Amnesty Finds Hizbullah Guilty of War Crimes.

Amnesty Finds Hizbullah Guilty of War Crimes
17:54 Sep 14, '06 / 21 Elul 5766
by Hillel Fendel


The int'l rights organization Amnesty has released a report criticizing Hizbullah for “serious violations of int'l humanitarian law” and “deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects.”

During the month-long war Hizbullah initiated by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers on July 12, the terrorists fired nearly 4,000 Katyusha rockets at Israeli towns and cities, killing 41 civilians and 12 soldiers. Even Al-Jazeera noted with surprise that "Amnesty International [had] not issued a report accusing Hizbullah of war crimes" - until today (Thursday).

Earlier, Amnesty had issued a scathing report against Israel, saying it had committed war crimes by targeting Lebanese infrastructures during the war.

Today's report noted that Hizbullah's Katyushas are "rockets with warheads packed with thousands of metal ball bearings intended to maximize harm to people... Katyusha rockets cannot be aimed with accuracy, especially at long distances, and are therefore indiscriminate" and illegal.

The report did not address the oft-repeated charges by Israeli and media sources that Hizbullah had used Lebanese civilians as protection against Israeli attacks. A recent Human Rights Watch report even denied these charges outright, claiming to have "found no cases in which Hizbullah deliberately used civilians as shields to protect them from retaliatory IDF attack."

Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz that this was "contrary to what every newspaper in the world had reported and what everyone saw with their own eyes on television."

The Amnesty report notes that it is "based on first-hand information from visits to Israel and Lebanon; interviews with dozens of victims; official statements; discussions with Israeli and Lebanese military and government officials, as well as senior Hizbullah officials; information from non-governmental groups; and media reports."

Despite the above, Amnesty notes in the report that it is still "conducting further research" into the charges that Hizbullah used the civilian population as a cover for its military activities. The organization says it "intends to address them separately."

Dershowitz says Amnesty is wrong in its accusations against Israel. "Israel committed no war crimes by attacking parts of the civilian infrastructure in Lebanon," he wrote recently in The Jerusalem Post. "In fact, through restraint, Israel was able to minimize the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon, despite Hizbullah's best efforts to embed itself in population centers and to use civilians as human shields."

Dershowitz continues, "The total number of innocent Muslim civilians killed by Israeli weapons during a month of ferocious defensive warfare was a fraction of the number of innocent Muslims killed by other Muslims during that same period in Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Algeria, and other areas of Muslim-on-Muslim civil strife. Yet the deaths caused by Muslims received a fraction of the attention devoted to alleged Israeli 'crimes.' This lack of concern for Muslims by other Muslims - and the lack of focus by so-called human rights organizations on these deaths - is bigotry, pure and simple."
The last three sentences are exactly how I feel.

Can you provide a specific link?

When I went to amnesty.org and did a search for Hezbollah, all I got was this:


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Neither addresses the issue you raised.

I would not venture to believe Alan Dershowitz as he is a hard core Zionist and lacks the type of impartiality that makes for a more reasoned discourse on the subject. But thanks for pointing out what was discussed on this forum before: that there is no evidence to support the IDF claim that Hezbollah used civilians as human shields. This was discredited in 1996 and this past Summer.

Well, if they spelled Hezbollah wrong I wouldn't go by that news article.

Deliberately targetting civilians during war is a war crime. No matter who does it.

However, Israel had been killing Lebanese civilians for nearly 2 days before Hezbollah decided to target Israeli citizens in response.

How long would our government allow another nation to deliberately target Canadian civilians before taking action? I would hope less than 48 hours.

And lets be clear here. Israel deliberately killed innocent Lebanese civilians:

Those other conflicts are certainly more deserving of attention than they get. The human suffering in those conflicts is much greater than that in Lebanon/Israel. But an important difference is that none of those conflicts has the potential to escalate into WW III.

I found this at the BBC

Indeed,I agree that murdering civilians is wrong regardless of who does it. The twist on reality that's popular right now is that the United States has the moral high ground despite Abu Ghraib and a lengthy list of lies and fabrication as well of course as ignoring the Geneva Conventions that contain guidelines for how non-combatants are to be treated. According to the new standard of the United States, America has the right to kidnap/detain whatever euphemism you'd like and spirit them off to foreign nations Cuba and Syria for instance where they can be tortured and however unhappily sometimes killed.

What's your point exactly?

Even though Israel and Hezbollah both committed war crimes, there are huge differences.

The differences are:

Israel's war crime was in response to Hezbollah's legal military operation against Israel. Hezbollah's war crime was in response to Israel's war crime.

Israel's war crime killed 1187 innocent civilians. Hezbollah's war crime killed 44 civilians.

Sorry folks, but this is old news. I heard about this sometime in early September. But I would like to add a comment. It pisses me off that Amnesty International ran off and accused Israel, the innocent ones, of war crimes before they accused Hezbollah. Wanna link? Just ask.

If accusing people of committing crimes could prevent crimes then you'd have a point, but it never has and never will. No one ever wins when war is conducted on the event wave of religious passions or greed, and Amnesty getting their critique to the world in the "wrong" order is about as imporant as what you had on your sausages this morning at breakfast.

you really should learn to relax....

Interesting how that BBC report emphasizes what it alleges to be Hezbollah violations, yet it acknowledges that more Lebanese civilians were killed by Israelis because of its violations.

Something to think about.

Of course Lefties have rushed to Hezbollah's defense, I'm shocked I say, shocked..

What is wrong with hezbollah??

They are considered by western nations as terrorist, but withouth a single shread of proof.

They were born from Israel occupation, in the 80's, period.

They have gave money for reconstruction, when in fact, it shoudl have been the agressor and their supporter, which is israel in this case, usa, canada , uk and all this "coalition of the willing"

Why because israel is immune from criticizism??

Hezbollah has killed way more soldiers than civilians, israel has killed way more civilians than soldiers.


I have more respect for hezbollah, than anyone in the coalition of the willing , including great israel.

VIVA Hezbollah!

Viva Hezbollah

• HEZBOLLAH ATTACKED PRIVATE CITIZENS & PROPERTY TARGET (APR. 7, 2005, ISRAEL)
• HEZBOLLAH ATTACKED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TARGET (MAR. 3, 2004, YEMEN)

• HEZBOLLAH ATTACKED PRIVATE CITIZENS & PROPERTY TARGET (AUG. 10, 2003, ISRAEL)

• Hezbollah fired anti aircraft shells in the vicinity of Birait in the western sector of the Lebanese border. (JAN. 6, 2003, ISRAEL)

• HEZBOLLAH ATTACKED houses belonging to senior members of the former Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army militia (AUG. 7, 2001, LEBANON)

• Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) and Hezbollah attacked Religious Figures/Institutions target (Mar. 29, 1989, Belgium)
• Action Directe and Hezbollah attacked Business target (Apr. 13, 1985, France)
• Committee of Solidarity with Arab and Middle East Political Prisoners (CSPPA) and Hezbollah attacked Transportation target (Mar. 18, 1986, France)
• Hamas and Hezbollah attacked Military target (Mar. 21, 1991, Israel)
• Hezbollah and Islamic Movement for Change attacked Military target (June 25, 1996, Saudi Arabia)
• Hezbollah and Islamic Salvation Front attacked Airports & Airlines target (Aug. 26, 1992, Algeria)
• Hezbollah and Khaibar Brigades attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 22, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah and Lebanese National Resistance Front attacked Military target (Mar. 10, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah and Other Group attacked Airports & Airlines target (Dec. 25, 1986, Iraq)
• Hezbollah and Other Group attacked Diplomatic target (Apr. 18, 1983, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah and Other Group attacked Diplomatic target (Jan. 5, 1989, Thailand)
• Hezbollah and Other Group attacked Military target (Apr. 12, 1985, Spain)
• Hezbollah and Other Group attacked Other target (Feb. 6, 1984, France)
• Hezbollah and Other Group attacked Tourists target (Feb. 4, 1990, Egypt)
• Hezbollah and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (GAI) attacked Government target (June 26, 1995, Ethiopia)
• Hezbollah and al-Qaeda attacked Military target (Nov. 13, 1995, Saudi Arabia)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (Apr. 5, 1988, Thailand)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (Aug. 28, 1985, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (Dec. 12, 1983, Kuwait)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (Dec. 4, 1984, Iran)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (July 22, 1985, Denmark)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (July 22, 1985, Denmark)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (July 24, 1987, Congo, Republic of the)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (June 7, 1985, Greece)
• Hezbollah attacked Airports & Airlines target (Sept. 19, 1989, Chad)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Aug. 1, 1987, Tunisia)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Feb. 8, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Jan. 17, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Jan. 20, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (June 6, 1995, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Mar. 29, 1985, France)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (May 29, 1986, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Nov. 17, 1993, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Nov. 28, 1995, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Sept. 12, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Sept. 7, 1987, France)
• Hezbollah attacked Business target (Sept. 9, 1987, France)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Aug. 24, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Aug. 7, 1991, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Dec. 12, 1983, Kuwait)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Dec. 12, 1983, Kuwait)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Dec. 27, 1988, Pakistan)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Feb. 20, 1991, Iran)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Feb. 20, 1991, Iran)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Feb. 20, 1991, Iran)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Jan. 17, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Jan. 8, 1987, Cyprus)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (July 13, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (July 26, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (June 6, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 16, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 17, 1992, Argentina)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 22, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 25, 1991, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 27, 1984, Iraq)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Mar. 7, 1992, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (May 20, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (May 5, 1990, Jordan)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Nov. 1, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Nov. 1, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Nov. 27, 1984, Italy)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Oct. 10, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Oct. 16, 1989, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Oct. 25, 1988, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Sept. 20, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Diplomatic target (Sept. 4, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Apr. 3, 1987, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Feb. 10, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Jan. 18, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Jan. 24, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Mar. 3, 2004, Yemen)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (May 27, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (May 28, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Sept. 26, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Educational Institutions target (Sept. 9, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Government target (May 25, 1985, Kuwait)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Feb. 10, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Jan. 13, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (July 3, 1991, Italy)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (June 17, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (June 27, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Mar. 16, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Mar. 7, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Mar. 7, 1990, Turkey)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Mar. 8, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (May 26, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Oct. 24, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Journalists & Media target (Sept. 28, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (Aug. 1, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (Aug. 15, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (Aug. 5, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (July 28, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (July 28, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (July 28, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (July 9, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (July 9, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (July 9, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (Sept. 20, 1984, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Maritime target (Sept. 27, 1985, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Apr. 13, 1993, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Apr. 18, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Aug. 10, 1996, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Aug. 19, 1993, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Aug. 9, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Dec. 16, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Feb. 17, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Feb. 18, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Jan. 14, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Jan. 29, 1997, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Jan. 8, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Jan. 8, 1998, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (June 1, 1989, Cote d'Ivoire)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (June 10, 1996, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (June 29, 1993, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Mar. 16, 1983, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Mar. 7, 1994, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Mar. 9, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (May 1, 1993, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (May 19, 1985, Saudi Arabia)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (May 26, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (May 30, 1996, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Nov. 9, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Oct. 19, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Oct. 23, 1983, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Military target (Oct. 23, 1983, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked NGO target (Aug. 7, 1991, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked NGO target (May 16, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked NGO target (May 25, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked NGO target (May 4, 1989, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Aug. 28, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Aug. 7, 2001, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Aug. 8, 1991, France)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Feb. 15, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Jan. 10, 1987, Cyprus)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Jan. 23, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Jan. 27, 1988, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (July 18, 1987, United Kingdom)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (June 11, 1994, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (May 26, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (May 7, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Oct. 1, 1987, United Kingdom)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Oct. 21, 1986, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Other target (Sept. 14, 1984, Spain)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Apr. 7, 2005, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Apr. 9, 1996, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Aug. 10, 2003, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Dec. 23, 1998, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Mar. 1, 1993, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Mar. 30, 1996, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Mar. 31, 1995, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Mar. 31, 1998, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (May 19, 1985, Saudi Arabia)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (May 5, 1995, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Nov. 27, 1995, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Private Citizens & Property target (Oct. 11, 1998, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Religious Figures/Institutions target (Jan. 30, 1987, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Religious Figures/Institutions target (Jan. 8, 1985, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Religious Figures/Institutions target (July 22, 1985, Denmark)
• Hezbollah attacked Religious Figures/Institutions target (July 22, 1985, Denmark)
• Hezbollah attacked Religious Figures/Institutions target (May 10, 1984, Lebanon)
• Hezbollah attacked Tourists target (June 23, 1995, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Unknown target (Jan. 6, 2003, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Unknown target (June 23, 1986, Egypt)
• Hezbollah attacked Unknown target (May 25, 1998, Israel)
• Hezbollah attacked Utilities target (Aug. 15, 1987, Saudi Arabia)
• Hezbollah attacked Utilities target (Dec. 12, 1983, Kuwait

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Logic you need another Moniker, you defy logic. Discussing this issue with you is pointless, like those whom came before you, you hate Jews and the USA. Everything in-between is propaganda, I'm not wasting my time on your elk.

Would the owner of a 2006 Elk in fashionable brown with hard luster appointments please remove it from the flower bed in front of the U.N.

Thanks this has been a public service announcement.

Don't you mean 'Aeon'?


I Think Not, nice work on gathering that information on Hezbollah, alas it falls on deaf ears with people lile Logic7(Aeon) how long will it take him to search and find bogus bias Anti-Israeli information on Israel?

And who's word should we trust?

George Bush?

Colin Powel

Donald Rumsfeld

We should believe these guys????

It's your call to trust them or not, personally I don't. But does not trusting them make Hezbollah any better? Or is this the usual knee jerk reaction "America is the evil empire" crapola? Is there only one evil on this planet? The US of A? Doesn't anyobdy have any other skeletons? I think so.

Civilians die in war. It's is sad and I wish it wouldn't happen, but it does. Get that through your terrorist mongering skull. OK. Hezbollah attacked Israel for no reason. Hezbollah are the guilty dirtbags.

I agree there are more than enough skeletons to go around, but we are talking about what degree of "truth" or dependability/reliability that can reasonably be expected of presentations of opinion from invested organizations and interest groups. I'm simply pointing out that the "truth" is very unlikely to get a great deal of exposure even from those whom a great many people regard as honest and truthful. Many American's embrace President Bush as their hero. Many believe that the dog and pony show that Colin Powel put on at the U.N. is still the current level of understanding the world has with respect to the potential threat of an Iraq with stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.Many embrace Donald Rumsfeld's fantasies delivered to the newsrooms of CNN and FOX via "embedded" journalists and actually believe that that they're watching and hearing the "truth".

Patriotism will permit of listening to if not (although any study of history is replete with examples) outright lies and fabrications, but perspectives only remotely affiliated with the actual course of events, as unvarnished absolute truth.

Politicians lie.

They all lie and they all have their minions on websites and throughout media of all kinds to further their lies and hidden agendas. Hizbolla the Whitehouse and the Parliament buildings...I would have thought people understand this but apparently there are still a great many people struggling with that reality.

Israel has been in conflict with Lebanon since it was first created:

But the big problem isn't Israel and Lebanon but Israel itself and its relationship with its neighbors:

The Destruction of Palestine

An eye witness account:

So why aren't there British American and Canadian troops in Israel and Lebanon, a peace-making contingent to bring stability to that region instead of of Canadian troops sitting in Afghanistan being targetted by American air force fighters and bomber crews?

If you don't know the answer I'll be happy to oblige...

..says the guys who thinks Bush was responsible for 9/11.

Stop that Mike!

I almost spit wine all over my computer screen!

I believe the political right officially proclaimed Amnesty International an organization not worth taking seriously. Why the sudden change?

PWNED!

I'm a member of Amnesty International.

You're pulling my leg.

Nope.

Send them a C-note at least once a year.