[NuovoLab] LEBANON: THE AFTERMATH OF WAR. A SYNTHESIS

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Autore: Paola Manduca
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Oggetto: [NuovoLab] LEBANON: THE AFTERMATH OF WAR. A SYNTHESIS
>
>"Dr. Yvonne Schmidt" <yvonne.schmidt@???> wrote:
>
> Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:50:36 +0200
>From: "Dr. Yvonne Schmidt" <yvonne.schmidt@???>
>To: Yvonne Schmidt <yvonne.schmidt@???>
>Subject: LEBANON: THE AFTERMATH OF WAR. A SYNTHESIS
>
>           !-- blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ;
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><http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&amp;code=MEY20060921
>&amp;articleId=3286>http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&c
>ode=MEY20060921&articleId=3286
>  LEBANON: THE AFTERMATH OF WAR. A SYNTHESIS

>
>
>
> By Sarah Meyer
> BRussells Tribunal
>
> 20 September 2006
>
> <http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/>http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/
>
> * More on IDF use of chemical weapons - July 31-August 1, 2006 - from
>Readers [PDF]
>
> * Sarah Meyer articles and researches published by the BRussells Tribunal.
>
> * See also: Index On Illegal Weapons in Lebanon (30 July 2006) | Death in
>Lebanon (10 August 2006) | APPENDIX TO ILLEGAL WEAPONS IN LEBANON (15
>August 2006) | APPENDIX II: INDEX ON WEAPONS IN LEBANON: WAR CRIMES in
>LEBANON and PALESTINE (15 August 2006)
>
>
>
> photo: Carolyn Brown
>
> "The arms trade is the modern slave trade. It is an industry out of
>control: every day more than 1,000 people are killed by conventional
>weapons. The vast majority of those people are innocent men, women and
>children." Desmond Tutu.
>
> The Israel-Lebanon conflict, known in Lebanon as The July War and in
>Israel as the Second Lebanese War, was from 12 July to 14 August 2006,
>when the UN ceasefire went into effect. The Israelis continued to blockade
>Lebanon until the 8th of September.
>
> 1. Lebanon Infrastructure & Environment
> 2. Cluster Bombs
> 3. Phosphorus Bombs
> 4. Depleted Uranium
> 5. Other Gruesome Weaponry?
> 6. Displacement and Death
> 7. Calls for War Crimes Trials
> 8. Other Responses: Israel, UK, USA
> 9. 'Anti-Semitism'
>
> Lebanon Infrastructure and Environment
>
> On the 23rd of August, Amnesty International presented first hand
>information on the Israeli policy of deliberate destruction of the
>civilian infrastructure. The Amnesty report was followed nine days later
>by a report of The European Commission. This report said that:
>
>     *
>       Israel destroyed or damaged in south Lebanon 1489 buildings, 21 of
>29 bridges over the Litani river, 535 sections of road and 545 cultivated
>fields during its 34-day military offensive.
>     *
>       In Beirut, 326 residential buildings have either been damaged or
>destroyed in the southern suburbs, of which 269 are located in the Haret
>Horaik area.
>     *
>       All runways of Beirut airport and six strategic highway sections
>have been severely damaged.

>
> The Red Cross reported (12.09): "During the conflict the majority of
>people affected were civilians and two thirds of them were women and
>children."
>
> Hezbollah, meanwhile, was rapidly managing to do what the US has failed
>to do either in Iraq or Afghanistan: make funds available to rebuild the
>country. By handing out $US 12,000 to families whose homes had been
>destroyed, and swiftly distributing food, it immediately won the support
>of the Lebanese people. Not to be outdone by Hezbollah's generosity, the
>Lebanese government said it, too, would compensate war victims. Lebanese
>Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has said his government would pay $40,000 to
>families whose homes were destroyed. Meanwhile, in Beint Jbeil, the
>Hezbollah are eager to work. A surveyor working with the council spoke of
>official shortcomings. 'Hezbollah intervenes quickly; it pays
>straightaway. It is much faster and less bureaucratic.'
>
> The corporate world raised its profile when the milk factory was bombed
>in Lebanon. Nestlé's Israeli branch allegedly held the UNIFIL milk
>contract until 2001. Until the factory was bombed by Israel recently,
>Lebanon held the contract. Nestle refuses to return calls. Nestle owns
>50.1 percent of Israeli food maker Osem Investments and the two together
>produce snack foods at a plant in Sderot. Nestle also own: Perrier water,
>Hagen Dazs ice cream, around 50% of l'Oreal, baby milk powder, snack
>foods, dog and cat food brands, etc. Nestlé says it has over 200, 000
>shareholders. (Stop buying Nestle products!)
>
> The oil spill, due to an Israeli strike on the Jeyyeh power station,
>threatened the entire 105 mile coastline and was spreading out to sea. It
>was said that it could take 10 years for the affected area to recover.
>Crisis talks with officials from the UN, EU and National Maritime
>Association were scheduled to take place in Greece. Israel was unhelpful,
>as their blockade prevented the clean-up of the oil spill.
>Environmentalists were prevented from acquiring detailed information on
>the locations and trajectory of the oil spill.
> Ancient civilian heritage was also damaged by oil, and by bombs. UNESCO
>has launched an appeal to save Lebanese historic sites. Both ancient and
>medieval remains were coated in oil following the Israeli bombing of this
>power plant. Tyre and Baalbek need restorative care from explosions.
>
> On the 14th of September, Lebanon was preparing legal action to sue
>Israel. This doesn't help the farmer whose olive trees are being cut down
>and land leveled by Israeli bulldozers whilst the international forces
>stand by and do nothing but write down the violations in their notebooks.
>
> CLUSTER BOMBS
>
> Ten years to clear the 100,000 cluster bombs in Lebanon.
>
> Israeli forces demolish home with family still inside, father and son killed
> 16. 08.06. Maan News Agency.
>
> South Lebanon littered with war's lethal leftovers
> 16.08.06. Reuters. Unexploded ordinance, also known as UXO, have killed
>at least four people and injured at least eight since a U.N.-backed truce
>halted fighting between Israel and Hizbollah on Monday. Jawad Najam, a
>doctor at a private hospital in nearby Tyre, said his staff had treated 25
>people for cluster bomb injuries in 24 hours. He described the bombs as
>looking "like toys".
>
> Clustered in Fear, and Now Death
> 16.08.06. B. Wallace, LA Times. AINATA, Lebanon: All the dead were
>neighbors, killed as they huddled together in the basement of the
>Fadlallah family house in the old quarter of this southern Lebanese town.
>
> Lebanon: Israeli Cluster Munitions Threaten Civilians
> 17.08.06. Human Rights News. Israel Must Provide Data To Save Lives.
>
> Lebanese forces defuse cluster bombs in southern Lebanon
> 18.08.06. Bahrain News Agency. Lebanese forces have so far defused 10,000
>cluster bombs and repaired damage caused to electricity, telephone and
>water works caused by the Israelis.
>
> LEBANON: Leftover Israeli cluster bombs kill civilians
> 21.08.06. Reuters. In the 40 villages the de-mining group had visited
>around Nabatiyeh, half had been "severely contaminated" with cluster bombs.
>
> Video. CNN. (3 min). Cluster Bombs in Lebanon (22.08.06).
>
> Israel cluster bombed 170 sites in Lebanon,
> 23.08.06. Peninsula Qatar.
>
> Report from Southern Lebanon: Ana Nogueira Investigates the Lasting
>Dangers of Unexploded Israeli Cluster Bombs
> 23.08.06. Democracy Now. So the American stuff is much, much worse than
>the Israeli-manufactured, and primarily the Israelis have been using
>American weapons.
>
> IMPRISONED BY BOMBS
> 29.08.06. Reuters. Sean Sutton of British-based Mines Advisory Group
>describes a day's work with explosives experts in southern Lebanon.
>
> UN: Israel spewed cluster bombs over Lebanon in last days of war
> 30.08.06. UN. (Jan Egeland) said the UN Mine Action Coordination Center
>had assessed "nearly 85 percent of bombed areas in south Lebanon" and
>identified "359 separate cluster bomb strike locations that are
>contaminated with as many 100,000 unexploded bomblets. What's shocking and
>I would say completely immoral is that 90 percent of the cluster bomb
>strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict.
>
> Annan blasts Israel over cluster bombs
> 31.08.06. Middle East Times. "Those kinds of weapons shouldn't be used in
>civilian and populated areas ... and [we need to] move very quickly to
>disarm them," Annan said ..
>
> BBC: Clearing weapons from South Lebanon. Photos.
>
> IDF defends use of cluster bombs in Lebanon
> 31.08.06. Jerusalem Post.
>
> Lebanon/Israel: Israel must disclose details of cluster bomb attacks and
>accept a full investigation
> 31.08.06. Amnesty International, Press Release.
>
> Pressure for ban on cluster bombs as Israel is accused of targeting
>civilians
> 31.08.06. B. Russell, Independent. United Nations officials said that 12
>people had been killed, and another 49 injured by such bombs since the war
>ended and that the casualty rate was likely to rise.
>
> VIDEO. UN: Over 100,000 cluster bombs in Lebanon. Channel 4 Special
>Report, 31.08.06.
>
> A decade to clear bombs
> 01.09.06. Washington Post. Three types of artillery-delivered cluster
>bombs were used by Israel in Lebanon -- two U.S.-made (M42 and M77) and
>one Israeli (M85), each with roughly the same failure rate of 40 percent,
>he said.
> NZ calls for stronger controls on cluster bombs
> 07.09.06. "The latest information I have from the United Nations Mine
>Action Service is that the situation there is without a doubt the worst
>post-conflict cluster bomb contamination they've ever had to deal with.
>The latest estimate is that 50 per cent are not detonating on impact and
>are there waiting for an innocent person to come along. There have so far
>been 68 confirmed casualties, 12 of them fatal."
>
> Vatican asks UN for moratorium on cluster bombs
> 08.09.06. Ekklesia.
>
> Cluster bombs wound seven people in Lebanon
> 13.09.06. Raw Story.
>
> A Walk Through the Rubble: Israel's Use of American Cluster Bombs
> 14.09.06. Dr. F. Lamb, AlSultaneih / Counterpunch. "A desire by Israel to
>get rid of as much of its U.S. cluster bomb inventory as possible, which
>the Pentagon has stipulated must be reduced to a lower level before Israel
>can reorder newer models like the M-26. This is why the 33-year old
>CBU-58, almost extinct, was used so widely. Israel was cleaning out its
>CBU closet for new orders, one Lebanese army source reported. Senator Ted
>Stevens and those in the Senate who opposed banning cluster bombs on Sept.
>9 might want to reflect on what actual utility the US cluster bombs used
>by Israel in Lebanon actually achieved."
>
> Deadly harvest: The Lebanese fields sown with cluster bombs
> 18.09.06. P. Cockburn, Independent. The casualty figures will rise
>sharply in the next month as villagers begin the harvest, picking olives
>from trees whose leaves and branches hide bombs that explode at the
>smallest movement.
>
> US MAY ban sale of cluster bombs to Israel
> 20.09.06. P. Cockburn, Independent. "The US State Department is
>investigating Israel's use of American-made cluster bombs during the war
>in Lebanon. In particular, whether or not Israel broke a secret agreement
>with the United States not to use cluster bombs against civilians. There
>are letters scrawled in Hebrew on the metal but most of the writing is in
>English; CBU [Clusturer is identified as Lanson Industries. There are a
>number of cryptic code numbers reading "Part No 7127151/22290" and "FSN
>1325-758-0417" and contract no F42600-72-2676. The bomb was made before
>the Vietnam War had ended, because there is a marking showing that its
>warranty ended on 7 February 1974. The expiry of the warranty more than 30
>years ago suggests that the manufacturer expected some deterioration in
>the product."
>
> Why sell cluster bombs in the first place? All production of cluster
>bombs should be stopped, now. Any company found manufacturing cluster
>bombs should be prosecuted. The sale / purchase of cluster bombs should be
>illegal. Meanwhile, it is the Israeli and the U.S. governments who should
>pay the cost for - and do the work of - clearing the cluster bombs in
>Lebanon.
>
> PHOSPHORUS BOMBS
>
> Israel utilized white phosphorus in its bombardments of Lebanon
> 27.08.06. granma.cu. At least three corpses with clear signs of having
>been attacked with white phosphorus, a chemical weapon banned for use
>against human beings, were taken to a hospital in the Lebanese city of
>Baalbek during the war. Samples from the corpses to Beirut have been
>forwarded to a chemical weapons research laboratory in Paris to be
>analyzed.
>
> See Israeli confirmation of the use of phosphorus bombs below, or here.
>
> DEPLETED URANIUM
>
> Iraqi child affected by DU. ALJAZEERA
>
> Whilst there have been many articles on the use of cluster bombs in
>Lebanon, there has been an inexcusable and irresponsible lack of
>information concerning the amount of depleted uranium used in Lebanon. In
>addition to the information given in Index on Illegal US Weapons in
>Israel, the following information is available.
>
> In March 2006, Raw Story printed an article by John Byrne: U.S. signs $38
>million deal for depleted uranium tank shells. It should be asked if these
>depleted uranium munitions, made by Alliant Techsystems, were used by the
>Israelis in their war against Lebanon, or if any other DU munitions were
>sent to Israel.
>
> Dr. Rokke talks about depleted uranium, used in Lebanon
> 16.08.06. INN World report. If you don't believe DU is dangerous both to
>humans and the environment, watch this video and see the results of DU.
>The use of depleted uranium is a war crime.
> Scientists suspect Israeli arms used in South contain radioactive matter
> 21.08.06. Daily Star / ICH.
>
> Global Diabetes Epidemic Caused by Depleted Uranium
> 23.08.06. L. Moret, Rense.com. 2 maps of destruction in Lebanon. Short
>precis on depleted uranium, cluster bombs, missiles and white phosphorus
>in Lebanon. (DU) will contaminate the entire Mediterranean, Europe, and
>beyond... wherever the winds take it, to be rained and snowed out in our
>back yards.
>
> Roof-top protest at Brighton arms manufacturer
> 23.08.06. AFP. Parts for the Hellfire missile are made by EDO MBM in
>Brighton. EDO (UK) Limited, formerly EDO MBM Technology Limited, is part
>of the US-based EDO corporation, and designs, develops and manufactures
>weapon carriage and release systems for the aerospace and defence
>industries. Clients include Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force,
>according to its website.
>
> The Middle East : Lethal Legacy
> 13.09.06. F. Arbuthnot. A silent holocaust across the region.
>
> The United States does not have a problem with the illegality of depleted
>uranium. In fact, according to an AP story, the U.S. has just ordered a
>new bigger and better vehicle, the MGS, which will carry both a depleted
>uranium armor-piercing round and a canister round filled with 2,300
>tungsten ball bearings.
>
> OTHER GRUESOME WEAPONRY?
>
> For more photographic evidence of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon, click here.
>
> What Types of Gruesome Weapons Did Israel Use in Lebanon?
> 23.08.06. N. Sayad, Samidoun Media Center / Global Research. Dr. Omar
>Morabi, the president of the Association of the Lebanese Belgian
>Friendship in Brussels, said that a mission of the World Health
>Organization (WHO) would be traveling to Lebanon with a view to taking
>samples from dead bodies in South Lebanon.
>
> DISPLACEMENT AND DEATH
>
> Lebanon digs mass graves for war dead
> 17.08.06. TVNZ.
>
> Lebanon's pain grows by the hour as death toll hits 1,300
> 17.08.06. R. Fisk, Independent.
>
> War inflicted $3.6b. damage on Lebanon.
> 18.08.06. Reuters. 1/4th of the population, or 90,000 are displaced.
>
> CALLS FOR WAR CRIMES TRIALS
>
> The Geneva Conventions
>
> Protocol I, Article 85, Section 3 of the Geneva Convention: "An
>indiscriminate attack affecting the civilian population or civilian
>objects and resulting in excessive loss of life, injury to civilians or
>damage to civilian objects is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions."
>
> A War Crimes Tribunal May be the Only Deterrent to a Global War
> 01.07.06. F. Boyle, Counterpunch.
>
> Online petition to try Israel for war crimes urged
> 16.08.06. Gulf Daily News.
>
> The real threat we face is Blair
> 17.08.06. J. Pilger, New Statesman / ICH. "By any measure of
>international law, from Nuremberg to the Geneva accords, Blair is a major
>prima facie war criminal."
>
> War Crimes: The case against Israel
> 18.08.06. Pravda. "The State of Israel is hereby accused of committing
>War Crimes in the conflict with Hezbollah IN Lebanon (July 12th to August
>12th 2006). We present and document four counts where the Geneva
>Convention has been seriously breached."
>
> Envoy condemns Israel's crimes in Lebanon
> 18.08.06. iran mania. "According to an IRNA report, Iranian Ambassador to
>Beirut Mohammad-Reza Sheybani in a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister
>Fawzi Salloukh, condemned Israel's crimes in Lebanon. He urged the need
>to pursue the crimes, which were committed by the Zionists, through
>regional and international bodies."
>
> Campaign for Accountability for U.S./Israeli War Crimes
> 20.08.06. Ramsey Clark.
>
> Government studies options to sue Israel for war crimes
> 22.08.06. Daily Star.
>
> War Crimes: The case against Israel
> 23.08.06. T. Bancroft-Hiunchey, Pravda. We present and document four
>counts where the Geneva Convention has been seriously breached.
>
> Lebanon Considers Suing Israel for War Crimes,
> 30.08.06. Democracy Now. Lebanese parliament member Ghassan Moukheiber is
>leading the charge in the case. He's an attorney and a member of the
>parliamentary human rights committee.
>
> U.N. Names Panel to Probe Israel Abuses.
> 01.09.06. AP / Washington Post. They leave for Lebanon on the 23rd of
>September.
>
> Israel officials warned of possible war crimes prosecutions abroad.
>04.09.06. The Jurist. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs [official
>website] has warned senior government and military officials that
>inflammatory statements some made about the recent conflict with Lebanon,
>such as advocating the bombing of villages that housed Hezbollah rebels,
>could lead to war crimes prosecutions abroad, the Israeli Army Radio
>reported Monday.
>
> Groups prepare to charge Israel with war crimes
> 13.09.06. Jerusalem newswire.
> & also, but with more detail,
> Groups gather evidence of possible Israeli war crimes in Lebanon,
> 13.09.06 AP.
>
> Under fire: Hizbullah's attacks on northern Israel,
> 14.09.06. Amnesty International.
>
> Moroccan Jews charge Israel with war crimes,
> 14.12.06. workers.org.
>
> In the Swiftian tradition, Prison Planet replied to a discussion
>following an Israel Lobby Watch article in the Nation: "All this bickering
>can be put to rest quite simply by the UN issuing an amendment that
>stipulates the Geneva war convention rules apply to all nations EXCEPT the
>US, UK and Israel".
>
> It is not the UN that is trying to change the rules, however. It is
>President Bush who, fearful of his own part in committing War Crimes, and
>with the help of supportive 'lawyers' is trying to change the rules.
>
> OTHER RESPONSES
>
>
> With all the contradictory stories flying around, it was good to read an
>interview with the excellent U.S. reporter, Dahr Jamail, who felt The
>World Just Stood By.
>
> Israel
>
> The hidden story of Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails
> 18.08.06. S. Assaf, uruknet. A secret list has revealed the names of 67
>men known to have been kidnapped by Israel and its allies during 18 years
>of occupation. Thousands of others are missing.
>
> Haaretz (22.08.06) said that Israeli Arabs would get less government war
>compensation than Jews.
>
> The truth started to emerge from some of the Israeli military.
>
> Video. Channel 4 news (23.08.06, 11 min.) A senior tank commander says at
>the height of the offensive he disobeyed orders - refusing to send his men
>into high-risk battle because they just weren't ready. To watch Israeli's
>Protest at War Effort, click here.
>
> IDF commander: We fired more than a million cluster bombs in Lebanon
> 12.09.06. Haaretz / ICH. What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered
>entire towns in cluster bombs, the head of an IDF rocket unit in Lebanon
>said regarding the use of cluster bombs and phosphorous shells during the
>war. Quoting his battalion commander, the rocket unit head stated that the
>IDF fired around 1,800 cluster bombs, containing over 1.2 million cluster
>bomblets. In addition, soldiers in IDF artillery units testified that the
>army used phosphorous shells during the war, widely forbidden by
>international law."
> and
> Israeli commander says, what the IDF did was "crazy and monstrous.
> 14.09.06. M. Rapoport, Haaretz. "The IDF also used cluster shells fired
>by 155 mm artillery cannons, so the number of cluster bombs fired on
>Lebanon is even higher. At the same time, soldiers in the artillery corps
>testified that the IDF used phosphorous shells, which many experts say is
>prohibited by international law. According to the claims, the overwhelming
>majority of the weapons mentioned were fired during the last ten days of
>the war. At the same time, soldiers are reporting that they fired
>phosphorous shells, which are supposed to be used by the IDF for marking
>or setting fire to areas, in order to start fires in Lebanon. The
>artillery commander says he saw trucks with phosphorous shells en route to
>artillery batteries in the North."
>
> A former IDF chief said that soldiers were sacrificed as spin (14.09.06
>Haaretz). One Israeli general resigned over the Lebanon war (14.09.06,
>English People).
>
> The Jewish Voice For Peace published the statistics of U.S. Military Aid
>and Israel.
>
>     *
>       Total direct aid to Israel, 1948-2003
>       $89.9 billion (uncorrected for inflation)
>     *
>       Since 1976 Israel has been the largest annual recipient of US aid.
>It is the largest cumulative recipient since World War II.
>     *
>       Direct U.S. aid for each Israeli citizen in 2001 (per capita annual
>income of Israel = $16,710) -- over $500     *
>       Direct U.S. Aid for each Ethiopian citizen in 2001 (per capita
>annual income of Ethiopia = $100) -- about $0.45
>     *
>       REGULAR US  GRANT AID in FY 2003
>       $2.76 billion military aid grant
>       $2.1 billion economic support funds
>       $600 million refugee resettlement grant
>     *
>       COMMERCIAL LOAN GUARANTEES IN FY 2003
>       $2 billion
>     *
>       BUSH ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL REQUEST FOR FY 2003
>       Military aid grant $1 billion
>       Commercial loan guarantees $9 billion
>       Arrow missile development $60 million
>     *
>       TOTAL AID FOR FY 2003 $14.82 billion
>     *
>       Percentage of U.S. foreign aid that goes to Israel -- 30%
>     *
>       Israel's  population as a percentage of world population -- .01%
>     *
>       Section 116 of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) states, "No
>assistance may be provided under this part to the government of any
>country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of
>internationally recognized human rights." 22 U.S.C. 2304(a)
>     *
>       Section 4 of the Arms Export Control Act prohibits selling military
>equipment to countries that use them for non-self-defense purposes.
>     *
>       The U.S. State Department determined in February 2001 that Israel
>has committed each of the acts that the law defines as "gross violations
>of internationally recognized human rights, including torture or cruel,
>inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, prolonged detention without
>charges and trial, causing the disappearance of persons by the abduction
>and clandestine detention of those persons, and other flagrant denials of
>the right to life, liberty, or the security of person." It described
>Israeli army use of live ammunition against Palestinians when soldiers
>were not in impending danger as "excessive use of force."

>
> Israel Buys 2 Nuclear-Capable Submarines
> 24.08.06. All Headline News. Israel has purchased two additional
>German-made Dolphin submarines enabled to fire nuclear warheads. Military
>experts say Israel is clearly indicating to Iran that it can retaliate if
>attacked by nuclear weapons.
>
> And the Israeli air force chief is going to plan the war on Iran. The pot
>calls the kettle black: Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Foreign Minister, said
>the world cannot afford for Iran to have nuclear weapons.
>
> And what now?
> Israel Drawing Up Battle Plans For Next Lebanon War
> 18.09.06, all headlines.
> Meanwhile, there is, writes L. Susser (18.09.06) trouble brewing in
>Israel as "more and more politicians and Israel Defense Force commanders
>are going public and blaming each other for the war's failures and
>shortcomings. The public mood and the commission's findings could have
>major consequences for Israel's military and political leadership."
>
> UK
>
> On the 13th of July, the day after the war started in Lebanon, a Briefing
>Paper for a parliamentary lobby was presented: Israel's Weapons of Mass
>Destruction. Cause for Concern. In this paper see: Weapons, Delivery
>Systems, Use of: pp. 2 5; Israeli Arms Trade pp. 12 15.
>
> The majority of people in England were very agitated about the 'Bliar'
>(sic) government response. Over 100,000 people attended a demonstration
>during the Lebanese war. A legal bid to block the use of British airports
>by US planes supplying bombs to Israel has been rejected by the High
>Court. A judge in London dismissed a plea by the Islamic Human Rights
>Commission (IHRC) for permission to seek judicial review and an
>injunction against the Government, based on the argument that it was
>knowingly assisting "acts of terrorism" by Israel in its campaign against
>Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
>
> Belatedly, the European nations decided not to allow stop-overs of
>Israeli arms flights. The nations now refusing airport access to Israel
>include Britain, Germany and Italy.
>
> Blair, already in deep trouble because of the Iraq war and polls which
>show British people feel less safe since 9/11, was now hit by Lebanon
>backlash.
> A minister admitted the government's ceasefire 'mistake.' (14.09.06. A.
>McSmith, Independent.) A Foreign Office minister has conceded that Tony
>Blair's refusal to call for a ceasefire during 34 days of slaughter in
>Lebanon may have been a mistake. The former foreign office minister,
>Denis MacShane, a Blair supporter, said: "In geopolitical terms, calling
>for a ceasefire would not have stopped a single bomb from being dropped or
>a single rocket from being fired, but the whole of Britain was outraged
>by what they saw on television and there are times when government must
>consider public opinion." (sm italics)
> U.S.A.
>
> Hollywood stars blast Nasrallah,
> 17.08.06, Ynet news. Some 84 movie stars, film industry members sign a
>statement condemning Hizbullah, Hamas activities in Middle East.
>Including: Nicole Kidman, Michael Douglas, Dennis Hopper, Sylvester
>Stallone, Bruce Willis, Danny De Vito, Don Johnson, James Woods, Kelly
>Preston, Patricia Heaton, William Hurt, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Michael
>Mann, Dick Donner, Sam Raimi; Sumner Redstone; Haim Saban; also: Serena
>Williams, Rupert Murdoch. Actor Adam Sandler announced that he would
>donate $100,000 to the children of the north and south, and about 400
>Play-Station games purchased by the actor are expected to be transferred
>to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem in the coming days.
>
> I have been informed that all donations from Jewish Americans to the
>Israeli government are US - tax deductible, so perhaps the donations are
>not quite what they seem.
>
> US extends credit line to Israel.
> 20.08.06. Ynet / ICH. Bush administration agrees to extend by three-year
>loan guarantees for Israel given to Israel in 2003; Israel has used USD
>4.9 billion of a total USD 9 billion. To add insult to injury, the US may
>consider additional aid to IDF (31.08.06. J/ Katz, Jerusalem Post) If
>Israel asks, the US would seriously consider granting the Defense Ministry
>additional financial assistance because of the huge expenses incurred
>during the war in Lebanon, a high-ranking US diplomat revealed Wednesday.
>
> US aid to help clear Lebanon mines.
> 24.08.06. news.com. (The) Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement planned
>to provide an immediate $US420,000 to help remove unexploded mines and
>cluster bombs left over from the recent 34-day war between Israel and
>Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas. An additional $US2.0 million ($2.63
>million) will be sought to continue the work into the next fiscal year,
>which begins October 1. The aid (is) subject to congressional approval.
>(sm highlight - ie, NOT 'immediate'). Sure enough, four days the US said
>it would withhold aid to Lebanon until troops secure the border (28.08.08,
>AP). Tom Lantos said Sunday that he would ask the U.S. administration to
>freeze the U.S. $230 million aid package to Lebanon proposed by President
>George W. Bush until the Lebanese government takes control of its borders
>with Syria and prevent arms smuggling to Hezbollah guerrillas.
>
> Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs
> 24.08.06. The State Department is investigating whether Israel's use of
>American-made cluster bombs in southern Lebanon violated secret agreements
>with the United States that restrict when it can employ such weapons, two
>officials said. The agreements that govern Israel's use of American
>cluster munitions go back to the 1970's, when the first sales of the
>weapons occurred.
>
> Two Congressional Research Service reports were produced
>
>     *
>       "Israel: Background and Relations with the United States,"
>       updated August 31, 2006 (SM: Some chapter headings and subheadings
>are incorrect; no mention is made of US arms sales to Israel which were
>used in bombing of Lebanon. Nor is there a discussion of flights with US
>weapons through UK airports.
>     *
>       "Israeli-Arab Negotiations: Background, Conflicts, and U.S. Policy,"
>       updated September 1, 2006.

>
> Senate rejects bomb restrictions
> 09.09.06. JTA. The U.S. Senate voted down a proposal to restrict sales of
>cluster bombs. Civilians' deaths and injuries don't matter, I guess.
> The Jerusalem Post noted that the US was moving to scuttle the Arab plan
>for an international peace conference.
> Bush and Co. don't want to be tried as war criminals, so Bush is trying
>to change Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. Even the NY Times doesn't
>approve of this.
>
> 'Anti-Semitism'
>
> The media had its problems, blindspots and corporate considerations
>during the war. Following the war, the U.S. right - wing press went into
>overdrive. One result of this distorted information was a barrage of hate
>mail. One has two alternatives: either to 1) junk this post or 2) try to
>develop a reasonable discussion. The latter has proved impossible for me.
>Those who write, accusing me of being anti-semitic, a jew-hater,
>pathological, a liar, a hateful person, a hate-filled person, ad nauseum,
>have no wish to either point out what they find objectionable in an
>article, or to read any material sent by reply, or to have a reasonable
>discussion. If readers do wish to complain, it would be more logical,
>human even, to refer to specific issues raised in an article or speech
>rather than writing rude and ranting hate-mails.
> Following are 4 articles written on the subject of anti-semitism.
>
>     *
>       Diversionary Strike On a Rights Group
>       30.08.06. K. Peratis, Washington Post. "You're biased" is not a
>rebuttal.
>     *
>       Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite!
>       01.09.06.R. Brooks, LA Times / ICH.
>     *
>       Blanket Immunity from War Crimes: When criticisms of Cluster Bombs
>is Anti-Semitic.
>       2/3.09.06. S. Heller, Counterpunch.
>     *
>        Kill Arabs, Cry Anti-Semitism.
>       12.09.06. N. Finkelstein, ICH. ' central thesis of my book Beyond
>Chutzpah is that whenever Israel faces a public relations debacle its
>apologists sound the alarm that a "new anti-Semitism" is upon us. So,
>predictably, just after Israel faced another image problem due to its
>murderous destruction of Lebanon, a British all-party parliamentary group
>led by notorious Israel-firster Denis MacShane MP (Labor) released yet
>another report alleging a resurgence of anti-Semitism (Report of the
>All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry Into Anti-semitism, September 2006).

>
> +
>
> I would like to conclude this roundup with two articles. The first is by
>James Petras;
>
> The Lobby and the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon: Their Facts and Ours
> 30.08.06. James Petras, ICH. "The magnitude of the Jewish Lobby's
>cover-up of Israel's massive military assault can be measured in great
>detail. The Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) launched 5,000 missiles, 5-ton
>bunker-buster bombs and cluster bombs as well as anti-personnel phosphorus
>bombs each day into Lebanon for 27 days " totaling over 135,000 missiles,
>bombs and artillery shells. During the last 7 days of the war Israel
>launched 6,000 bombs and shells per day " over 42,000, for a grand total
>of 177,000 over a heavily populated territory the size of the smallest
>state in the US. In contrast, the Lebanese national resistance launched
>4,000 rockets during the entire 34-day period, an average of 118 per day.
>The ratio was 44 to 1 " without mentioning the size differentials, the
>long-term killing effects of the thousands of un-exploded cluster bombs
>(nearly 50 killed or maimed since the end of hostilities) and Israel's
>scorched earth military incursion.
>
> and the second is by the Nobel Prize winner, Desmond Tutu.
> The Modern Successor to the Slave Trade
> 13.09.06. Desmond Tutu. Independent / ICH.
> In 2005, Russia, the United States, France, Germany and the UK accounted
>for an estimated 82 per cent of the global arms market. And it's big
>business: the amount rich countries spend on fighting HIV/Aids every year
>represents just 18 days' global spending on arms.
>
> We must end impunity for governments who authorize the supply of weapons
>when they know there's a great danger those weapons will be used for gross
>human rights abuses.
>
> +
>
> Index Research articles on Lebanon:
>
> Lebanon vs. The BBC
> (23.07.06)
>
> Index on Illegal US Weapons in Lebanon
> (30.07.06)
>
> Death in Lebanon
> (11.08.06)
>
> Appendix to Illegal US Weapons in Lebanon
> (16.08.06)
>
> Appendix II: Index on Weapons in Lebanon: War Crimes in Lebanon and
>Palestine.
> (16.08.06)
> The url to Lebanon: The Aftermath of War. A Synthesis is
>http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/2006/09/lebanon-aftermath-of-war-synthesis.htm
>l
> This article was first published by the BRussells Tribunal:
>http://www.brusselstribunal.org/MeyerLebanon2.htm
>
> Sarah Meyer is a researcher living in the United Kingdom.
>
>
> Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the sole
>responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the
>Centre for Research on Globalization.
>
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> © Copyright Sarah Meyer, BRussells Tribunal, 2006
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