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2006 Lebanon War

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2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
Part of the 2006 Middle East conflict
Date12 July 2006 – present
Location
Lebanon and northern Israel
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg Hezbollah Israel Lebanon
note: AA only[1]
Commanders and leaders
Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary General) Dan Halutz (CoS)
Udi Adam (Regional)		 Michel Sulaiman (CoS)
Casualties and losses
Militants:
Unclear.
8 confirmed by Hezbollah.
The IDF claims that 100 militants have been killed[2]

Civilians:
15 killed[3]
500+ injured [4]

Tens of thousands displaced[5]

Soldiers:
19 killed[6][7][8][9]
33 wounded[9]
2 captured[10] (Israeli military accounts)		 Civilians:
At least 355 killed[11][8][12]
1100 injured
700,000 displaced [13]
Soldiers:
22 killed
63 wounded[3]
(Lebanese government accounts.)

Template:Campaignbox Arab-Israeli conflict

The 2006 Israel-Lebanese conflict is a series of ongoing military actions and clashes in northern Israel and Lebanon involving Hezbollah's armed wing and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On 12 July 2006 Hezbollah initiated Operation Truthful Promise,[14] named for a “promise” by its leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for the remaining three Lebanese held by Israel.[15][16] The early morning raid into Israeli territory resulted in eight Israeli soldiers killed and two captured. Israel then responded with Operation Just Reward,[17] later renamed Operation Change of Direction.[18] This retaliatory strike has thus far encompassed bombing raids by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), an air and Israeli Sea Corps naval blockade of Lebanon, especially southern Lebanon and Beirut, as well as some small raids into southern Lebanon by IDF ground troops.[19] Hezbollah has concurrently engaged in extensive rocket attacks on Israel's northern cities, including Haifa.

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
See also: Military operations of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

Hezbollah raid and ensuing border clash

File:Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah.jpeg
Hassan Nasrallah on billboard in Southern Lebanon.

At 9:05 AM local time (0605 GMT) on 12 July 2006[10] the Shia-Muslim group Hezbollah militants attacked two Israeli armored IDF Humvees on a routine patrol of the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border road near the Israeli village of Zar’it with anti-tank rockets.[20] The militants killed three soldiers and captured two others.[21] The IDF confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah, and identified them as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, both reservists who were on their last day of operational duty.[citation needed]

Within 2 hours Israel responded. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz:

"[A] force of tanks and armored personnel carriers was immediately sent into Lebanon in hot pursuit. It was during this pursuit, at about 11:00 A.M. . . . [a] Merkava tank drove over a powerful bomb, containing an estimated 200 to 300 kilograms of explosives, about 70 meters north of the border fence. The tank was almost completely destroyed, and all four crew members were killed instantly. Over the next several hours, IDF soldiers waged a fierce fight against Hezbollah gunmen . . . During the course of this battle, at about 3:00 P.M., another soldier was killed and two were lightly wounded." [21]

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah then declared that “No military operation will return them… The prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade [of prisoners].”[22]

Israeli response

Amir Peretz
Israeli Minister of Defence.

According to CNN:

The Israeli Cabinet authorized "severe and harsh" retaliation on Lebanon after Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped two soldiers and killed three others in a cross-border raid Wednesday Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years."[23]

Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert declared the attack by Hezbollah’s military wing an "act of war", and promised Lebanon a “very painful and far-reaching response.”[24] Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz also said that “the State of Israel sees itself free to use all measures that it finds it needs, and the Israeli Forces have been given orders in that direction.”[25]

Israel said it held the Beirut government responsible for the attack, but Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denied any knowledge of the raid and stated that he did not condone it.[26] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.[27]

Following several days of Israeli bombing raids, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated in a radio interview on 14 July that Hezbollah was prepared for "open war" with Israel.

According to an unnamed senior IDF officer the strike was targeted against rocket launch sites and rocket storerooms, although many of them were intentionally located by Hezbollah in civilian population centers.[28][29][30] An unnamed Lebanese official responded that “Hezbollah did not store arms in civilian areas.”[31]

Early on 13 July 2006 Israel sent IDF jets to bomb Lebanon's international airport near Beirut, forcing its closure and diverting its arriving flights to Cyprus. Hezbollah continued its attack by bombarding the Israeli towns of Nahariya and Safed, as well as villages nearby with rocket fire. The attacks killed two civilians and wounded 29 more.[32] Nahariya residents began leaving the city en masse in fear of further Katyusha attacks.[33] Israel is now imposing an air and sea blockade on Lebanon,[34][35] and has bombed the main Beirut–Damascus highway.[36]

Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev claims the Hezbollah unit that captured the two soldiers is trying to transfer them to Iran, but did not provide any proof or evidence.[37] Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam of the Northern Command, says Israel has not ruled out sending ground forces into Lebanon. [38] Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz says that the ground operations would be limited though. [39]

Hezbollah rocket campaign

Map showing Israeli localities attacked by rockets fired from Lebanese soil as of Sunday, July 16th.

After widespread attacks on Lebanon by Israeli forces, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said "In the beginning, we started to act calmly, we focused on Israel[i] military bases and we didn't attack any settlement, However, since the first day, the enemy attacked Lebanese towns and murdered civilians … Hizbullah militants had destroyed military bases, while the Israelis killed civilians and targeted Lebanon's infrastructure."[40] Artillery rockets by Hezbollah were fired at civilian targets throughout the conflict, landing in all major cities of northern Israel including Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya and Safed.[41]

Concurrent to the Israeli response, and claimed to be in retaliation to it, Hezbollah declared an all-out military alert, and said it had 13,000 rockets capable of hitting towns and installations far into northern Israel. As a result, Defense Minister Peretz told commanders to prepare civil defense plans, and some 220,000 Israeli civilians were sent to bomb shelters.[42][43][44] Hezbollah continued to fire hundreds of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel's towns and cities, including Nahariya, Safed, Hatzor HaGlilit, Rosh Pina, Kiryat Shmona, and Karmiel, and numerous small agricultural villages.[45][46][47][45][48]

For the first time, Hezbollah attacks have penetrated as far south as Haifa, Israel's third largest city, as well as the Jezreel Valley and the cities of Nazareth and Afula. Al-Manar has reported that the Hezbollah attack included a Fajr-3 and a Ra'ad 1 liquid-fuel missiles, developed by Iran.[49][50] One of the attacks hit a railroad repair depots, killing eight workers; Hezbollah claimed that this attack was aimed at a large Israeli fuel storage plant adjacent to the railway facility. Haifa is home to many strategically valuable facilities such as shipyards and oil refineries, and their targeting by Hezbollah is seen as an escalation.[51] [52]

Defence Minister Amir Peretz has declared martial law throughout north Israel.[53]

Targets in civilian areas

File:Tyre Mass Graves (PBS NewsHour).png
A mass grave of Lebanese killed in the Israeli attack on Tyre, 21 July 2006. The small coffins are for children.

Attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon and Israel have been a major component in the conflict. Strikes on Lebanon's civilian infrastructure include Beirut airport, ports, a lighthouse, grain silos,[54] bridges, roads, factories, medical and relief trucks,[55] mobile telephone and television stations,[56] and the country's largest dairy farm Liban Lait.[57] CNN's Dr. Sanjoy Gupta reported "confirmed attacks on ambulances [marked with a red cross] and hospitals" in Beirut.[58] Widespread damage to fuel containers and service stations also raised the likelihood of fuel shortages.[59] Families evacuating the village of Marwahin in South Lebanon were struck on an open road by an Israeli missile attack;[60] killing 17, many of them women and children.[61][62] Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into this incident.[63] In response to American support and Israel's military tactics, Kim Howells, British Foreign Secretary, said in an interview with CNN, "I hope that the Americans understand what's happening to Lebanon: the destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children, and so many people. These have not been surgical strikes, and it's very, very difficult I think to understand the kind of military tactics that have been used. You know if they're chasing Hezbollah, we'll go for Hezbollah. You don't go for the entire Lebanese nation, and that's the difference."[64]

Israel has stated that "Hezbollah has a huge arsenal and has fired 1,000 missiles at us. We are acting in self-defence. We are targeting only military objectives, including transport facilities that Hezbollah can use, but you have to remember that Hezbollah often hides in civilian areas. We sent flyers and gave other warnings to civilians to leave before our attacks."[65]

Louise Arbour, United Nations high commissioner for human rights, expressed "grave concern over the continued killing and maiming of civilians in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory." She suggested that the actions of Israel and Hezbollah may constitute war crimes. [66][67][68] Arbour called for Israel to obey a "principle of proportionality" and said, "indiscriminate shelling of cities constitutes a foreseeable and unacceptable targeting of civilians … Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable." The UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland has said that one third of the dead are children.[69]

One day after the call for a ceasefire by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on 20 July 2006, a U.N.-run observation post located near Zarit, Israel near the Lebanese border was hit by direct fire during fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militia. The Israeli army claimed Hezbollah rockets hit the U.N. post; however, a U.N. officer claimed that the post "was hit by an Israeli artillery shell" [70]

After widespread attacks on Lebanon by Israeli forces, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said "In the beginning, we started to act calmly, we focused on Israel[i] military bases and we didn't attack any settlement, However, since the first day, the enemy attacked Lebanese towns and murdered civilians … Hizbullah militants had destroyed military bases, while the Israelis killed civilians and targeted Lebanon's infrastructure."[71] Artillery rockets by Hezbollah were fired at civilian targets throughout the conflict, landing in all major cities of northern Israel including Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, Nahariya and Safed.[72]

Human Rights Watch stated on 18 July that "Hezbollah's attacks [on Haifa] were at best indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas, at worst the deliberate targeting of civilians. Either way, they were serious violations of international humanitarian law and probable war crimes." [73] Amnesty International condemned both parties and called for UN intervention, stating: "The past few days has seen a horrendous escalation in attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Yet the G8 leaders have failed conspicuously to uphold their moral and legal obligation to address such blatant breaches of international humanitarian law, which in some cases have amounted to war crimes."[74]

On July 20, 2006, "Democracy Now!", an Independent North American news program reported:

At least 72 civilians died in Lebanon on Wednesday making it the deadliest day of the Israeli assault. In the village of Srifa, Israeli warplanes flattened an entire neighborhood. 15 homes were destroyed. At least 17 civilians died including several children. The local mayor described the attack as a massacre.[75]

On July 21, the southern city of Tyre became the site of a mass grave for 86 Lebanese civilians killed by Israeli forces. More than half of the victims were children, according to local hospital staff.[6] The Los Angeles Times reported: “Civil structure appears to have broken down almost completely. Ambulances haven't been able to operate. The dead are rotting in the rubble of smashed homes. Food and clean drinking water are running out.”[76] In addition to the 500,000 already displaced Lebanese civilians, Israel warned some 300,000 Lebanese to abandon their homes. The Israel Defense Forces was preparing to call up thousands of reserve troops. Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr told the Arabic television network Al Jazeera Thursday Lebanon would resist an Israeli attack.[77]

Meanwhile, the bombardment of Lebanon continued. At least thirty Lebanese were killed Thursday. The Lebanese death toll stood at around 320 -- almost all civilians. Earlier that day, Israeli warplanes attacked Lebanon’s main highway to Syria. Several passenger buses were set on fire but no casualties were reported. The World Food Program said damage to roads and bridges has almost completely disrupted the food supply chain, hurting large numbers of the estimated 500,000 people displaced by the attack. The situation in the southern Lebanese village of Tyre is getting worse by the day.[76]

Opinions on attacks on civilian areas

1. Pro-Israeli opinion: Israel maintains that it strives to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible. In Lebanon, this appears to be a difficult task because Hezbollah terrorists routinely use civilian homes, Lebanese municipal infrastructure, and even medical facilities as live shields in its war against Israel and her inhabitant. Israeli military spokesman Capt. Jacob Dallal said that Israel's targets had direct military significance, since Hezbollah uses roads to transport its rockets and stores them in houses. "A lot of the rockets are stored in people's homes in urban areas, fired from within villages and brought in from the Damascus-Beirut highway," Dallal said. [78]

2. Anti-Israeli opinion: Some academics have voiced their opinion that Israel is intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure: Juan Cole, a Middle East and East Asian Studies professor at the University of Michigan, wrote in an article, "The current Israeli plan for Lebanon appears to seek to repeat Israel's success in Jordan in 1970–71. … By bombarding and menacing Jordan, Israel forced King Hussein and his Bedouin tank corps to attempt to curb the PLO. … [T]he struggle turned into a civil war with Palestinian Jordanians, in which the PLO was crushed … Ethically, [Israel's 'maximal plan'] is monstrous, involving war crimes on a vast scale insofar as it targets a civilian population for forcible relocation."[79] James Dobbins, head military analyst for the Rand Corporation who is also widely-known for his criticism of U.S. military actions in Iraq, said in a recent interview that "The military rationale seems rather thin, since many of the targets have no conceivable relationship to Hezbollah."[80]

Claims of weaponized phosphorus use by Israeli forces

On 16 July Lebanese President Emile Lahoud claimed Israeli forces have used "phosphorus incendiary bombs, which are a violation of international laws, … against Lebanese civilians."[81][82][83] Information Minister Ghazi Aridi also said, "Israel is using internationally prohibited weapons against civilians."[81][82][84] The use of incendiary weapons on civilians is prohibited by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.[85].

Historical background

See also: 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict § More_background

Israeli-Lebanon conflict

After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, 110,000 Palestinians fled or emigrated from Israel to take refuge in Lebanon.[citation needed], and make up 695,000 refugees in Lebanon as of today [86]. From 1970 to 1973, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was engaged in the Black September in Jordan, which routed a large number of Palestinian fighters and refugees into neighboring Lebanon. By 1975, they numbered more than 300,000, creating an informal state-within-a-state in South Lebanon. The PLO became a powerful force and played an important role in the Lebanese Civil War. Continual fighting occurred between Israel and the PLO from 1968 onward. In 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon in an attempt to rout out Palestinian militants who had been using southern Lebanon as a base for raids on northern Israel since 1968.[citation needed] As a result the United Nations passed UN Resolutions 425 and 426, which called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end to military action in Lebanon.[87] At the end of the operation, Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon, leaving behind a UNIFIL force, and their allies, the South Lebanon Army.

Israel invaded again four years later in 1982 in response to an assassination attempt against Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Shlomo Argov by Fatah - Revolutionary Council and to artillery attacks launched by the PLO against populated areas in northern Israel. Israel’s attack forced PLO forces out of Lebanon (mostly to Tunisia), and Israel occupied the southern part of the country. In 1985, Israel withdrew its forces from parts of Lebanon and remained in a 4-6 km deep strip of southern Lebanon named by Israel “The Security Zone”, which Israel cited as a protective measure to defend its Northern towns against Katyusha rockets. This occupation lasted until 2000. During the 18-year period from 1982, Israel was involved to varying degrees in a guerrilla conflict and a number of incidents including the Qana shelling[88] and the Sabra and Shatila Massacre.

On 24 May 2000, Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon, more than six weeks before its stated deadline of 7 July.[89] This was considered by some Lebanese a victory for Hezbollah and boosted its popularity hugely in Lebanon.[90]

The pullout was certified by the UN as complete as of 18 June 2001, in compliance with the mandate of United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 for Israel to “withdraw its forces from all Lebanese territory”.[91] However, Lebanon claims the Shebaa Farms, a 35 square kilometre (13.5 sq mi) area, controlled by Israel, to be Lebanese territory.[92] This is territory which the United Nations Security Council has ruled is an occupied territory of Syria, and not part of Lebanon.[93][94] Hezbollah has fired mortar rockets into Israel, whilst Israel has carried out numerous attacks aimed at striking Hezbollah bases. (see: Hezbollah activities)[95][96][97][98][99]

In June 2006, the Lebanese military arrested an alleged assassination squad led by former South Lebanese Army corporal Mahmoud Abu Rafeh. According to army statements, the cell was trained and supported by the Israeli Mossad and "used ... to carry out assigned assassinations in Lebanon." Among the killings attributed to the squad are those of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Holy War) Mahmoud Mjzoub and his brother (May 26, 2006), and Hezbollah (Party of God) officials Ali Saleh (2003) and Ali Hassan Dib (1999).[100]

Hezbollah

Main article: Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shi’a Muslim Islamist organization formed in 1982 “primarily to offer resistance to the Israeli occupation.”[101] Hezbollah's political doctrine has consistently called for the destruction of Israel.[101]

It has a military and civilian wing, the latter participating in the Lebanese parliament, taking 18% of the chairs (14 out of 128) and the bloc it forms with others, the "Resistance and Development Bloc", a little less than thirty percent for a total of 35 seats, (see Lebanese general election, 2005). It is a minority partner in the current Cabinet.

Hezbollah's armed wing is called Al-Muqawama Al-Islamiyya ("The Islamic Resistance"). One of its broadcasting outlets is the satellite TV station Al-Manar ("The Beacon").

Previous prisoner exchanges

During an attack in October 2000 on Shebaa Farms Hezbollah captured three IDF soldiers who were killed either during the operation or in its immediate aftermath. Hezbollah sought to obtain the release of 14 Lebanese prisoners in exchange, together with Palestinian prisoners.[102] Israel now claims that it never engages in prisoner exchanges, and that it will not "negotiate with the terrorists". Despite this, a prisoner swap was carried out on 29 January 2004: 30 Lebanese and Arab prisoners, the remains of 60 Lebanese militants and civilians, 420 Palestinian prisoners, and maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon were exchanged for an Israeli businessman and army reserve colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum captured in 2001 in a business trip, and the remains of the three IDF soldiers mentioned above.[citation needed]Three Lebanese nationals are still held in Israel's prisons (including Samir Kuntar, held in jail since his conviction in 1979 on charges of murder and terrorism, for killing two Israeli civilians and two Israeli policemen).[citation needed]

Casualties

The ongoing nature of the conflict makes assessing the precise number of casualties difficult.

Lebanese

According to various media, between 300 and over 330 people are reported dead, almost all civilians - with the wounded put at between 480 and 600, and over 500,000 refugees, with an unknown number of missing civilians in the south.[103][104][105][106]

According to Dan Halutz, former Israel Air Force commander, close to 100 Hezbollah fighters killed.[7]

However, Hezbollah only confirmed 8 casualties so far and the exact figure remains unclear.

Israeli

  • 19 Israeli soldiers were killed (including one pilot, killed in an collision between two helicopters, and four sailors, killed in an attack on INS Hanit), 2 captured, and 33 more wounded.[7][9]
  • 15 civilians have been killed, while another 500 civilians were treated in hospitals, 11 of whom were seriously injured.[4]

Foreign nationals

  • Seven Lebanese-Canadians from Montreal, including four children and all from the same family, were killed and six severely injured by an Israeli attack on Aitaroun in South Lebanon on 16 July. An eighth member of the family died later from injuries sustained in the blast.[107]
  • A family of four Brazilians, including two children, was killed in the Israeli bombings in Srifa,[108] drawing condemnation from foreign relations minister Celso Amorim.[109] Another Brazilian child was killed in an Israeli strike in Tallousa.[110]
  • Four members of a German-Lebanese family, including two minors, from Mönchengladbach, Germany were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Chehour in southern Lebanon while on vacation.[111][112]
  • The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry has reported that two Kuwaiti nationals have been killed by Israeli bombing.[113]
  • A Sri Lankan was killed in an Israeli bombing.[7]
  • One Iraqi was killed by Israeli bombing.[7]
  • One Jordanian was killed when Israeli missiles hit trucks near Zahleh in the mountains above the eastern Bekaa Valley.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Refugees and evacuations

Two U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus following their flight from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has received reports of 50,000 to 60,000 internally displaced people fleeing from the heavily Shia-populated south of Lebanon and southern suburbs of Beirut, areas that have borne the brunt of the Israeli attacks.[114] United Nations estimates run as high as 500,000 internally displaced Lebanese. Media reports indicate that thousands of people have fled Lebanon into Syria, with 15,000 reportedly entering through the Masnaa crossing on 15 July alone.[115] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) monitors believe most of these people are Syrian nationals working in Lebanon.[116]

Foreign nationals

Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict § Evacuation of foreign nationals
See also: List of countries evacuating citizens from Lebanon

The Israeli strategy of blockade, including seaports, the Beirut airport, and key roads and bridges, meant that normal escape routes were unavailable[citation needed]. Lebanon borders only Israel and Syria. According to a spokesman for the British High Commission in the Republic of Cyprus, both France and the US have secured permission from the British to use the facilities of the British Sovereign Base Areas,[117] which includes RAF Akrotiri.

Many governments are engaged in efforts to evacuate their nationals by boat to Cyprus or Turkey or by bus to Syria.[118][119]

Further information: [[:List of countries with foreign nationals in Lebanon]]

Position of Lebanon

Even though Israel holds the Lebanese government responsible for the Hezbollah attacks, Lebanon disavowed the Hezbollah raids and did not condone them.[26] An emergency meeting of the Lebanese government reaffirmed this position.[27] So almost immediately after hostilities began, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for a ceasefire. On 14 July, following a phone call between Siniora and President Bush, the Prime Minister’s office issued the statement that “Prime Minister Siniora called on President Bush to exert all his efforts on Israel to stop its aggression on Lebanon, reach a comprehensive ceasefire and lift its blockade.”[120]

The next day, in a televised message to the Lebanese people, and afterwards in an interview with CNN, Siniora said “We call for an immediate ceasefire backed by the United Nations.”[121]

On 16 July, the Lebanese special envoy to the UN, Nouhad Mahmoud, claimed that the United States was obstructing the Security Council's attempt to broker a ceasefire.[122] In fact, "[t]he Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the U.S. was the sole member of the 15-nation UN body to oppose any council action at all at this time."[123] Condoleezza Rice, speaking from St. Petersburg on 16 July, seemed to oppose an immediate cessation of violence, claiming that the ceasefire demanded by Siniora would be unworkable unless it addressed Hezbollah violence and the support it gets from Syria and Iran. She said the only way to deal with the problem is “to deal with the extremists, isolate the extremists, and put in place moderate democratic states”.[124]

Many Lebanese feel the international community is not doing enough to end the conflict and consider Israel's attack to be unjustly punishing a country that has hardly any control over Hezbollah. There is also deep anger at Hezbollah for provoking Israel into attacking Lebanon.[125]

According to MSNBC, "Today, we sat down with Lebanon‘s prime minister. He said that in the last five days, Israel has set his country back 50 years." [126]

Negotiations for ceasefire

Hezbollah has demanded that Israel trade three Lebanese prisoners for the two captured Israeli soldiers but Israel refused.[127]

On 14 July BBC News reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would agree to a ceasefire if Hezbollah returned the two captured soldiers, stopped firing rockets at Israel, and if Lebanon implemented UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the group’s disarmament.[128] Two days later, it was reported that Israel would agree to a ceasefire under two conditions: 1) The return of the two soldiers captured on 12 July and, 2) The Army/Government of Lebanon would have to ensure that Hezbollah would pull back to the Litani River.[129]

On Monday, 17 July Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the fighting in Lebanon would end when Hezbollah guerrillas freed two captured soldiers, rocket attacks on Israel stopped and the Lebanese army deployed along the border.[130]
But a spokesman for Hezbollah says it wants an unconditional ceasefire.[131]

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that a prisoner exchange was the only way to secure the release of the soldiers.[132]

IDF Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz is understood to believe that Israel should have launched the kind of anti-Hezbollah offensive now being carried out in late 2000, after the previous capture, and that the failure to act then was a central inspiration for the second intifada.[133]

International reaction

Main article: International reactions to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

International reactions to the conflict for the most part have condemned both Hezbollah and Israel, with many nations expressing concern over a possible escalation of the conflict.[134] Some nations, including the United States,[135] United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, have asserted Israel's right to self-defense. The nations of the G8 blamed the upsurge in violence in the Middle east on "extremists" and accepted Israel's right to self-defense whilst exercising restraint.[136][137]

George W. Bush supports the Israeli attacks and on 13 July said Israel has a right to defend itself. [138] At the G8 Summit, President Bush said "the root of the problem is Hezbollah" and that the U.S. is "never going to tell a nation how to defend herself."[139] Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed his support for Israel's actions, calling the Israeli response "measured". On the other hand, a number of European countries criticize the Israeli offensive which they fear may lead to war. Jacques Chirac, president of France — a country which maintained close links with Lebanon since the days of the League of Nations mandate — castigated the Israeli offensive into Lebanon on 14 July [140]. Furthermore, Foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy qualified the Israeli offensive as a "disproportionate act of war with negative consequences" which could "plunge Lebanon back into the worst years of the war with the flight of thousands of Lebanese who ... were in the process of rebuilding their country.” “[141][142]

Russia sharply criticized Israel over its onslaught against Lebanon, now in its ninth day, sparked when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers. The Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov said Israel's actions have gone "far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire.[143] He said "this is a disproportionate response to what has happened and if both sides are going to drive each other into a tight corner then I think that all this will develop in a very dramatic and tragic way." He added: "We firmly reaffirm support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity." [144] and a Russian newsagency said "Putin believes that Israel pursues other aims in the Middle East, except for the return of hostages." [145]

Iran, Syria and Yemen have given support to Lebanon and Hezbollah.[146] The Arab League "condemns the Israeli aggression in Lebanon which contradicts all international law and regulations". However, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also criticised Hezbollah for harming Arab interests and blame them for starting the conflict (while simultaneously criticizing Israel for what they view as an over-escalated response).[147] On 20 July UN Secretary General Kofi Annan demanded both sides stop all violence immediately, condemning Hezbollah for sparking the conflict but also attacking Israel for its "excessive use of force".[148]

Lebanese protest in Sydney

Lebanese Australians protest: 22nd July 2006 - 15,000 Australians of Lebanese/Arab background protest in Sydney

The United Nations: UN Secretary General Koffi Annan: "What is most urgently needed is an immediate cessation of hostilities for three vital reasons: . . ."[149]

United States: Even though only 27% of Americans "think the U.S. should play an active role in trying to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah"[150] "[t]he US government continues to back Israel’s actions."[149]

On Thursday [July 20, 2006], the House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting the attack on Lebanon. The final vote was 410 to 8. The Senate unanimously passed a similar measure earlier this week.[149]

Rather than peace, the US is secretly opting to escalate the violence as a new arms shipment to Israel "has not been announced publicly."[151]

The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hizbollah targets in Lebanon, The New York Times reported on Saturday. Citing U.S. officials who spoke on Friday on condition of anonymity, the Times said the decision to ship the weapons quickly came after relatively little debate within the administration, and noted in its report that its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others who could perceive Washington as aiding Israel in the manner that Iran has armed Hizbollah. [151]

"The Bush administration has openly rejected calls for a ceasefire. The New York Times reports that U.S. and Israeli officials have agreed the bombings will continue for another week."[152] "On Tuesday [July 18, 2006] Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice rejected an immediate ceasefire and said one could only occur once certain conditions are met." [152]

John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, rejected the call for a ceasefire.


John Bolton: "The notion that you just declare a ceasefire and act as if that is going to solve the problem, I think is simplistic.”[153]

US unilateral opposition in the UN Security Council:

On Saturday [July 15, 2006] the United Nations Security Council again rejected pleas from Lebanon that it call for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported the U.S. was the sole member of the 15-nation UN body to oppose any council action at all at this time. [123]

Bush blames Hezbollah.

[President Bush:] Everybody abhors the loss of innocent life. On the other hand, what we recognize is that the root cause of the problem is Hezbollah. And that problem must be addressed. And it can be addressed internationally by making it clear to Syria that they've got to stop their support to Hezbollah. Syria's trying to get back into Lebanon, it looks like to me. . . . Sometimes it requires tragic situations to help bring clarity in the international community. And it is now clear for all to see that there are terrorist elements who want to destroy our democratic friends and allies, and the world must work to prevent them from doing so. [152]

The US Ambassador to the UN clarified.

At the United Nations, US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from what he called "malicious terrorist acts". He maintained that Israel has only been acting in self defense. [152]

Sen. Hillary Clinton vowed support for Israel at a rally Monday, July 17, 2006. [154]

It should be made very clear that 65% of Americans say "the U.S. [should] stay out of the situation" between Israel and Hezbollah[150] and that US actions strongly oppose the will of the people. Some US politicians denounce US involvement. According to Ralph Nader, the US carries "inescapable responsibility" for the "Israeli government's escalating war crimes".[155]

Egypt: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit said, "A cease-fire is imperative and we have to keep working to reach that objective. It is imperative. We have to bring it to an end as soon as possible. Thank you." [152]

Iraq: "Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has broken with the Bush administration and denounced what he called the Israeli aggression."[153]

Other nations:

Demonstrations against the attack on Lebanon continue world-wide. On Thursday [July 20, 2006], more than 2,000 people marched in Venezuela. An estimated 10,000 people took to the streets of Madrid. Other demonstrations were held in Mexico, El Salvador, Malaysia and Indonesia. Meanwhile in Israel, a group of Israeli peace activists held a demonstration in the city of Haifa. [149]

The Vatican:

Meanwhile The Vatican has condemned what it describes as the terrorist attacks on one side and the military reprisals on the other. But the Vatican’s harshest words were for Israel. A spokesperson for the Pope stated that Israel's right to self-defense "does not exempt it from respecting the norms of international law, especially as regards the protection of civilian populations." [156]

Humanitarian Organizations: "The International Committee of the Red Cross also criticized Israel for killing so many civilians and for destroying much of Lebanon’s public infrastructure." [153]

Frontline blogs

Additional commentary, fact files, and miscellaneous

References

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  108. ^ Template:Pt icon "Itamaraty confirma morte de brasileiros no Líbano". Globo. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  109. ^ Template:Es icon "IBrasil consternado por ataque que mató a cuatro brasileños en el Líbano". La Tercera. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  135. ^ Office of the Press Secretary (2006-07-13). "President Bush and German Chancellor Merkel Participate in Press Availability". The White House. Retrieved 2006-07-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  136. ^ "G8 says Israel has right to self-defence".
  137. ^ "G8 urges 'extremists' to stop Middle East attacks". ABC. 2006-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  138. ^ http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-07-13-voa6.cfm
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  142. ^ "France Condemns Israeli Attacks, Hezbollah Kidnapping". Fox News. 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  143. ^ Dakroub, Hussein, Israelis, Hezbollah Clash Again in Lebanon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2006. Accessed 22 July 2006.
  144. ^ "Bush defends Israel actions, Russia condemns attacks". Reuters. 2006-07-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  145. ^ http://www.tass.ru/eng/level2.html?NewsID=10628944&PageNum=0
  146. ^ Arabs divided over Hezbollah's role in Lebanon crisis - Deutsche Presse-Agentur - 15 July 2006
  147. ^ Al Jazeera (2006-07-16). "World divided over Mideast conflict". Al Jazeera.net. Retrieved 2006-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  148. ^ BBC News (2006-07-20). "Annan demands Lebanon ceasefire". BBC.co.uk. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  149. ^ a b c d "Headlines for July 21, 2006". Democracy Now!.
  150. ^ a b "CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation". PollingReport.com. July 19, 2006.
  151. ^ a b "Headlines for July 19, 2006". Reuters. July 19, 2006.
  152. ^ a b c d e "Headlines for July 19, 2006". Democracy Now!.
  153. ^ a b c "Headlines for July 20, 2006". Democracy Now!.
  154. ^ "Headlines for July 18, 2006". Democracy Now!.
  155. ^ , July 20th, 2006 http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/20/1434256 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  156. ^ "Headlines for July 17, 2006". Democracy Now!. July 17, 2006.

More background

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