Israeli ambassador blames Hezbollah for Israel's slaughter of 50 civilians

[tgnyc]

No link yet, but I'm watch Meet the Press right now. Ambassador Dan Gillerman, permanent representative of Israel to the U.S. says, and I quote:

GILLERMAN: "They may have been hit by Israeli bombs, but they are victims of the Hizbollah...I wouldn't put it beyond that vicious, brutal, cynical terrorist organization to have held those people there against their will after we have repeatedly asked them to leave, so that they may be used as human shields and maybe even, as far-fetched as this may sound, for this to happen...Hizbollah is directly responsible for what has happened today. And this is why Israel will not agree to this cease-fire...We must put an end to the Hizbollah..."

Um, many folks can't leave because they don't have cars or money to leave!

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

[Karmadillo]

1. Did he mention Israel's rejection of UN request for 3 day ceasefire

specifically designed to allow for the delivery of aid and evacuation of civilians?

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/29/mideast-wrap.html

In another development, Israeli officials rejected a UN call to allow civilians to leave the region and help aid workers bring in humanitarian supplies.

"There is no need for a temporary, 72-hour ceasefire because Israel has opened humanitarian corridors to and from Lebanon," Avi Pazner, an Israeli government spokesman, told reporters in Jerusalem.

more...

[mom cat]

9. Furthermore, UN observors say there were NO Hezbolla fighters

in the area. MY GOS these women and children were in a SHELTER. How were they supposed to get out when Israel is targeting everything that moves?

[oberliner]

21. There were no UN personnel in the area

"As you know, during the night, the Israeli air force bombed the village of Qana, in southern Lebanon. This village is no longer in UNIFIL’s area of operations. Therefore, we had no UN personnel nearby at the time of the attack -- though Chinese engineers and two medical teams have now managed to reach the area. They are helping to clear the rubble and giving treatment to survivors."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
July 30

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/sgsm10580.doc.htm

[watercolors]

2. Ambassadoe Gillerman is a lying SOB!

nt

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[TahitiNut]

4. Blaming the victims is an obsessive right-wing 'sport'.

Blame-shifting, projection, big lies ... it's the Republikuddite way. There's nothing like spreading a 'siege mentality' to entrench exploitative militarist politicians. Courage isn't measured by dropping bombs from 30,000 feet and killing sleeping children; it's measured by dropping weapons and saying "let's talk."

[Name removed]

5. Deleted sub-thread

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[enki23]

6. perhaps they don't know what "directly" means

.

[Poll_Blind]

7. "Hiz. is directly responsible for what has happened today." Psychotic. n/t

PB

[leesa]

8. Of course. Neocons ALWAYS blame someone else for their deeds.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. If he is a neocon I have a bridge to sell you

Neocons are purely an American phenomena.

By the way, it is a fact in the middle east that resistance movements hide among civilians. The Irgun did it, Fatah has done it, and now Hisbollah, by the way, the moment the IDF places military value targets among civies (they have even if defensive, those patriot missile batteries) guess what? Those civilians around that battery ARE targets. I would not be too shocked though if they were evacuated though.

[Beelzebud]

10. Hey, If I slaughtered 50 children I wouldn't be proud of it either...

[Mandate My Ass]

11. he said "if you sleep with bombs, sometimes you don't wake up in the

morning."

Nice blame-the-victim mentality he has going there.

So if a bomb hits an Israeli child it's Hezbollah's fault and if a bomb hits a Lebanese child, it's Hezbollah's fault. Nice scam.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. No that is the fucking reality of war

that Americans have a hell of a time with... after all hollywood has them pesky bombs always hit their target and only kill the bad guys... oh and it never shows us shooing at a buildign full of civies, because we got fire from that building.

War is hell, but you guys are having a hell of a time with this concept. Oh and it is not black and white either, but if you take fighters in, whether by force or willingly, you are now a target, does not matter if you are in Lebanon or central kansas.

[jayfish]

20. Hollywood Has That Stuff?

I guess you don't remember the first Gulf War. The one where the pool reporters got to sit in a tent and watch gun-camera video of the amazing American, technologically infallible, precision-guided munitions destroy everything they were aimed at. Remember the luckiest guy in Iraq? Remember the term video game warfare?

Jay

[spanone]

13. Not a single hint of remorse or regret. Fuck Him.

[bluedog]

15. THE 'LOGIC' OF ISRAEL-APOLOGISTS

*********from a poster on yahoo******I think the poster is right on!


Israel-apologists say that Israel is not at fault for any of the civilian deaths it has caused when it bombs residential areas.

They say that it is Hezbollah's fault for 'hiding among civilians'.

This is their 'logic'.

Let's use their 'logic' and apply it to the other side of the equation, as appalling as that may be.

How many Israelis are in the IDF? What percentage of the population? Israelis are conscripted into the army, in other words, drafted. So, 1/3 of the population is in the IDF.

Do those IDF ALWAYS wear their uniform? Of course not.

So, this 'citizen army' mingles with the civilians, yes?

When Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel and kills Israeli civilians, then according to the 'logic' of Israel-supporters, it's the IDF's fault for 'hiding amongst the civilians'.

To even suggest such a thing would have the Israel-apologists all up in arms, yet, they use this same 'logic' to excuse Israel of its killing of civilians.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Under international law you are wrong

but I am sure you knew that

By the by, I will use the same logic next time Al Qaida launches an attack on the US, due to the reserve, retired (that can be called up), and national guard component that location was a valid miltiary target. Hell, the towers were a valid target. Under the rules that guide warfare, yes they do exist, thsoe troops, whether IDF or US... are civilians. They only become members of the military when they are recalled into active duty.

Hisbollah, on the other hand, is NOT a recognized force by anybody... Iran gives them aide, but a funny thing happened on the way to the theater, they are not recognized by Iran either. They are a guerrilla force, that wears no uniforms. Oh and since they have refused from day one to follow the minimum standdards of the conventions of war, they are more than just fair targets.

[emanymton]

17. Not To Put A Too Sharp A Point On It, ...

IDF launched the attack that killed the non-combatant people. The very young children killed by the attack'fair targets.'

Does the IDF have any responsibility in the event?

[QuestionAll...]

18. what international law and who the hell is paying any attention

to it lately.

[katty]

19. Typical usual no-empathy response: BLAMING EVERYONE ELSE