“How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as mass murderer and a war criminal?" Harold Pinter, Nobel speech.
A peace offer was vetoed just prior to the US / Israeli war on Lebanon.1 Since the war started, there has been much discussion concerning the use of (US) cluster bombs, bunker-busting bombs and chemical weapons – all illegal - presently being used in Lebanon. Some have also said illegal bombs are also being used in Palestine.
Those ruling the American Empire, supported by PM Blair2, have become mad with megalomania. The War of (sic) Terror is not the solution. Those responsible for the Iraq War, illegal kidnapping and detention without representation, and for the bombs used in Afghanistan, Iraq and now Lebanon need to be put on trial for War Crimes. Sanity, dignity, respect, integrity and peace urgently need to be reclaimed.
Our planet is 4,500m years old. Bill Bryson suggested that if one figuratively put this on the scale of a 24-hour clock, “humans emerge at one minute and seventeen seconds before midnight.” Those in the pursuit of total power and money should not use our precious time killing innocent people as well as the planet, but should find a less lethal form of pathological entertainment. We are rapidly, and exponentially, running out of time for our species’ survival.
I have put together an index of photographs, reports and articles which, at our peril, have been irresponsibly ignored by the corporate Mainstream Media.
The Geneva Conventions Protocol I, Article 85, Section 3 of the Geneva Convention: "An indiscriminate attack affecting the civilian population or civilian objects and resulting in excessive loss of life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects is a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions."
Following is an Index of various reports and articles.
21.10.04. Reuters / Common Dreams. The United States plans to sell Israel $319 million worth of air-launched bombs, including 500 "bunker busters" able to penetrate Iran's underground nuclear facilities, Israeli security sources said on Tuesday. Eyeing Iran Reactors, Israel Seeks U.S. Bunker Bombs.
26.07.06. Berrigan / Hartung, Foreign Policy in Focus. Over the past decade, the United States has transferred more than $17 billion in military aid to this country of just under 7 million people. Who's Arming Israel?
29.07.06. Reuters. The announcement came two weeks after the administration said it would sell Israel its latest supply of JP-8 aviation fuel valued at up to $210m to help Israeli warplanes “keep peace and security in the region.” US planning $4.6bn in Mideast arms sales.
US Arms to Israel
21.07.06. Reuters. "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. … The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said."US rushes precision-guided bombs to Israel.
25.07.06. Marjorie Cohen, Counterpunch. Bush Greenlights War Crimes. … Israel had just put out an S.O.S. to the United States government to rush over several more bombs Willful Blindness.
In October 1992, an El Al cargo Boeing 747 crashed into this apartment building in Amsterdam Bijlmermeer [edit correction]. Some one thousand people in the vicinity complained of health problems after the crash. It was later revealed by Dutch and Israeli sources that El Al Flight 1862 was transporting precursor chemical weapons substances to Israel from the United States, including dimethyl methylphosphonate, hydrofluoric acid, and isopropanol, in addition to depleted uranium. http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/
27.07.06. P. Graff, Washington Post. A newspaper said Britain had agreed to allow Washington to fly more weapons to Israel via its airports despite Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett saying she was "not happy" about Washington failing to comply with procedures for such flights. US denies breaking UK rules on Israel bomb flights.
28.07.06. P. Webster, Timesonline. The Government will allow more American aircraft carrying arms to Israel to stop over in Britain despite private concerns that the Pentagon was “playing fast and loose”. Britain lets more flights land in Scotland.
29.07.06. BBC. Two more American flights carrying "hazardous cargoes" bound for Israel are to refuel at Prestwick Airport this weekend, it has emerged. Airport to handle more US flights.
21.07.06. Relief Web. According to several witness accounts, cluster bombs may have been used by the Israeli forces over the last few days in south Lebanon, particularly in the southern suburbs of Beirut.The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) reports that the Israeli government has announced that it is reserving the right to use cluster bombs in its current intervention in Lebanon. Handicap International is concerned about the possible use of landmines and cluster bombs in Lebanon.
20.07.06. Kurt Nimmo, uruknet. Excellent short precis of illicit weapons. “Israel has plenty of other weapons, gratis the United States and its own burgeoning weapons program, but it appears it prefers to augment its arsenal with chemical weapons.” Israelis adopt poison gas ‘fashion.’ See Nimmo’s referenced url: Overview: Israel’s use of Chemical Weapons.
21.07.06. As-Safir Newspaper, uruknet. Do you know what kind of weapons causes this damage? CAN YOU HELP US, PLEASE!3
22/23.07.06. W. Madsen Report / GlobalResearch.ca. “U.S. military intelligence sources have told WMR that the artillery shell shown below being used by an Israel Defense Force member in Lebanon, is a type of dual and multi-use weapon the neocons falsely accused Saddam Hussein of possessing. Although the canister artillery shell is marketed as an anti-land mine fuel-air bomb, its payload can also include the chemicals used in thermobaric bombs, white phosphorous weapons, and chemical weapons.” Photos. Chemical Weapons used against Lebanese Civilians.
23.07.06. G. Myre, NYTimes. (Editor, Index: a source, who wishes to remain anonymous, says: “enlarge the picture of the Israeli artillery (scroll down). The pale green rounds in the foreground are WP, if US artillery markings are still what they used to be. The green rounds with yellow diamonds are beehive (flechette) rounds.”) Israel Presses Air Raids on Lebanon, and Its Ground Forces Move Into a Village.
23.07.06. G. Hoffman, Jerusalem Post. Knesset member Azmi Bishara (Balad) has accused Israel of such massive use of force in the conflict with Hizbullah that "it's like a nuclear bomb falling on Lebanon - the whole country is destroyed." MK Bishara: IDF attacks 'like a nuclear bomb on Lebanon.'
23.07.06. S. Meyer, Index Research. UK demonstration. Meanwhile, the US sends more bombs to Israel. These bombs appear to wreak the same human horrors as the phosphorus bombs used in Fallujah, Iraq. Lebanon vs. the BBC.
24.07.06. Zena el-Khalil, dnaindia.com. “So, let me ask this question: if Israel gets its weapons from the USA then by default doesn’t that mean that the USA is at war with Lebanon? Blogging from Beirut.
25.07.06. K. Gannon, the state.com. TYRE, Lebanon — Dirty bandages hid the worst of 8-year-old Zainab Jawad’s swollen, bloodied nose Monday.Jawad Najem, a surgeon at the hospital, said patients admitted Sunday had burns from phosphorous incendiary weapons used by Israel. Civilians bear fear, injuries, death, grief.
25.07.06. Democracy Now: Interview with Peter Bouchaert. “Just a few days ago we documented an attack, which took place last Wednesday, on the village of Blida, in which the Israelis used cluster munitions. Human Rights Watch has been very critical of the use of cluster and munitions by the U.S. military, because these are indiscriminate weapons. Basically what they are is one big shell, which opens up and drops a number of smaller bomblets over a very large area. Many of these bomblets don’t explode, so they effectively turn into mines.” Human Rights Watch: Israel Dropping Cluster Bombs on Lebanese Civilians.
25.07.06. J. Bone, TimesonLine. As civilian casualties mount, the UN is telling the belligerents that they might be guilty of war crimes. War crimes warning as civilian deaths increase.
26.07.06. R. Takieddin, dar al Hayat. Did the American people see on CNN the child whose face was burnt by Israeli phosphorous bombs in Lebanon? Lebanon's Children and Israeli Phosphorous Bombs.
26.07.06. IRIN. The Israeli military has defended itself following allegations by Lebanese government officials, doctors and an international human rights organisation that phosphorous bombs have been used, and have harmed civilians. Lebanon: Israel defends its weapons.
26.07.06. Aliran. There are even reports that white phosphorus, banned by the Geneva Convention, and cluster bombs have been used in areas populated by civilians. These are all war crimes and those responsible must be prosecuted in an international war crimes tribunal. Rice Go Home.
27.07.06. S. Assir, Weekly Ahram. … “it appears that in conflicts in the Middle East the law of the "most powerful" is the one that counts.”Above the law.
28.07.06. Dahr Jamail. “The Israeli military is using illegal weapons against civilians in southern Lebanon, according to several reports. Israelis Accused of Using Illegal Weapons.”
28.07.06. Timesonline. LEBANESE TOLL Up to 600 killed 1,788 seriously injured 5,000 homes damaged More than 2,500 aerial attacks by Israel 500,000 people displaced within Lebanon 200,000 have left the country 3 airports bombed, 62 bridges destroyed
ISRAELI TOLL 19 civilians dead 26 seriously injured 374 less badly injured 632 treated for shock 33 Israeli soldiers killed 50 injured 1,514 rockets and missiles fired at Israel 200,000 Israelis have left their homes in North Israel More innocent blood is shed as Israel steps up offensive.
28.07.06. theage.com. LEBANON is investigating reports from doctors that Israel has used weapons in its bombardment of southern Lebanon that have caused wounds they have never seen before. Doctors suspect chemical weapons.
28.07.06. Bahrain Daily News. GAZA CITY: Israel is using a new type of weapon possibly containing chemicals against Palestinians, it was alleged yesterday. 'DIRTY' BOMBS HORROR.
29.07.06. Mike Head, WSWS / uruknet. Internationally banned munitions designed to cause massive civilian casualties—including phosphorous, air-sucking bombs and cluster bombs—are being used to terrorise the Lebanese people, force a mass exodus of residents from south Lebanon and pulverise Hezbollah forces in preparation for a larger ground invasion. Atrocities mount as Israel intensifies bombardment of Lebanon.
GENEVA CONVENTION I (Protection for sick and wounded combatants on land)
Article 19: Fixed establishments and mobile medical units of the Medical Service may in no circumstances be attacked.
Article 24: Medical personnel exclusively engaged in the search for, or the collection, transport or treatment of the wounded or sick, or in the prevention of disease, staff exclusively engaged in the administration of medical units and establishments, as well as chaplains attached to the armed forces, shall be respected and protected in all circumstances.
19.02.06. Sunday Times. UK radiation jump blamed on Iraq shells.
21.02.06. Free market news network / uruknet “The Preventive Psychiatry Newsletter has written to its subscribers telling them that the real reason the former Veterans Affairs Secretary, Anthony Principi, recently resigned was because he has been involved in a massive scandal covering up the fact that Gulf War Syndrome was caused by the use of depleted uranium, according to the SF Bay View. DU SCANDAL EXPLODES.
26.02.06. Robert Fisk, Independent / ICH. Something more serious is happening to our planet which we are not being told about Is the problem weather, or is it war?
[1]Israeli invasion of Lebanon planned by neocons in June (2006) [2] 30.07.06. Observer. Cabinet in open revolt over Blair’s Israel policy. [3] Following this publication, I sent the article to Jon Snow and Channel 4 news in the UK. I continued to alert them about the use of chemical weapons. There was no response. On 29 July, Alex Thomson reported: “Support for Israel remains strong. Is this because people are not being informed by the Media?” Ahh, I thought. Finally they will mention these terrible bombs. No such luck. The program focused on how “Israeli anti-war voices were being completely drowned out.” The western world remains, for the most part, ignorant of the illegal US weapons being used, as well as information about US weapon / financial support for Israel. [4] 28.07.06. Dahr Jamail,, Mother Jones Chest -Beating While Losing the War.
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