Israel hitting the UN outpost was an accident

[oberliner]

Ran Cohen is an Israeli lawmaker in the Meretz-Yachad party.

Meretz-Yachad is identified as the politcal reprsentative of the Israeli Peace movement.

They are defined as a Green left-wing social democratic party.

His statement:

"I have not even the slightest doubt that we're talking here about a mistake, technical or otherwise. The army, as long as I've known it and I'm fairly critical, never wants to hit UNIFIL forces."

My thoughts:

Has Israel launched attacks on civilian objects, including essential infrastructure, without adequate explanation of why the objects they have attacked could be making an effective contribution to military action?

Yes.

Has Israel deliberately and extensively targeted public civilian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, main roads, and Beirut’s airport?

Yes.

Has the death and injury toll and the massive damage to civilian objects indicate that some attacks may have been indiscriminate or disproportionate?

Yes.

Did Israel intentionally attack UN peacekeepers?

No.

[Don Claybrook]

1. sounds like it's time for a cease fire

If they're really as atrocious with their aim, as you claim, it's time for an immediate ceasefire. If they're that indiscriminate and incompetent, they need disarming.

Maybe they could just QUIT KILLING PEOPLE.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. the US refuses to seek one

I touched on that issue here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1736065&mesg_id=1736065

[ecoalex]

39. Bullshit for 4 hours they warned the Israelis rockets coming closer

Then they hit the tower..INTENTIONALLY. Just more war crimes like the use of White Phosphorus on fleeling civilians. Israel = BUTCHERS

[endarkenment]

2. Well that settles that.

Next up: Hezbollah MPs in lebanon explain Hezbollah's actions.

[walldude]

5. Bingo... Kofi Annan says it was a deliberate attack

I don't know what's true but I'm sure not taking the attackers word for it.

The OP needs to be changed to "Israel Says". The way it's worded now is like it's stating a fact.

[stepnw1f]

3. yuh... that's the ticket

burp

[Beelzebud]

4. Yeah an accident. Just ask them, they'll tell you!

[BuyingThyme]

7. We don't bomb al-Jazeera ... umm ... err... ahh... the UN.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. "I will restore honor and dignity to the White House"

-George W. Bush.

"Would you like to buy a bridge for cheap?"

-Bornaginhooligan.

[CuteNFuzzy]

9. ya right

[Casandra]

10. More like an extended accident..

Bombing from 7:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M...with a phone call being placed each time a bomb struck near the facility, pleading for them to stop the bombing. Hell of an accident!!!!

[SidDithers]

11. Apparently as many as 10 accidents...

over the span of several hours, with constant warnings to the IDF that the bombs are getting too close to the UN outpost.

Sid

[malaise]

19. You'll hit us, warned UN staff

UN observers made 10 frantic telephone calls to the Israeli military, warning them aerial attacks were getting close to their post, in the hours before a direct hit on their bunker killed four peacekeepers.

A UN report released last night said the peacekeepers were told during each of the calls that the bombing would cease, but they were then hit by a precision-guided missile.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19925375-31477,00.html

Those wicked lying UN officials :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

12. They didn't mean to hit them, just get really really close & scare them

[BurtWorm]

13. Thank you, oberliner.

I'll bet you're right on all counts.

[Ms. Clio]

28. LOL n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. Tell that to China

They're not happy over the death of their own peacekeeper and are calling for condemnation of Israel's attack. And for some reason I don't think this excuse is going to float with them.

[SidDithers]

22. And Canada too...

that's twice now that Israeli bombs have killed Canadians in Lebanon. If they can't control them, maybe the IDF shouldn't be allowed to play with such dangerous toys.

Sid

[blonndee]

15. That settles it, all right.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Poll_Blind]

16. Ran Cohen is a good guy but he's in NO position to KNOW. Opinion only.

I remember running across Mr. Cohen's name because he tried to introduce legislation into the Knesset to stop Israelis from building monuments to Jewish Terrorists like Baruch Goldstein.

  He seems to be a good guy but, really, this is just opinion. Not, say, evidence like a UN target that was attacked for hours, continually.

PB

[MichiganVote]

17. And the UN peacekeepers are still dead.

[sgxnk]

27. so is francisco franco

[lastliberalintexas]

37. And Franco is relevant to UN peacekeepers how?

[sgxnk]

40. old SNL skit

lighten up, francis

"General Franco is STILL dead"

previous post was that the UN peacekeepers were STILL dead

hth

[lastliberalintexas]

41. I've never been a big SNL fan

I guess that explains why my reaction to your post was WTF!

[sgxnk]

43. np

no problemo :)

or as a SNL guy would say

"never mind, cheddar"

[lastliberalintexas]

45. Yeah, it's like a foreign language to me!

You and my brother would probably get along well, since he's a big fan. I really thought I'd missed something big when I first read your post about Franco. :)

[MichiganVote]

55. SNL wasn't quite what I was thinking of

[Bluebear]

59. :)

[cali]

18. I find that really difficult to

believe, considering the length of time they bombed and the phone calls made pleading with them to stop.

[lastliberalintexas]

38. That is my problem as well, cali

I can imagine that a one time, short time period strike is an accident, as that does unfortunately happen all the time in war. But over several hours, with aerial surveillance and pleas from UN personnel to stop the bombing? I just don't think I can buy that it was an accident given the totality of the circumstances.

[blonndee]

20. Also, where's the link to this? Please provide. nt

[cigsandcoffee]

21. Hezbollah was firing from the immediate vicinity - by design?

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19262&Cr=leban&Cr1=

UN force in southern Lebanon says heavy fire continues near its positions
20 July 2006 – The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said today that heavy exchanges of fire have continued unabated over the past 24 hours along the length of the line of withdrawal that separates the country from Israel.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports 31 incidents of firing close to its positions on the so-called Blue Line during the past 24 hours, with three sites suffering direct hits from the Israeli side.

One artillery shell hit the interior of the UNIFIL Headquarters compound in Naqoura, causing extensive damage to its hospital, where doctors were operating at the time, the mission said.

In addition, artillery shells hit the position of the Ghanaian battalion on the coast in Ras Naquora and the patrol base of the observer group in the Marun al Ras area. Extensive material damage, but no casualties, resulted from the incidents, UNIFIL said.

It added that Hizbollah firing was reported from the immediate vicinity of the UN positions in Naqoura and Maroun Al Ras at the time of the incidents.

The mission said that some re-supply convoys to its positions are planned for today, but the ability to move will depend on the situation on the ground. “All UN positions close to the Blue Line are facing shortages of basic supplies, and the need to re-supply them is vital,” it stressed.

It sounds like Hezbollah is firing rockets from near those UN observation posts. I wonder why...

[warrens]

23. Which time?

Evidently, they got hit a coupla times.

[Marie26]

24. I don't believe that.

And the Israeli ambassador made it even worse by blustering & accusing Annan of being reckless, while offering no explanation of his own about what happened.

[Beelzebud]

25. Isreal attack on U.S.S. Liberty in the 60's was just an accident too.

If you believe that I have a bridge to sell you in San Francisco.

[Ms. Clio]

26. right, and I can shoot at my neighbor's house for six hours

and when everybody inside is killed, it was just an "accident."

[Tulum_Moon]

30. How many phone calls I wonder?

The must have used the information to zero in on them!:scared:

[blonndee]

29. LINK, PLEASE! nt

[GeorgeGist]

31. Not all 'mistakes' are accidents;

some are just plain S-T-U-P-I-D.

[blonndee]

32. LINK, PLEASE!

For the third time. I can't find this anywhere on the web.

[Marie26]

33. Here you go:

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/07/26/ap2906036.html

[blonndee]

34. Thank you, Marie.

I don't know why my searches weren't coming up with anything. It should have been provided in the OP.

[Xenotime]

35. Sounds like a coverup to me..

Do all RW facist organizations have to lie?

[blonndee]

36. More from the article:

Along with this statement and Olmert's denial, here is more from the article.

<snip>

"These so-called precision attacks seem to be mainly targeting everyone else except the Hezbollah," said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, who added that the attack would increase pressure for a cease-fire.

Austria's foreign minister, Ursula Plassnik, told her Israeli counterpart by telephone that the bombing was unacceptable and urged Israel to stop its attack on the area, according to a ministry statement.

<snip>

Lt. Col. John Molloy, the senior Irish officer in the U.N. observer force in south Lebanon, reported making six telephone calls to his Israeli counterparts in the hours before the deadly strike on the border outpost, said Suzanne Coogan, spokeswoman for Irish Defense Minister Willie O'Dea. She said all six calls specifically identified the U.N. post that was ultimately destroyed.

"He warned the Israelis that they were shelling in very close proximity to the post, and his warnings were very specific, explicit, detailed and stark. Obviously those warnings went unheeded," Coogan said.

full story, again, at http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/07/26/ap2906036.html

[DistressedAmerican]

42. they Were On The Phone Telling Them The Shelling Was Getting Closer And

closer for hours before they were hit. The Army knew full well where its shells were landing. They were told and told.

Sadly, iti sounds like they served as forward observers for the attack that killed them.

[Emit]

44. Not surprising, really. Ran Cohen is known for his securitist

approach.

Ran Cohen:

Unlike his party members, Ran Cohen is known for his securitist approach and he has rarely been caught in ruthless verbal attacks against the Israeli Defence Forces and Israel hard-line policy of targeting terrorists and preventing terror attack by military means. That is despite Cohen resists to the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and believes that a solution to the conflict can only be achieved by nagotiations and compromise.

http://ran-cohen.biography.ms/

As I understand it, the Securitist faction of the left accepts Israeli military operations in the occupied territories as legitimate counter-terror operations, while the radical stream denounce them as "illegal and immoral" attacks.

See: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:S3SjN5LE8kUJ:www.factbites.com/topics/Meretz+securitist+define&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4

[Ms. Clio]

47. thank you for providing some valuable context n/t

[blonndee]

49. Here's some diverging views from the same article, for context

of a different sort, that seems to be so frequently omitted among certain posts:

Along with this statement and Olmert's denial, here is more from the article.

<snip>

"These so-called precision attacks seem to be mainly targeting everyone else except the Hezbollah," said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, who added that the attack would increase pressure for a cease-fire.

Austria's foreign minister, Ursula Plassnik, told her Israeli counterpart by telephone that the bombing was unacceptable and urged Israel to stop its attack on the area, according to a ministry statement.

<snip>

Lt. Col. John Molloy, the senior Irish officer in the U.N. observer force in south Lebanon, reported making six telephone calls to his Israeli counterparts in the hours before the deadly strike on the border outpost, said Suzanne Coogan, spokeswoman for Irish Defense Minister Willie O'Dea. She said all six calls specifically identified the U.N. post that was ultimately destroyed.

"He warned the Israelis that they were shelling in very close proximity to the post, and his warnings were very specific, explicit, detailed and stark. Obviously those warnings went unheeded," Coogan said.

full story, again, at http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/07/26/ap2906036.html

[Ms. Clio]

50. thanks, but the link isn't working for me?

[blonndee]

52. Try it now.

I had copied that from an earlier post I made, so maybe it didn't copy the full link. Sorry.

[Ms. Clio]

53. gracias!

No doubt it was merely an "accident" that once again the full context was ommitted.

[Emit]

56. Yes, your welcome. Context is key in these matters. n/t

[Lindacooks]

46. Well, his statement is proof enough for me!

NOT.

[Ms. Clio]

48. I know, it's hilarious n/t

[Spazito]

51. Hezbollah was NOT firing from within the immediate vicinity when

Israel bombed the UN post:

In a briefing note to the UN, Jane Lute, assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations, said the IDF had been repeatedly firing too close to the patrol base on Tuesday.

She said 21 strikes occurred within 300 metres of the base and 12 artillery rounds fell within 100 metres of it, with four hitting the base directly.

The strikes occurred despite that fact "Hezbollah firing was not taking place within the immediate vicinity of the patrol base," she said.

Lute said that following the hit, Israeli troops continued to fire during the operation rescue and that incidents of firing close to UNIFIL positions were still happening Wednesday morning.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/25/un-lebanon.html

She also says that UNFIL has come under direct attack by SMALL ARMS fire from Hezbollah but that was NOT the case at the time of the bombing that killed the 4 UN observers.

[Ms. Clio]

54. thank you very much

that's just what I was looking for.

[The Stranger]

57. Oh give it up. The UN peacekeepers called 10 TIMES telling them to stop.

Report: U.N. observers' calls unheeded

By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer

U.N. observers in southern Lebanon called the Israeli military 10 times during a six-hour period to ask it to halt an airstrike before their observation post was hit, according to details of a preliminary U.N. report on the incident. Four U.N. observers were killed in the bombing Tuesday.

During each phone call, an Israeli official promised to halt the bombing, according to a U.N. official who had seen the preliminary report, which was released to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The U.N. observers said the area within half a mile of the post was hit with precision munitions, including 17 bombs and 12 artillery shells, four of which directly hit the post Tuesday, the report said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060726/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_un_observers

[Bluebear]

58. Oh, thank you for clearing that all up.

:eyes: