Canadian killed at UN post in Lebanon

[Vicious]

First, Hezbollah will never be removed by the Lebanon government, and expecting Israel to eliminate them is the same as expecting the yankees to eliminate al quida (sorry, spelling??? lol) I haven't seen any news footage of the Hezbollah celebrating in the streets.

Hey I agree that Israel has suffered pleanty over the years from terrorist attacks, but they have gone too far. I am sure you will have to agree with that.

They haven't gone far enough. Once they reestablish the buffer zone in Southern Lebanon they can hand it over to the UN or NATO or the EU to police.

 

[elevennevele]

My point stills stands. They did not and do not celebrate the deaths of civilians or UN troops for that matter.

This news is recent:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2277717,00.html

British anger at terror celebration
By Ned Parker and Stephen Farrell
The commemoration of Israeli bombings that killing 92 people has caused offence


AS ISRAEL wages war against Hezbollah “terrorists” in Lebanon, Britain has protested about the celebration by right-wing Israelis of a Jewish “act of terrorism” against British rule 60 years ago this week.

The rightwingers, including Binyamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister, are commemorating the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the headquarters of British rule, that killed 92 people and helped to drive the British from Palestine.

They have erected a plaque outside the restored building, and are holding a two-day seminar with speeches and a tour of the hotel by one of the Jewish resistance fighters involved in the attack.

Simon McDonald, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv, and John Jenkins, the Consul-General in Jerusalem, have written to the municipality, stating: “We do not think that it is right for an act of terrorism, which led to the loss of many lives, to be commemorated.”

 

[fuflans]

I think Vicious was refering to casulaties that have occured during the present and more recent conflicts.

 

[Vicious]

My point stills stands. They did not and do not celebrate the deaths of civilians or UN troops for that matter.

This news is recent:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2277717,00.html

British anger at terror celebration
By Ned Parker and Stephen Farrell
The commemoration of Israeli bombings that killing 92 people has caused offence


AS ISRAEL wages war against Hezbollah “terrorists” in Lebanon, Britain has protested about the celebration by right-wing Israelis of a Jewish “act of terrorism” against British rule 60 years ago this week.

The rightwingers, including Binyamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister, are commemorating the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the headquarters of British rule, that killed 92 people and helped to drive the British from Palestine.

They have erected a plaque outside the restored building, and are holding a two-day seminar with speeches and a tour of the hotel by one of the Jewish resistance fighters involved in the attack.

Simon McDonald, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv, and John Jenkins, the Consul-General in Jerusalem, have written to the municipality, stating: “We do not think that it is right for an act of terrorism, which led to the loss of many lives, to be commemorated.”

Recognizing a day 60 years ago? Did it come up when you googled 'Israeli's Celebrate'?

 

[elevennevele]

Recognizing a day 60 years ago? Did it come up when you googled 'Israeli's Celebrate'?

No it didn’t come up googled. Someone else shared it earlier. You said the Israelis don’t celebrate terrorism. That was the point you made and now I get a sense of a patronizing attitude from you. If you wish to now clarify what terrorism they 'do' and 'don’t' celebrate, you can go right ahead.

 

[BitWhys]

The National Post trying to the story with headlines?

UN backs off claim no Hezbollah activity near peacekeepers' base

...A senior UN official, asked about the information contained in Hess-von Kruedener's e-mail concerning Hezbollah presence in the vicinity of the Khiam base, denied the world body had been caught in a contradiction.

"At the time, there had been no Hezbollah activity reported in the area," he said. "So it was quite clear they were not going after other targets; that, for whatever reason, our position was being fired upon.

"Whether or not they thought they were going after something else, we don't know. The fact was, we told them where we were. They knew where we were. The position was clearly marked, and they pounded the hell out of us."

say it ain't so, Leonard. say it ain't so.

 

[Vicious]

Recognizing a day 60 years ago? Did it come up when you googled 'Israeli's Celebrate'?

No it didn’t come up googled. Someone else shared it earlier. You said the Israelis don’t celebrate terrorism. That was the point you made and now I get a sense of a patronizing attitude from you. If you wish to now clarify what terrorism they 'do' and 'don’t' celebrate, you can go right ahead.

11-11 sorry for the tone. I was having a difficult time seeing the relevance of the recognition of a day in history to the current mood in Lebanon.

No one would accuse the americans of celebrating terrorism each time they gather for July 4th. But on or around 1776 the British would have thought so. The brits themselves have Guy Fawkes day. A few hundred years of distance (or a few decades) allows one to forget the innocents that were killed and just focus on the Turning Point in History.

To clarify - I haven't seen any reports of Isrealis in the streets screaming death to Lebanon. I have however seen reports of the death to Isreal chants.

 

[BitWhys]

Wife of peacekeeper demands answers

KINGSTON, Ont. (CP) - The wife of a Canadian peacekeeper presumed dead in Lebanon demanded to know Thursday why Israeli missiles struck the UN site where her husband was stationed as an observer, even as she held out hope he might still be alive.

Cynthia Hess-von Kruedener told a news conference at CFB Kingston that she doesn't believe the strike Tuesday that's believed to have claimed the life of her husband, Paeta, was an accident.

"They're clearly marked as UN observers, so why were (the Israelis) firing on that base?" she wondered.

"If those are precision-guided missiles, then it is intentional with three bombs."

Israeli missiles flattened the UN post during a prolonged bombardment in the town of Khiam, near the eastern end of Lebanon's border with Israel.

Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener is feared to be one of four soldiers killed, along with colleagues from Austria, China and Finland. Three bodies have been found, but the Canadian is still missing and the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he is presumed dead.

Hess-von Kruedener said she was told by her husband that the UN site had been fired upon for "weeks upon weeks" and that he feared for his safety.

"They're UN soldiers; that should have been the safest place to be," she said. "They should not have bombed that site, period."

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has suggested Israel deliberately targeted the UN outpost despite repeated calls to stop the attacks, although Harper said Wednesday he didn't believe that was the case.

Israeli officials have vehemently denied targeting the post.

Speaking in Montreal, interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham called Harper's response to the bombing an irresponsible one that risks damaging Canada's reputation in the region.

"Everybody watching Canada at this time is concerned about whether or not Canada is, by its actions, making itself irrelevant in terms of being able to contribute to the possibility of a long-term peace in the Middle East," Graham said.

The former Liberal foreign affairs and defence minister said Harper has signalled a shift in Canadian policy by strongly backing Israel in the conflict.

A preliminary report from the UN said that before the post was hit, peacekeepers had called the Israeli military 10 times in a six-hour period to ask it to halt bombing.

The political rhetoric is not enough for Hess-von Kruedener's wife.

"We need to have at least the Israelis not shooting on the UN observers or in that area," she said. "That needs to stop."

The missing soldier was scheduled to return home to Kingston, Ont., in three weeks and Hess-von Kruedener still clings to the possibility that may happen.

"I have hope that he is out there somewhere and he needs help, whether he's injured or whatever the case might be," she said.

I'd like to know if the IDF are using anything besides guided missiles and smart bombs powerful enough to collapse the shelter.

 

[Hotshot]

First, Hezbollah will never be removed by the Lebanon government, and expecting Israel to eliminate them is the same as expecting the yankees to eliminate al quida (sorry, spelling??? lol) I haven't seen any news footage of the Hezbollah celebrating in the streets.

Hey I agree that Israel has suffered pleanty over the years from terrorist attacks, but they have gone too far. I am sure you will have to agree with that.

They haven't gone far enough. Once they reestablish the buffer zone in Southern Lebanon they can hand it over to the UN or NATO or the EU to police.

A question: Why should the buffer zone be in Lebanon? Israel can have a buffer zone as wide as they want on their side of the border.

 

[Vicious]

First, Hezbollah will never be removed by the Lebanon government, and expecting Israel to eliminate them is the same as expecting the yankees to eliminate al quida (sorry, spelling??? lol) I haven't seen any news footage of the Hezbollah celebrating in the streets.

Hey I agree that Israel has suffered pleanty over the years from terrorist attacks, but they have gone too far. I am sure you will have to agree with that.

They haven't gone far enough. Once they reestablish the buffer zone in Southern Lebanon they can hand it over to the UN or NATO or the EU to police.

A question: Why should the buffer zone be in Lebanon? Israel can have a buffer zone as wide as they want on their side of the border.

I think that's pretty obvious. A buffer zone in Isreal doesn't put Haifa out of range of Hezbollah missiles.

 

[elevennevele]

The sister of Canadian UN Peacekeeper, Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, is asking Israel to allow the UN to have access to the bombed UN Outpost so that her brother may be retrieved from the site.

Why is it that the Canadian Peacekeeper’s sister has to be the one asking for the repatriation of his body and not Harper? Why is he not the one “Standing Up For Canada” and making the reasonable request to Israel in allowing the UN to have access to the site so we can at least hope to bring his body back home and give closure to the distressed family back here.

At least ask Mr. Harper. At least try to “Stand Up For Canada.” in some sort of gesture on behalf of our own citizenry.

As for why Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener was at the UN Outpost? Exactly for the reasons he told his sister with regards to the current dangers. This was his job. This was where he is suppose to be as a peacekeeper for the UN on behalf of Canada.

 

[elevennevele]

RE: Canadian killed at UN

I heard Israel might have hit another UN Outpost but I'm waiting for confirmation of this.

 

[elevennevele]

I really cannot understand why Harper is so silent — so very much invisible during a time of national crisis as to Canadian foreign affairs. Did the right wing political coachers from the USA not give him the instructions on what to do during a foreign crisis involving the endangerment of Canadian lives?

http://allpoliticsnow.com/content/view/28/1

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060720.wticktock20/BNStory/National/home

But federal sources say there was an edict handed down by Sandra Buckler, the Prime Minister's communications director, dictating that the situation was to be kept under wraps.

Is Harper still hoping he can sweep things under the rug? Too late for that. We need very visible leadership at this time. There are now protests in the streets and cultural tensions that could get more divisive if there is no strong leadership to keep our citizenry more united with multinational objectives toward the crisis.

Please Mr. Harper. At least tell me you are not sitting in a room right now reading, “My Pet Goat” while Canadians in both Israel and Lebanon lose their lives.