Also see:
Israel and the Bomblets
Israel and White Phosphorous
War Paper Crimes: Israel
"Military upholds use of cluster bombs; Deployment against Hezbollah had sparked furor" by Josef Federman, Associated Press | December 25, 2007
JERUSALEM - The Israeli Army said yesterday that it will not press charges against officers who ordered the use of cluster bombs during last year's war in Lebanon, brushing off international criticism that the weapons unnecessarily put Lebanese civilians at risk.
Announcing the results of a more than yearlong probe, the army said investigators determined Israel's use of cluster bombs was a "concrete military necessity" and did not violate international humanitarian law. Lebanese officials accused the army of covering up war crimes.
Cluster bombs open in flight and scatter dozens of bomblets over wide areas. The United Nations and human rights groups have accused Israel of dropping about 4 million cluster bomblets during its 34-day war against the Hezbollah guerrilla group.
They say as many as 1 million bomblets failed to explode and now endanger civilians, and earlier this year, the US State Department said Israel probably misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas. More than 30 people have been killed by cluster bomb and land mine explosions in Lebanon since the conflict in the summer of 2006.
In a statement, the army said its chief investigator, Major General Gershon Hacohen, determined "it was clear that the majority of the cluster munitions were fired at open and uninhabited areas, areas from which Hezbollah forces operated and in which no civilians were present."
It said cluster bombs were fired at residential areas only "as an immediate defense response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah" and that Israeli troops did everything possible to minimize civilian casualties.
"The use of this weaponry was legal once it was determined that, in order to prevent rocket fire onto Israel, its use was a concrete military necessity," the statement said.
The conclusions were passed on to the military's advocate general, Brigadier General Avihai Mendelblit, who accepted the recommendation and decided not to press charges. The investigation was launched after the war.
In Beirut, a Lebanese government official rejected the Israeli military prosecutors' decision, saying Israel's use of cluster bombs has been condemned worldwide.
"The Israeli decision indicates that there is no difference between the judicial authority and political authority in Israel. They all work to commit and cover up crimes which are against humanity," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.
The conflict erupted on July 12, 2006, when Hezbollah men attacked an Israeli border patrol, killing three soldiers and capturing two.
Amnesty International has harshly criticized Israel for bombing civilian areas and using cluster bombs during the fighting. It also has criticized Hezbollah for firing nearly 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities and towns.
The fighting left 159 Israelis dead, including 119 soldiers, while in Lebanon more than 1,000 people died, most of them civilians, according to counts by human rights groups, the Lebanese government, and the Associated Press.
Israel failed to win the freedom of the soldiers, and Hezbollah has given no update on the status of the pair."
"Israel delays ruling on easing process to free Palestinians; Cabinet wants to hold more talks this week" by Josef Federman, Associated Press | December 25, 2007
JERUSALEM - Weeks of Israeli ground and air strikes against militants have exacted a heavy toll. Israel's criteria for releasing prisoners are currently so stringent that few prisoners could meet them.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking in a parliamentary meeting Monday, criticized Egypt for failing to halt arms smuggling across its border into Gaza, according to meeting participants:
"Their operations . . . are terrible, problematic, and damage the peace process," Livni was quoted as saying, adding that the smuggling "affects relations with Egypt."
Israel TV reported late yesterday that Israel has delivered an incriminating video tape to Washington that shows Egyptian police officers assisting weapon smugglers across the border into Gaza. The report said Israel wants Washington to pressure Egypt to act more forcefully against smugglers.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to travel to Egypt on Wednesday for talks with President Hosni Mubarak. Arms smuggling and the Hamas cease-fire offer are expected to be on the agenda."
"Israel Won’t Prosecute for Use of Cluster Bombs in Lebanon" by ISABEL KERSHNER
JERUSALEM — Israeli military prosecutors announced Monday that they would not press charges over the army’s use of cluster bombs during the war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, actions that had been widely criticized by human rights organizations.
Cluster bombs are not prohibited in warfare, but their use is criticized because they contain “bomblets” that explode over a wide area and may strike unintended targets. In addition, bomblets that fail to explode become, in effect, land mines that can be detonated by civilians long after fighting has stopped. More than 30 Lebanese are said to have been killed by munitions left behind after the monthlong war in 2006.
Soon after the fighting stopped, a top United Nations aid official, Jan Egeland, described Israel’s use of cluster bombs as “shocking” and “completely immoral,” not least, he said, because most had been fired in the last 72 hours of the war, when it was clear that the conflict was moving toward a resolution.
In a statement on Monday, the army said its chief investigator, Maj. Gen. Gershon Hacohen, had determined that the use of the cluster bombs did not violate international law, and that “the majority of the cluster munitions were fired at open and uninhabited areas, areas from which Hezbollah forces operated and in which no civilians were present.”
In Gaza, two Palestinians were killed early Monday in an Israeli airstrike. Medical officials and witnesses said the two were Hamas guards patrolling the border. An Israeli Army spokeswoman said there had been an airstrike against Palestinians spotted near the border fence."
No comments are even necessary anymore.
NaZionists hang themselves with their own words and deeds!
