets against IsraelÔøΩas if Hezbollah fighters are going to leave behind 'Hezbollah was here'stickers on the walls." COMMENT: please read this again. Did you ever think you'd be capable of such silly apologetics? In fact, the Israelis have now given three or four versions of what was in the vicinity, none of them with any shred of evidence. All of this area around southern Lebanon has been turned into a free fire zone. Why not? After all, this is a US-model war, with massive use of air power AGAINST A FOE THAT HAS NONE AND CANNOT DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST IT. You've never noticed this over the past 50 years..and how it inevitably produces these kinds of massacres of innocents?
2)--"If you feel the need to condemn Israel's attack, then you should at least be fair and condemn Hezbollah and the Lebanese government for their complicity in creating the circumstances." COMMENT: exactly what "circumstances," pray tell? Those possibly calling for going after the individuals or units that kidnapped or killed a couple of soldiers--military personnel, that is--or those calling for destruction of whole parts of a nation--airports, power stations, roads, bridges, whole villages and quarters of cities (tonight we learn that the Israelis destroyed the entire village, house by house, from which the initial incursion by Hezbollah took place. Isn't this how the Nazis handled Poland?)
Maybe you believe that 9/11 created the "circumstances" for Bush's "war on terrorism"?
That statement is made in obvious ignorance of the events over the years that prompted Israel to fight for its survival time after time, each time stopping short of achieving lasting peace through victory.
Of course, comments that begins with "Dear dumbass twins" are usually made either by the ignorant or by those who regurgitate propaganda.
The choice is yours, Mr. Casanave
Andre, I welcome and value your comments. However, piss in my sandbox, and I will ban you. Ask any of the regulars; I welcome all manners of opinions. What I do not welcome, and will not countenance is insults and rudeness. If you disagree with what someone has to say, that's fine and I welcome your input. If you can't keep it civil, though, you'd best take it elsewhere.
I'm fine...as long as we all play well with others.