By Manila Ryce
Published Thursday, August 31st, 2006, 3:04 am
Filed under: Human Rights, World: Asia, War, Terrorism, Society/Culture, World Issues, US Politics
Israel is being criticized by Jan Egeland, the UN’s humanitarian chief, who said their use of cluster bombs in south Lebanon, especially during the last 3 days before the ceasefire, is criminal. “What’s shocking and I would say completely immoral is that 90 percent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we knew there would be an end.” Egeland still has not received an explanation from Israel yet, and intends to launch an appeal for mine clearance money this Thursday at a conference on Lebanon’s reconstruction. Israel has been asked by the UN to provide a list of sites hit with cluster bombs during its offensive against Lebanon so that clearance crews will know where to clean up.
Egeland went on to discuss the moral obligations of countries like the US who manufacture and supply the bombs. He said, “Those places who made those bombs should have a serious talk with Israel on the use of such bombs that are making our lives so miserable trying to help the Lebanese people. I hope the US will talk to the Israelis on that, because it is an outrage that we have 100,000 bombs among where children, women, shopkeepers and farmers are now going to tread”. Thousands of Lebanese civilians remain at risk from the unexploded cluster bombs which essentially become landmines. Over 100,000 unexploded bombs have been found by the UN thus far. Lebanese citizens who survived the Israeli bombing campaign will now be welcomed home by unknown numbers of cluster bombs. According to Chris Clark, head of the UN Mine Action Service in southern Lebanon, there have been 59 confirmed casualties from these bombs since the ceasefire was enacted.
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[…] Yesterday the head of the Israeli Army rocket unit said that the Israeli army dropped at least 1.2 million cluster bomblets over Lebanon. The commander added that, “what we did is insane and monstrous”. An Israeli paper also reported that army artillery units testified during a war inquiry that phosphorous shells, which are banned by international law, were also used. Most of the shells were fired in the last ten days of Israeli aggression. This echoes concerns made last month about cluster bombs by the UN’s humanitarian chief who said that, “90 percent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict when we knew there would be a resolution, when we knew there would be an end”. The commander also confirmed that MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) platforms were heavily used, even though it is known that they are highly inaccurate. The MRLS is capable of firing a high volume of mostly unguided munitions. Cluster bombs, manufactured mainly in the United States and in Israel, are small bombs that splinter into many pieces, raining shrapnel upon an area 2-3 kilometers from where the bomb hits. For this reason, cluster bombs disproportionately impact civilian populations. […]
09/13/06 at 12:46 am
[…] During the war, Prime Minister Tony Blair angered many for refusing to call for an early ceasefire. Israel was condemned by both the UN, in August, and the head of the Israeli Army rocket unit, in September, for dropping at least 1.2 million cluster bombs over Lebanon. Israel is also known for its human rights violations in occupied Palestine where a special UN envoy recently described the situation as “ethnic cleansing”. […]
10/17/06 at 12:19 am