Responding to the Tragic Consequences of Hezbollah Firing Rockets From Qana

If a location is a legitimate military objective, it does not cease to be one because civilians are in the vicinity. As Article 28 of the 4th Geneva Convention provides:

The presence of a protected person may not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.

Clearly, the deliberate placing of military targets in the heart of civilian areas is a serious violation of humanitarian law, and those who chose to locate such targets in these areas must bear responsibility for the injury to civilians which this decision engenders. As international law expert Yoram Dinstein notes:

Should civilian casualties ensue from an attempt to shield combatants or a military objective, the ultimate responsibility lies with the belligerent placing innocent civilians at risk.

In light of that, examine this visual proof of rocket firing by Hezbollah from within Qana and the use of human shields throughout Lebanon by firing and hiding amongst the civilian population:

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert made the following statement on Qana today: "I express my deep regret, shared by the entire State of Israel and the IDF, for the death of civilians in the village of Qana. Qana was used for launching rockets at Kiryat Shmona and Afula. All residents were warned to leave. There are hiding places for rockets inside the village, and the village itself constitutes a shelter for rocket launchers. We have no policy of killing innocent civilians. For 18 days thousands of missiles have been fired, aimed at murdering innocent civilians in the north."

Israeli FM Tzipi Livni made this statement today on Qana: "Israel expresses its deep regret at the loss of innocent life in the campaign against Hezbollah. Israel will undertake a thorough and comprehensive examination of the circumstances of today's events in Qana. During recent weeks Israel has been engaged in defending its citizens from constant attacks by Hezbollah on the towns and cities of northern Israel. Throughout these operations, the Israel Defense Forces has made strenuous efforts to avoid harming Lebanese civilians, which would be antithetical to the values of Israeli society. To our sorrow, Hizbullah repeatedly uses the Lebanese civilian population as human shields for its terrorist attacks. It is important that today's tragedy not divert the international community from the correct direction of finding a solution to the crisis by means of the complete implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559. Israel will not agree to return to a situation in which Hezbollah holds the stability of the region hostage."

Comments

[John Moore ( Useful Fools )]

Unfortunately, even though you are correct, the result of this incident will hurt Israel's efforts in this campaign. It has already agreed to a temporary bombing halt, which will allow Hezbollah to do some much needed logistical operations - under the guise of humanitarian movement, of course.

I think, as an armchair general, that Israel made a mistake by taking it so slow in this campaign - not sending in large ground forces. The longer a bombing campaign goes on, the more "civilian killings" will happen, and the more advantage the immoral enemy will gain because of the propaganda value. It also increases the pressure for a premature cease fire, leaving Israel short of its goals and Hezbollah appearing to be the winner - in a battle where appearances are frequently more important than reality.

[Bill Faith]

Excerpted and linked at Old War Dogs >> Qana 3.

[Thought]

Unfortunately, we live in a time when the majority of the media are not on the side of the US or Israel.

Let's face it...the media is creating a reality where the Western nations find it difficult to wage an effective war.

During WWII, the media only stressed on thing: victory for the allies. The media didn't obsess over all of the Germans or Japanese civilians killed, or any of the other military mistakes made. The media reported events, in the context of what progress the allies were making. That was all that mattered.

If today's media approach had been tried in WWII, the allies would have found it difficult to prevail.

Nowadays, all the media reports on are the mistakes and problems that we and our allies have and ignore any outrage over the terrorists brutal acts.

[Loy Mershimer]

Thanks, Vital Perspective. New to your blog, via Powerline -- apt and timely perspective, thank you. I've linked your article.

[F. Rottles]

Well put, Vital Perspective.

[Is the video available for download for play on Windows Media Player?]

The Hezbollah, and too many in the mainstream newsmedia as well, use our morality against us. This gives the Hezbollah moral immunity. I can not comprehend how they are innoculated against criticism for the deaths of noncombattants on either side of the border.

Each civilian who is killed or injured is advantage for Hezbollah. Kill an Israeli with the indiscriminate bombardment of Israeli territory, score for the Hezbollah. Kill someone in Lebanon who is used as a shield by the Hezbollah, score for the Hezbollah.

But how to settle the score? Cripple Hezbollah by a fullout invasion that roots-out the entrenched positions. But, again, this would be denounced as an occupation and "disproportionate" response to the mere taking of hostages.

While Israelis fight to exist, the Hezbollah fight to eraise the mutual border with Lebanon and to end Israel. If the Israeli response is disproportionate, it is disproportionately mild.

[Yonatan]

It seems like the world is expecting the Israeli army to behave as an extension of the Lebanese police in finding the bad guys. This is not their job and I do not see any practical way of achieving such goal.

Most countries have extradition agreements to deal with criminals operating across their borders. In the absence of formal recognition of Israel by the Lebanese government, Israel has left with no other choice but to deal with matters itself.

[Dustin]

There is no excuse for the random and indiscriminate killing that is going on. I bet Hezbollah has callous cowards just like yourself that explain away their crimes just like you do israel's. All you are doing is adding fuel to the fire without having to smell the corpse of a burning child.

[shorse]

Dustin, Hezbollah are callous because they try to get Leb civilians killed. They have no morale excuse for doing this. On the other hand, Israel has no moral obligation to not bomb the rockets just because they are located in a civilian village.

What would you have Israel do? Beg Hezbollah to stop shooting rockets and killing Israelis? LOL, useless.

[Mark F]

"If today's media approach had been tried in WWII"
There would have been a bunch of journalists in prison.
Israel is in the right, here. Hezballah has prevented non-combatants from leaving the area, deliberately used homes, apartment buildings and UN positions for the purpose of causing non-combatant casualties, and deliberately targeted non-combatants rather than military bases. Hezb' knows the best way to reach their goal is to manipulate the media, and manipulate the moral outrage of socialist Europe. In large part, it only works because the media agrees to let it - so in part, the blood of the non-combatants is on the hands of the media.
UNIFL has been spectacularly impotent - Israel can't count on them. Cease fire should only come about in one of three conditions - Israeli conditions should be met, OR a serious, armed NATO force is put in place in Lebanon to do what Israel is doing right now - OR Hezballah is destroyed.

[Aaron]

I am more interested in exactly what caused the building to explode several hours after the airstrike (~0000hrs) and collapse (0700-0800hrs). IF the IAF/IDF did not attack the building a second time, then something/somebody else caused the explosion & loss of civilian lives.

As Hizbollah has stated that there was no explosives in the building at the time of the attack, then the second explosion was caused not only by explosives introduced after the airstrike, but explosives unaffected by the airstrike.

If this can be investigated carefully, would require the IDF to take KANA, then perhaps the truth will come out. If Hizbollah caused the explosion, then they will be exposed to the world press as murderous, lying terrorist scum. This would remove the currrent media advantage they employ, and would spell the end of media cries to save poor, peaceful Hasan.

[Dustin]

shorse:
I am by no means pro-Hezbollah When I mentioned that there is no excuse for the indiscriminate killing going on I meant them too. I'm sure that with the same US warplanes and such they would no doubt use them to cause at least as many casualties and suffering as Israel has done in the past few weeks. The abductions of israeli soldiers are a response to secret kidnappings of civilians that have been going on for years. From there Hezbollah and Israel have escalated the situation to rockets and bombs respectively. It has been confirmed by the UN and other sources that Israel is using cluster bombs in civilian areas, as well as mining. And Hezbollah has no idea when its rockets go, most of the time they don't land anywhere close to anything.

Aaron:
And the idea that Hezbollah killed their own fellow countrymen, their neighbors and friends, for the right kind of media attention is as crazy as other conspiracy theorists that suggest the US bombed the WTC.

Israel will never rezolve this by "winning." The children who lost parents and siblings will be the next generation of Hezbollah. The way to resolve this is for the international community to step up and impose a ban on arms sales to Israel, as well as an international force on the ground in Lebanon to stop the rockets.

[Pixy Misa]

And the idea that Hezbollah killed their own fellow countrymen, their neighbors and friends, for the right kind of media attention is as crazy as other conspiracy theorists that suggest the US bombed the WTC.

That's not what Aaron is suggesting. We know that Hezbollah routinely endangers civilians by using their homes for shelter and to store weapons. And we know that they take advantage of any civilian death for propaganda purposes, even though, morally and legally, those deaths are Hezbollah's fault.

We don't know all the facts about what happened in Qana. We do know that Hezbollah turned it into a carefully staged propaganda event, but we don't know who killed the the people put on display for the international press.

Did the collapse occur seven hours after the Israeli strike? Was there an explosion at that time, or did the building collapse from earlier damage? We still don't know for sure.

The way to resolve this is for the international community to step up and impose a ban on arms sales to Israel, as well as an international force on the ground in Lebanon to stop the rockets.

Not a chance. Hezbollah is responsible for the deaths in Qana. They need to be stopped.

There is already an international force in Lebanon to stop Hezbollah launching attacks against Israel. They have done absolutely nothing since they entered the country six years ago, and indeed, some members may have been complicit in some of Hezbollah's activities.

[ThePolishNizel]

Aha...I assume it is just the naivete of youth Dustin. Do you REALLY believe the stuff you are posting? The secret kidnappings of civilians? Kidnapping, whether secret or not, of hezbollah terrorists is NOT the same thing as kidnapping "innocent" civilians. Indiscriminate killing? Make that case, please. Civilians are dying because hezbollah hides behind them. This is a FACT. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

[Purple Avenger]

I am by no means pro-Hezbollah

Ummm, right. If anyone believes Dustin, I have some "prime" swampland in FL you might be interested in too...