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“The building was not targeted.”
That’s the Israeli government’s excuse about its killing of many civilians, including at least 16 children by Human Rights Watch, in its bomb attack on Qana, Lebanon on July 30, 2006.
It doesn’t cut it.
When a country attacks a densely populated area, with 500 lb bombs and other ordinance of huge destruction, it will necessarily kill civilians – lots of civilians. The radius of the explosive impact of these bombs will include home, schools and markets. And, it is inevitable that bombs will go off course or be aimed at civilian properties, even if by mistake.
It does not matter whether Israel actually desires to kill civilians, not when the methods they have chosen will inevitably kill civilians.
When Israel decided to attack urban areas, it decided to kill civilians in mass numbers. It’s as simple as that. It is a war against defenseless, innocent people – children, mothers, fathers, grandparents.
Israel’s attacks on Lebanon’s infrastructure buttress arguments that Israel is attacking the people of Lebanon. It is killing the people – via bombing them, along with their airports, roads, bridges, commercial centers, and communication system.
At the very least, Israel has shown a reckless disregard for human life – a “depraved heart” as US law may put it – as shown by its extreme indifference to the value of human (Arab) life. In my opinion, it amounts to mass murder.
Is this really a collective punishment against the Lebanese people?
The tragedy is magnified, if possible, by the near unanimity of US lawmakers in favor of Israel’s war making. Even those, such as Rep. Kucinich, who call for a cease fire also call for the imposition of ‘peacekeeping’ forces. Is a NATO or UN force in the south of Lebanon anything other than an defacto occupation on behalf of Israel, a means to solidify its gains through warfare? And what are arab governments doing? Not a whole lot. (How long will their populations put up with that?)
The US has been crystal clear that it wants to give Israel time to clear out Hezbollah from the south of Lebanon. These are the “birth pangs” of the new Middle East, after all, per Rice. Once Israel has accomplished its goals, it would have no reason to object to an international force to occupy and pacify the area. It’s own occupation of Lebanon was a disaster – let someone else do it this time. And Bush and Rice will look like peacemakers to many in the US, if CNN, FoxNews and the rest of government/corporate controlled can obscure the truth long enough.
Charles Jenks
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Some useful links:
Uruknet.info
Socialist Worker
Eye on Palestine
[Views expressed in this article are those of Charles Jenks and do not necessarily reflect views of Traprock Peace Center Core Group, staff, volunteers or supporters.]