Israel targets a UN outpost

[jdobbin]

This article in the New York Sun, excerpted below, casts douts on the varlous claims that Israel intended to target the UN or was indifferent. It seems that the UN post allowed Hezbollah to take liberties with the post's protected status.

UNIFIL immediately reported any Hezbollah in their vicinity. The last report from that UNIFIL base was that there was no Hezbollah in their immediate vicinity.

The link I put up is from insiders including and American who say that Israel ground troops were indifferent to whether they hit U.N. or civilians. This article came out Friday and predicted that it was inevitable that a massive civilian target would be hit under these type of conditions.

It happened today and now U.S. efforts are temporarily disrailed. Rice went home.

[jbg]

It happened today and now U.S. efforts are temporarily disrailed. Rice went home.

As you know by now it's my position that Rice didn't belong there in the first place.

[jdobbin]

As you know by now it's my position that Rice didn't belong there in the first place.

I can't see a deal happening either.

[jbg]

As you know by now it's my position that Rice didn't belong there in the first place.

I can't see a deal happening either.

It didn't happen in Biblical times and won't now. Solomon won, then Nebachednezzer (sp) won, then the Macabees won..... then Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon won. It will never end at the bargaining table.

Ever.

[Rue]

This article in the New York Sun, excerpted below, casts douts on the varlous claims that Israel intended to target the UN or was indifferent. It seems that the UN post allowed Hezbollah to take liberties with the post's protected status.

UNIFIL immediately reported any Hezbollah in their vicinity. The last report from that UNIFIL base was that there was no Hezbollah in their immediate vicinity.

The link I put up is from insiders including and American who say that Israel ground troops were indifferent to whether they hit U.N. or civilians. This article came out Friday and predicted that it was inevitable that a massive civilian target would be hit under these type of conditions.

It happened today and now U.S. efforts are temporarily disrailed. Rice went home.

I waited as few days knowing the true facts would come out. They have and have been substantiated and what we now know is Hezbollah indeed was using the UN observer post as a shield as they have numerous times in the past. What is a fact is before Israel started its latest counter-offensive it did what it has always done. it told the UN to pull its people out because they would be used as shields. The UN chose not to knowing their posts would be used as covers by Hezbollah. Teh Canadian Major who died made it clear to fellow Canadians on July 18 Israel was not deliberately aiming at the UN post but was trying to hit Hezbollah next to them. So your comments above are false. as for the UN spokesman who said Hezbollah was no where near the posts, it has now come out he mispresented the facts-whether he did so deliberately in the heat of the moment or deliberately to cover up the UN's failure to pull its observers remains to be seen. What we do know for a fact is the UN knew and was repeatedly warned by Israel to pull its people. Indians, and Ghanians had been injured earlier as well. More to the point the UN was aware that Chinese army engineers from the UN force, rebuilt a road and then assisted Hezbollah move missiles and weapons.

This UN fiasco is a disgrace. Good men died for what? I applaud those dead men. I have nothing but disdain for the politicians in the UN whose incompetency left them in harm's way. As for Hezbollah trying to hide behind the UN post this is a tactic they have used for over 20 years.

[Black Dog]

I waited as few days knowing the true facts would come out. They have and have been substantiated and what we now know is Hezbollah indeed was using the UN observer post as a shield as they have numerous times in the past

Anybody read the article?

A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired majorgeneral, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were “all over” the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel’s target, the deceased observer wrote.

A senior U.N. peacekeeping operation official who briefed the press yesterday, however, said that on the day the deaths occurred, the only “known Hezbollah activity was 5 kilometers away.”The official’s briefing was conditioned on anonymity, but the undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, Jane Holl Lute, supplied the Security Council with similar information at an earlier briefing yesterday.

“To our knowledge, unlike the vicinity of some of our other patrol bases, Hezbollah firing was not taking place within the immediate vicinity” of the base that was hit Tuesday.

Remember: the e-mail from Hess-von Kruedener about "tactical necessity" was from nine days befor ethe post was hit. There's nothing new in that report.

What is a fact is before Israel started its latest counter-offensive it did what it has always done. it told the UN to pull its people out because they would be used as shields. The UN chose not to knowing their posts would be used as covers by Hezbollah.

Cite?

as for the UN spokesman who said Hezbollah was no where near the posts, it has now come out he mispresented the facts-whether he did so deliberately in the heat of the moment or deliberately to cover up the UN's failure to pull its observers remains to be seen.

Cite?