Diplomacy only way to bring an end to Lebanon conflict 
The Universe
(August 13, 2006)
The wanton destruction by Israeli military of the village of Qana in Southern Lebanon must be condemned as a war crime.
The horrific images of 31 little children being dug out of the rubble of a four storey building where they were sheltering from the Israeli air raids are heartbreaking.
The credibility of Israel as a righteous nation under the God of Abraham is severely strained, and their justification to the United Nations failed to convince me and millions of others worldwide.
Israel blamed terrorist organization Hezbollah for the attack, but in fact it was their own missiles which were responsible. There is no hard evidence that Hezbollah missiles were being fired from this building. Are the Israelis any better than the terrorists then?
The Israelis say the people were warned and should have fled. But how could they, with out cars or buses. Dozens of refugee families fleeing the fighting were obliterated in their cars by missiles fired from jets as they drove north to escape the blitz.
Now a 48-hour halt to aerial bombing has been agreed to by the Israelis. Too late for the dead.
It's not the first time either. A hundred civilians were killed in this same village in April 1996 while sheltering at a UN post during an Israeli bombing campaign.
Even their invasion of Lebanon when Ariel Sharon unleashed the Druze militia to massacre the Palestinians in the refugee camps of Beirut did not wipeout Hezbollah. In fact, that atrocity provoked even more attacks and is one of the roots of this present war.
Last week, two UN observers were killed when Israeli jets bombed a UN outpost. It is indeed a savage anger that is fuelling the attack of Israel.
The bulldozing of houses Gaza in an attempt to rout out Palestine resistance group Hamas, another terrorist organization elected as the Palestine government, is more proof such ruthlessness. Is Israeli any better than them?
Even aid supplies could not get through for days. Going after Hezbollah does not justify the destruction of the infrastructure of Lebanon and the killing of women and children.
It’s clear from recently released death toll figures that Hezbollah missile attacks are not as destructive as the Israeli satellite guided missiles, and the response of Israel is grossly disproportionate. Yet, they don't want a cease fire, nor does the United States, Britain and the western dominated UN security council. Kofi Annan's urgent appeal has been turned down.
Mr. Annan said that both side have violated international humanitarian law. The Hezbollah call themselves resistance fighters fighting a just cause - a war of retribution for what Israel did to the Palestinians, driving them into Jordan and Lebanon during the six day war of 1967 and taking their lands and occupying the West bank.
The Beirut massacres by Sharon that will live in infamy. It is anger and desire for revenge that is behind the unceasing attacks of Hezbollah and Hamas.
The violence today has it roots in recent history and that is what must be resolved – not with bombs and missiles, but with diplomacy.
No doubt Hezbollah are using inhabited buildings as cover for their rocket launching vehicles. They must be roundly condemned as cowards and war criminals themselves for using helpless civilians as human shields. All who support them ought to be also held liable for war crimes.
But Israel has to answer for crimes against humanity too. They should never stoop to the same low level of vicious mindless killing that they deplore in their enemies, it only dehumanizes Israel itself and all it says it stands for. [End]
