Opening Shots in the Fourth Wurlitzer War

VS




ADL Calls Amnesty International Report "Bigoted, Biased, And Borderline Anti-Semitic" (from here):

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director called the Amnesty International report, "bigoted, biased, and borderline anti-Semitic." Currently in Israel visiting devastated areas in the north, Mr. Foxman said, "I see deliberate destruction of Israeli homes, hospitals, and other institutions."

"Amnesty International has a longstanding pattern of rushing to judgment to stigmatize Israel. They chose to ignore the fact that, after Hezbollah's unprovoked attack on Israeli soil, Israel did not deliberately strike civilian centers, while Hezbollah did, killing and maiming Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs and destroying their homes and businesses." (emphasis added)

Indeed, rockets did hit Northern Israel and:

Visiting Western Galilee Hospital
After a short briefing by the city spokesperson, we headed to the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya. The hospital estimates it has treated 1,300 patients, about 65% of which were for psychological trauma. (emphasis added)
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The hospital, did in fact sustain a direct hit. A rocket hit a patientÂ’s room a few days after the patients on that floor had been moved elsewhere. Although only one room was hit directly, all the rooms that we saw on the floor had clear signs of damage.

The Israelis have built underground shelters for everyone including an underground hospital. Would that Lebanon had such facilities.

On the other hand:

Amnesty International weighs in on the war
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According to Amnesty International, during the more than four weeks of war, Lebanon's infrastructure suffered destruction "on a catastrophic scale." During that period, the Israeli Air Force conducted more than 7,000 air attacks while the navy carried out 2,500 bombardments. As a result of these attacks and those of Israeli ground forces, 1,183 persons were killed. One-third of them were children. In addition, over 4,000 people were injured and almost 1 million people were displaced.
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Hospitals, particularly in the south of the country, sustained shelling damage, while their continued operation was affected by fuel shortages, road destruction and the continuing blockade. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health stated that, as of August 12, almost 60 percent of the country's hospitals had stopped functioning. Two government hospitals - in Bint Jbeil and in Meis al-Jabal - were completely destroyed in Israeli attacks. (emphasis added)

Let me be very specific, I condemn violence against civilians no matter who instigates it. However, in this case the burden of responsibility falls far more heavily on the Israelis. In particular, the Israeli jets and artillery were well aware of what they were destroying whereas Hezbollah, although they claim their targets were military, used rockets difficult to target but of low yield compared to the firepower of an F-16. More importantly, there is no evidence that Hezbollah used cluster bombs. In summary, there is little comparison between the sides.

As this war and its aftermath slip further and further from the awareness of Mr. and Mrs. America, Lebanon has been left in tatters.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday called Israel's air and sea blockade of Lebanon a "humiliation," while Israel said it won't end the embargo until peacekeeping forces on the border can prevent Hezbollah guerrillas from importing new weapons.

I thought Israel agreed to a cease fire? That should have included lifting the blockade. It is yet another example of "all are equal but we are more equal than you." Talk about exceptionalism.