30.7.06

Qana 1996-2006

During Operation Grapes of Wrath, on the 18th of April 1996, the Israeli Army attacked a UN base in which hundreds of Lebanese civilians took refuge. More than a hundred Lebanese civilians were killed during that day.
Israel, showing no remorse at its barbarism, has repeated the same massacre this morning. More than a 60 Lebanese civilians were reported killed this morning, among them 21 children.
Israel boasts about its purity of arms. But I wonder how can someone, sitting in an F16 just press the button that would take so many lives. Innocent, civilian lives. We all know that the aim of the operation is not to destroy Hizbullah. As a matter of fact, it is a show of power. The Army is avoiding the humiliating encounters with Hizbollah, and tries to show the world its capabilities by bombing civilians.
It is funny when you see the Middle East’s unbeatable army withdrawing in front of a guerrilla group of merely 7000 men.
Hizbullah, on the other hand, while it might not be my favourite model of a political group, is leading the most planned encounter between Israel and any other Arab antagonist. It has its own long-term goals: Free Lebanese prisoners, free Shebaa Farms. On the short term, it aims to bring Israel to negotiate. Its tactic in bringing along the short term goal is nothing less than remarkable. Give a big blow to the Army and say we are willing to negotiate. Hit Afula (which practically means, we have the capabilities to hit Tel-Aviv) and say come to negotiate. Its aim is to show, that Hizbullah is capable to going long term in this conflict, while Israel benefit by cutting the conflict short, licking its wounds, and agreeing to a ceasefire.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can any body confirm whether Qana was being used to fire rockets into Israel.What are verifiable facts?

Mubashir
Toronto,Canada

Anonymous said...

i think this is a poor analysis of the conflict.

Anonymous said...

The responsability lies always with the person who triggers the gun.

Stop searching for excuses.

If you want to quote the UN report on the 1996 shelling, why not quote the part saying that the whole explanation of the IDF is a lie? Why not mentioning the drone used to pinpoint the civilians, the two helicopters overseeing the artillery work?

It makes me wanna puke to read so many criminals and accomplices justifying what Israel does to innocent people.

As I see it Israel shoulb be attacked not by Hezbolah, but by a coalition of freedom fighters, led by western democraties (US, UK) with full support of the UN and the international community.

Remember Iraq? it was bombed and invaded because

a) They were suspected of trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. Well, Israel aknowledges developing and owning a fabulous nuclear arsenal, absolutelly ilegal, and there are recent reports from Lebanon in the serious international press (Excluding of course the US media) of chemical burns and poisoning of Lebanese civilians.

b) What the regime did to its people. Frankly, what Sadam Hussein did to his people is comparable to what Israel has been doing to Palestinians for over 50 years: concentration camps (or refugee camps if you prefer), mass murders, ethnic cleansing, misery, imprisonment without trials, etc.

c) Failing to comply with a single UN resolution. Israel has ignored plenty of them (different figures go from 45 to 65). Impressive, specially considering that the US has vetoed 65 more!

An these UN clowns are now to prevent Iran from playing with nuclear energy? Two standars always, Israel never gets a sanction for ignoring the law. The rest of the worl must behave or else...

Israel is a colonial problem, the last one, a group of Europeans settling in a foreign land, stealing it from, dispossesing, enslaving, torturing, displacing,etc. the original population. Well, I am always on the side of the victims and against the criminals. I think that those who resist the invaders are resitants not terrorists.
I know that the Palestinians will win: One day they will succed and tehre will be just ine country, like it happenned in South Africa, and we will see todays fighters recognised and honoured, and the present rulers despised and full of shame.

Anonymous said...

I knew something like this would happen when I read an interview with an Israeli commander who said that all of Southern Lebanon had been cleared of civilians and that anyone remaining is by definition a Hezbollah terrorist. It is impossible to believe they didn't know better!