Israel Criticized For Cluster Bombs
Government report questions the widespread use of the devices in the 2006 war, many of which still lie unexploded in Lebanon.
JERUSALEM - In a rare internal critique of Israel’s use of cluster bombs, a government-appointed commission has found a lack of “operational discipline, control and oversight” in the army’s deployment of the weapons in civilian areas.
The panel’s statement, buried in an exhaustive report on Israel’s conduct of the 2006 Lebanon war, did not directly challenge the army’s assertion that its use of cluster bombs in that conflict fell within the bounds of international humanitarian law.
But the five-member panel raised questions about the army’s use of the ordnance against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanese villages from which civilians had fled but to which they would eventually return.
Cluster bombs spray deadly bomblets over a wide area. The United Nations and human rights organizations say that Israel unleashed about 4 million bomblets in southern Lebanon during the 34-day war against the militant Islamic group, and that up to 1 million of them failed to explode and now endanger civilians.
U.N. monitors in Lebanon say 26 civilians have been killed in explosions in southern Lebanon since the war ended in August 2006, most of them from leftover Israeli cluster bombs.
The Winograd Commission, named for the retired Israeli judge who has headed it, issued its long-awaited report Wednesday. The panel criticized Israeli leaders’ strategic and operational blunders in the inconclusive campaign, which Israelis widely view as a psychological defeat.
In Israel, attention focused on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s escape from personal rebuke by the panel. Olmert told confidants Thursday that he would resist calls by opposition leaders for his resignation, and he was under little public pressure from partners in his governing coalition to step down.
Many abroad viewed the report’s focus on strategic mistakes as having glossed over the issue of responsibility for wartime civilian deaths.
Amnesty International criticized the report for ignoring what it called “grave violations of international law” by Israel. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s office called the lingering presence of unexploded bomblets in southern Lebanon “a daily war crime.”
At least 1,035 Lebanese, most of them civilians, died in the conflict, along with 119 Israeli soldiers and 39 Israeli civilians. Both Hezbollah and Israel drew international criticism during the war for killing civilians.
The Winograd panel explained that it avoided an in-depth study of such allegations against Israel because it was “inappropriate to deal with issues that are part of a propaganda war.”
The panel nonetheless devoted a six-page appendix of the 629-page report to the issue of cluster bombs, which had also been the subject of a yearlong inquiry within the army.
The army inquiry concluded in December that the bombs were “a concrete military necessity” in Lebanon and did not violate international laws that aim to protect civilians from deliberate wartime attack. On that basis, the army chose not to press charges against several officers who had used the weapons against Hezbollah.
The Winograd panel did not dispute the army’s finding. But it asked the army to clarify how its practice of dropping cluster bombs on temporarily uninhabited villages squares with international law. And it questioned the practice of giving field commanders discretion on when to use cluster bombs in such places.
“Our main concern is the vagueness existing in the [army] throughout the war and continuing today concerning the legality of the use of cluster munitions and the conditions necessary for such use,” the panel’s report said.
It called for a reevaluation of cluster bomb use, with participation by nonmilitary specialists, and public disclosure of the results. New guidelines should be drafted and reviewed by Israel’s attorney general, the report said.
Meantime, it added, the army should develop less-dangerous bombs and better document the whereabouts of unexploded bombs.
A statement by the army said it was studying the report’s recommendations based on lessons of the war, with the aim of correcting failures. It declined to comment on specifics.
© 2008 The Los Angeles Times
On September 5, 2006, Senator Feinstein offered the following amendment to the defense appropriations bill:
“No funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act my be obligated or expended to acquire, utilize, sell, or transfer any cluster munition unless the rules of engagement applicable to the cluster munition ensure that the cluster munition will not be used in or near any concentrated population of civilians, whether permanent or temporary, including inhabited parts of cities or villages, camps or columns of refugees or evacuees, or camps or groups of nomads.”
The intent of this amendment was to PROTECT CIVILIANS from the devastating impact of cluster bombs.
Senator Clinton voted AGAINST the amendment.
Her vote was UNCONSCIONABLE.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: “You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable,” (marking the Jewish festival of Passover). (BBC: “Rabbi Calls for Annihilation of Arabs”, April 10, 2001)
Rabbi Dov Lior: issued a ruling that killing civilians during warfare is permitted if it will save Jewish lives.
Rabbi Yousef Falay: he called for the killing of all Palestinian males refusing to flee their country.
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu: Jerusalem Post, “Eliyahu advocates carpet bombing Gaza”, May 30, 2007
Any questions?
And in todays Washington Post: Gunnen attack israeli embassy in Mauritania early on Friday. Complete link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013104397.html
This is probably the beginning of increased violence against israel.
locust, good links. If I may add to your references:
We have to make sure that no Palestinian individual remains under our occupation. If they (Palestinians) escape then it is good; but if anyone of them remains, then he should be exterminated. - Rabbi Yousef Falay, “Ways of War”, Lahba (an Israeli magazine), September 2006.
So they buried the details of the report because of a “propaganda war”
Then the only thing they question is why did Israel drop the bombs on uninhabited villages… not that it is a crime to drop them on inhabited villages even more!
I guess they are trying to appeal to the War Machine’s Ideal of more “Bang for the Buck”.
Only criticized? They should be condemned….especially for littering Southern Lebanon with it after knowing the war was lost….But the US was too busy condemning the Lebanese and arming the terrorist nation of Israel.
horrified
…..terrorist nation of Israel.
Funny, I thought that a terrorist would be happy that they were killing civilians and the more the better at least that is what Hamas is known for. If they possessed such weaponry, there would have been no half-measures, they would have found a crowded market-place in downtown Tel-Aviv and dropped them there. Now, that is how one does terrorism! The Israelis were actually criticizing themselves over the use of these weapons in civilian areas. That marks them pretty much as rank amateurs by Palestinian standards. They are probably laughing at them right now.
Those Rabbis quoted above are definitely terrorists. They could be quoting right out of Hamas’ playbook. You know all that, “drive them into the sea”, drivel.
All kidding aside, In an ideal world we would have the extremists from both sides exiled to Antarctica and let them duke it out while the penguins watched. Maybe they could drive each other into the sea.
It’s a bit f——ng late to criticize them now isn’t it, after all those little seeds have been laid over Lebanon, just waiting for more children to come along and play with them.
It would seem that the more educated and “civilised” you become, the more that your respect for human life diminishes.
this report is clearly an act of blatant, disgusting antisemitism…
antisemitism, as you all should know, has been a reality since long before the big bang…
how long, dear world, how long can we allow this hatred to dominate our consciousness?
I hope Frankscott, that this is sarcasm at it’s best, because I thought it quite dry humour.
@welshTerrier2 February 1st, 2008 11:44 am
While Leahy-Feinstein Amendment seems like a notable piece of legislative work,
It really has no teeth. The US is already bound by law specifically stating our country
cannot sell weapons of any sort to a country or its agents if those weapons were
to be used in a war crime, weapons against civilians would be one of those crimes.
The Leahy-Feinstein Amendment is bound to this one glaring point,
“Munitions used against civilians.” This is an issue already ruled on long ago.
It would be one thing if Leahy-Feinstein argument was that our country would actually
investigate countries we’ve supplied with weapons to determine if they actually used
the weapons against civilians, but the bill isn’t about that. It isn’t about anything, except
perhaps getting Feinstein another 6 years in the Senate. I draw this conclusion because
the Amendment was co-authored, but when its contents are pander across the web,
it is always Feinstein’s work. hogwash. it was a group effort.
————————
The real issue that government of Israel can bury the details of crimes just as good as our government.
and the prime minister appears to be clear to continue with government
Israel is the most racist society on earth. What the Hell do they care about cluster bombs in Lebanon? They only affect “ragheads.”
Who builds these crimes against humanity?
@Rob Price February 1st, 2008 5:31 pm
You stated: “The US is already bound by law specifically stating our country
cannot sell weapons of any sort to a country or its agents if those weapons were
to be used in a war crime, weapons against civilians would be one of those crimes.”
Funny. They used the “it already exists” argument against the Equal Rights Amendment. Is there something wrong with adding emphasis to existing law as a mechanism to add emphasis to the will of the Senate?
And the law you cited as “already” existing is NOT RELEVANT. The Leahy-Feinstein Amendment (are you opposed to it?) did NOT mention anything about “war crimes” or about using “weapons AGAINST civilians”.
Do you think it’s appropriate for the US Senate to define what is acceptable conduct for nations wishing to use armaments sold or given to them by the US? In the Leahy-Feinstein Amendment, the intent was clearly to constrain other nations from using US cluster bombs to endanger civilian populations. Do we not have a right, even an obligation, to demand that weapons we make available to other nations comply with some standard of morality?
It sounds to me like you’re a Clinton supporter grasping at straws. Whether the legislation was mostly symbolic or not, it was unconscionable for Clinton to have voted against it. BTW, the same goes for those Democrats who voted as she did. Most Democratic senators did not.
@welshTerrier2 February 1st, 2008 7:27 pm”
“The Leahy-Feinstein Amendment did NOT mention anything about “war crimes” or about using “weapons
AGAINST civilians”.
What do you think the Amendment implies when it states:
“….cluster munition ensure that the cluster munition will not be used in or near any concentrated
population of civilians, whether permanent or temporary, including inhabited parts of cities….” etc. etc.
The point of these passage indicates to me that a country can’t even argue the areas are evacuated
and there are no civilians, by default, any area near where civilians reside “…permanent or
temporary…” Humans don’t need to be present to make this legislation hold.
“Funny. They used the “it already exists” argument against the Equal Rights Amendment. Is there
something wrong with adding emphasis to existing law as a mechanism to add emphasis to the will
of the Senate?….”
No, there is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with adding emphasis to existing laws, even if I see it as a
moot point intended to send a political message. A confidence vote of sorts. I know it makes us feel good
to confirm our oath to the Geneva Conventions, and to the Arms Export Control Act, I just know the original
Amendment Leahy-Feinstein wrote up was summarily rejected several times before the Amendment finally
past. When the vote finally did take place, all the teeth had been taken out of the bill, therefore, in legal terms,
I saw it rather useless. I have no idea why someone wouldn’t vote for something that didn’t really have any legal
bearing, nor do I understand why someone would pass legislation that doesn’t have any legal impact,
except to make constituents feel better. It makes good news.
I am in total support of upholding our Constitutional, including our Bill of Rights. I am also of the mind we
must uphold the Geneva Conventions, and our Arms Export Control Act which is something the Bush Era
has thumbed its nose.I also believe the treaties this Union made with various nations must be upheld.
Far too many legislatures think “treaties” are frivolous except when they serve the Unions interests. I am a
strong advocate for the treaties with Indigenous nations to be honored. Like The Equal Rights Bills, those
treaties are an entirely different subject to the cluster bomb issue at hand.
I do not support the use of cluster bombs against civilians, nor do I support the manufacturing of
cluster bombs. Just the thought of them makes me physically repulsed.
I’m sorry if I came off too strong, I was trying to be objective.
Peace be with you,
Rob
Criticizing the evil state of Israel for using cluster bombs is like critcizing Jack the Ripper for using a dull knife.
Can anyone tell me the difference between The Master Race and The Chosen People?
Because I can’t see much difference in how they act. How they Murder, how they Kill Children and Women and Men who are helpless, helpless, helpless.
Can the Chosen People be part of the Master race? What Puke.
It’s not so difficult to understand if you read their bible. The Jewish people couldn’t confine themselves to being good, so God cast them out into exile and demolished their temple. Since then, the Jewish people have been trying to ingratiate themselves to the God they spurned, and from that has arisen the usage of the vanity caps and ghost boxes on their foreheads and other such cult affectations such as the curly sideburns and black mourning dress.
God sent His only begotten Son, (at that time) to save humanity and to create a new sense of community among the peoples, but the old order, spurned and rejected, manipulated His crucifixion. This eternal separation was the passing into cultism of the Jewish religion, presaged by the exile, as they rejected God’s Son and the only true religion that could be born of it which was Christianity, but not the governmental christianity of the papal community, which is but a usurpation of the good intentions of the Apostles, which latterday construction is not a true reflection of Jesus’s intentions.
“Those Rabbis quoted above are definitely terrorists.”- -kendpotter.
Not to mention the fact that they make Ahmadinijad’s rhetoric look positively responsible. And they make Iran’s theocrats sound reasonable.
Dear God! Will religion never die? The earth is soaked with the blood of its victims . . . .
Some candy striper called me up yesterday to solicit my vote for Hillary Clinton in the Arizona primary on Tuesday. So I was able to explain to at least one Clinton activist that when Olmert was dropping bargain basement cluster bombs on Lebanese children her candidate was standing in front of the cameras in support of Israel’s “right to self defense.” It was a succinct and defining foreign policy statement, and to her credit, among the most candid I have heard. While Israel was blowing up the children of its enemies, while everybody with a scrap of humanity was screaming inside, many of us were also making election decisions at a very basic, cellular level. I don’t care what the alternative is. I’m not voting for a homicidal maniac of any color or gender.
Religion is embedded in human psyche. Some call it Judaism, others Islam. Others Christianity, and others Science.
Can anyone tell me the difference between The Master Race and The Chosen People?
____________________________________________________________________
I view the Reich of Zion as the bastard child of the Holocaust and the Third Reich. A Bad Seed, alas! Coddled and nurtured since infancy by political superpowers using a rhetoric of justice and redress to cover an equally powerful NIMBY repugnance, the little Reich has grown into a pathological, spoiled adult. They became what they beheld.
Incidentally, Obama was quick to fire off a letter to the UN ambassador advising him to give priority to denouncing Palestinian militants who fired those rockets into Israel, or shut up. We are expected to be comforted by his zealous adherents, who reassure us with a wink that Obama is merely shrewdly ingratiating himself with pro-Zion voters in order to gain office and reveal his true even-handedness.
I’m seriously thinking of buying this bridge they’re trying to sell me, too.
Those AshkeNAZIS sure are a bunch of pricks all right.
Okay, so who makes those damned cluster bombs, anyway?
unfortunatly we do ticonderoga.
And then, the Palestinians, in a desparate attempt to escape the moral highground, send suicide bombers into Dimona…..
As far as the Jewish issue is concerned, it does not matter who is or becomes President of the USA. All US presidents feel know that they have to support Israel in order to please the American Jews, the arms lobby and the Christian Right [who mistakenly think that all Palestinians are Moslem though those of us who have some knowledge of the place kow that there was a time, not so long ago when Palestine was divided almost 50:50 between Christian and Moslem]