NationStates Jolt Archive

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Amnesty: Hezbollah Committed War Crimes

LONDON (AP) - Hezbollah militants broke international law by firing thousands of rockets into Israel and killing dozens of civilians during the recent conflict with Israel, Amnesty International charged Thursday.

The human rights group called for a United Nations inquiry into what it called war crimes by Israel and Hezbollah, but its report focused on the actions of the Lebanese militants during the 34-day conflict.

Hezbollah launched nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel in July and August, killing at least 39 civilians.

The firing of rockets into urban areas in northern Israel disregarded international laws that call for distinguishing between civilian and military targets, Amnesty said.

"Targeting civilians is a war crime. There's no gray area," said Larry Cox, Amnesty's executive director in the United States.

Although Hezbollah denies targeting Israeli civilians, it fired inaccurate rockets packed with thousands of metal ball bearings to maximize harm to noncombatants, Amnesty said.

Hezbollah had no immediate comment Thursday on the Amnesty report.

The report is Amnesty's most extensive condemnation of Hezbollah since the conflict began in July. It comes after Amnesty accused Israel of violating international law with indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon. The human rights group also previously called on Hezbollah to release two kidnapped Israeli soldiers and abstain from targeting civilians.

Violence erupted between Israel and Lebanon after Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. The ensuing fighting left more than 1,000 people dead, mostly Lebanese civilians, UNICEF said.

A U.N.-brokered cease-fire in August quelled the violence and Israel and Hezbollah have mostly complied with the order, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this week.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said he had no doubt that the Islamic militia fired rockets in a premeditated way to kill a maximum number of civilians.

"It is also important to remember that the leaders of Hezbollah have spoken on many occasions about their desire to destroy the state of Israel," Regev said.

Amnesty plans to publish additional reports studying whether Hezbollah contributed to civilian deaths in Lebanon by purposely hiding among civilians, said Nicole Choueiry, a spokesman for Amnesty in Britain.

Israel and Lebanon reject the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands making any prosecution there unlikely.

It's nice change of pace when they actually attack someone other than the US or Israel.

It's nice change of pace when they actually attack someone other than the US or Israel.

Despite what you may think, Amensty isn't a anti-Western vehicle. They are also active about China, Indonesia and Africa.

Not lately, lately it's been Israel and the US. (Of course a good reason for the US is justified, secret Prision camps and all)

Not lately, lately it's been Israel and the US. (Of course a good reason for the US is justified, secret Prision camps and all)

They are an international, impartial organisation. Of course there was focus on the US for war crimes, but that doesn't mean that the enitre agency focused solely on that.

Not lately, lately it's been Israel and the US. (Of course a good reason for the US is justified, secret Prision camps and all) *sighs* No, not at all. Amnesty International actively campaigns against almost all human rights violations, however the media goes nuts whenever a new condemnation is aimed at the "infallible paragons of human rights". :rolleyes:

Take a look at their site, on the front page alone they're criticizing Sudan, Zimbabwe, Hezbolla, Moldova, Islamic Terrorism in India, Sierra Leone and US torture policy.

(1) Hezbollah didn't actually target civilians since Katyusha rockets don't really have a guidance system. But you could argue Hezbollah didn't care if it hit civilian or military targets. Same result, but the war crime is in the rationale.

(2) International law as cited by AI applies to governmental military action. Hezbollah does represent a portion of the Lebanese government, but in this case was not attacking in the name of Lebanon.

(3) Well, who was doubting Hezbollah was guilty of war crimes? File this under the category "duh." Next press conference: The United States was wrong to invade Iraq.

(1) Hezbollah didn't actually target civilians since Katyusha rockets don't really have a guidance system. But you could argue Hezbollah didn't care if it hit civilian or military targets. Same result, but the war crime is in the rationale.


So, by your arguement I could machine gun an entire city and not 'target civilians' because bullets dont have a guidance system.
And not all of those rockets were Katyushas. 'Katyusha' was a short-lived media buzzword to describe a rocket because reporters are idiots when it comes to many subjects.

So, by your arguement I could machine gun an entire city and not 'target civilians' because bullets dont have a guidance system.
And not all of those rockets were Katyushas. 'Katyusha' was a short-lived media buzzword to describe a rocket because reporters are idiots when it comes to many subjects.

If you fired the machine gun from miles away, then yes, the machine gun analogy would hold.

And yes, I understand they're not all Katyusha's. But the vast, vast majority were because they're cheap and effective.

And yes, I understand they're not all Katyusha's. But the vast, vast majority were because they're cheap and effective.If you mean they don't explode on the launch pads, then yes. But they have pathetic munitions and craptacular accuracy, I would hardly call them effective.

If you mean they don't explode on the launch pads, then yes. But they have pathetic munitions and craptacular accuracy, I would hardly call them effective.

Effective (for purposes of discussion) = destroys stuff when it goes boom.

EDIT: I think we're digressing from teh subject at hand, though.

Um...the Hez are terrorists...you kinda EXPECT them to carry out war crimes. Id have thought it went without saying. Israel's were just more in the news because people expect better of a democratic state than they do of terrorists i guess.

Um...the Hez are terrorists...you kinda EXPECT them to carry out war crimes. Id have thought it went without saying. Israel's were just more in the news because people expect better of a democratic state than they do of terrorists i guess.

Here, here! (But I still reserve my right to bitch about waving around the Magic Terrorist Wand. You know, the one that permanently labels anyone its aimed at.)

Um...the Hez are terrorists...you kinda EXPECT them to carry out war crimes. Id have thought it went without saying. Israel's were just more in the news because people expect better of a democratic state than they do of terrorists i guess.

I second that.

AP News (http://home.bellsouth.net/s/editorial.dll?pnum=1&bfromind=2219&eeid=5034619&_sitecat=1505&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=-2&ck=&ch=ne&rg=blsadstrgt)
It's nice change of pace when they actually attack someone other than the US or Israel.

They do so on a regular basis, if you bothered your lazy arse to look.

Hezbollah Committed War Crimes

And in other news bears shit in the woods and the Pope indeed does wear a large hat.

Condemning a Terrorist organisation for committing war crimes seems as redundant as condemning clouds for being floaty.

But yeah, Amnesty International's job is to point out abuses of human rights, no matter how bleeding obvious they are.

Condemning a Terrorist organisation for committing war crimes seems as redundant as condemning clouds for being floaty.

Since there isn't universal agreement that Hezbollah is indeed a terrorist organisation - many countries (including the EU I think?) see them as a militia and not as terrorists - it is only right for Amnesty to condemn them as well.

Oh, and the article seems to have been expanded:


A Hezbollah legislator acknowledged Thursday the group had targeted populated areas in Israel, but he rejected the Amnesty report, saying the militants acted in response to Israeli attacks.

"We do not deny that we have bombarded Israeli cities, settlements and infrastructure. But this was always a reaction," legislator Hassan Fadlallah told Al-Jazeera television. "It was a natural reaction. When a state is invaded, it must defend itself."

He said Amnesty probably came under U.S. and Israeli pressure to issue a report critical of Hezbollah's actions during the war after issuing a similar report against Israel last month.

In a report released Aug. 22, the human rights organization accused Israel of violating international law with indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in Lebanon.

Amnesty researcher Donatella Rovera, who visited Lebanon during the war and co-authored the earlier report, said the pattern and scope of the Israeli attacks, number of civilian casualties, widespread damage and statements by Israeli officials "indicate that such destruction was deliberate and part of a military strategy, rather than 'collateral damage.'"

Israeli officials insisted their actions were legal.

"Unlike Hezbollah, we did not deliberately target the Lebanese civilian population. On the contrary, under very difficult circumstances, we tried to be as surgical as is humanly possible in targeting the Hezbollah terrorist organization," Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said in response to the August report.

Hmmmmm OD is rather quiet.

Those who bothered with AI knew this was coming. They said that they would condemn Hezbollah in a separate document when they published a document condemning Israel. Finally, it's out. Those who are surprised aren't keeping up much with the actuality.

*sighs* No, not at all. Amnesty International actively campaigns against almost all human rights violations, however the media goes nuts whenever a new condemnation is aimed at the "infallible paragons of human rights". :rolleyes:

Take a look at their site, on the front page alone they're criticizing Sudan, Zimbabwe, Hezbolla, Moldova, Islamic Terrorism in India, Sierra Leone and US torture policy.

One day, the front page is going to be all 'Earth Commits Human Right Violations. Amnsety International Relocates to the Moon and Writes Letters' because there will reach a point where they're just so fed up with everyone that they renounce humanity, and then we can laugh at them for talking about human rights violations when they've renounced humanity and moved to the moon.

Please poeple of the "AI only picks on USA and Israel" kind: latest AI report here (http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/index-eng) tells us they are lambasting everyone with a big stick. And rightly so. Why some of you have your knickers in a knot over AI has probably more to do with ignorance about AI, than anything else.

Um...the Hez are terrorists...you kinda EXPECT them to carry out war crimes.
I consider them a militia myself, but yes, I suppose I agree on that front, insofar as that if the civilians of Lebanon are being attacked, they will fire back at the civilians of Israel.

Every single government, ever, has done this, mind.
Id have thought it went without saying.
It sort of does, but Amnesty Internation try to be impartial, and record every human rights abuse, regardless of whether it's obvious or not.
Israel's were just more in the news because people expect better of a democratic state than they do of terrorists i guess.
Hmm I disagree, the news was fairly neutral on the matter, reporting Israeli killings and Hizbollah killings with the same (high) level of hyperbole.

But you really do have to think in a fairly statistical (and sadly, callous) manner about this -

Lebanon lost over 1,200 people, about 85-ish% of these were civilians.
Isreal lost around 150 people, about 80% of these were soldiers.

Israel is clearly more "in the wrong" than Hizbollah on the matter, although both sides did cause civilian casualties, which is pretty out of order.


Still, with Israel having proper, guided munitions, one would have hoped that they'd make a large effort to try and curtail civilian casualties - having 85% of Lebanon's dead as civilians when your military's level of technology of its weapons should really make it about 5% is out of order.

On the other hand, Hizbollah had little in the way of guided munitions, and most of the Israeli casualties were soldiers which were killed when they attacked Lebanese towns and villages.

For this reason, an 80% rate of military casualties is fairly excellent, considering its relatively poor level of technology, as far as its weapons went.


Just my opinion on the matter.

Please poeple of the "AI only picks on USA and Israel" kind: latest AI report here (http://web.amnesty.org/report2006/index-eng) tells us they are lambasting everyone with a big stick. And rightly so. Why some of you have your knickers in a knot over AI has probably more to do with ignorance about AI, than anything else.

They tend to be the people who think "America, FUCK YEAH!!" ought to be the new National Anthem.

It's unfortunate that some of you have obviously forgotten that Hezbollah were launching the missles behind civilian hot beds such as hospitals and schools, etc... They hid behind and used their own people as human sheilds. You also seemed to have forgotten that Isreal did indeed drop their flyers of how they were coming in to Lebanon they announced they're intentions well before closing on on Hezbollah. You also seemed to have forgotten that Hezbollah doesn't seem to wear military clothes either. So with all that being said It sure the hell sounds like a yellow belly, cowardice terrorists to me. As long as their is mankind on our planet their will be wars fought and as long as their is a war their will be civilian casualties. And yes as for the USA and Isreal they are held to higher standards and that they should. However, as long as man runs a government It will be imperfect, period. As far as the terrorist organizations I consider them to be a virus that must be destroyed. You cannot take a virus to the table and talk to them. The only solution in Reality is to destroy them and their breeding grounds. Have a Good Day.

They tend to be the people who think "America, FUCK YEAH!!" ought to be the new National Anthem.
Nah I was trying to make people play attention, the same way OD does, by making a stupid comment.

*Makes vague post about some sort of Islamic plot to take over the world*

---
And I think that song is one of the stupidest ones I've ever heard.

Hezballah committed war crimes? OMG I'm so surprised!

Not lately, lately it's been Israel and the US. (Of course a good reason for the US is justified, secret Prision camps and all)
That's odd, I'm a member of Amnesty International and all the info and appeals I've been getting from them relate to Sudan, Mexico and Ethiopia.

In four years of membership of Amnesty's Irish section I have never been asked to a write a letter to a US official.

You also seemed to have forgotten that Hezbollah doesn't seem to wear military clothes either.

And that matters? We kill them both, you win some, you lose some. :rolleyes:

So with all that being said It sure the hell sounds like a yellow belly, cowardice terrorists to me.

Justifying war crimes? :rolleyes:

And yes as for the USA and Isreal they are held to higher standards and that they should. However, as long as man runs a government It will be imperfect, period.

Justifying war crimes? :rolleyes:

As far as the terrorist organizations I consider them to be a virus that must be destroyed. You cannot take a virus to the table and talk to them. The only solution in Reality is to destroy them and their breeding grounds. Have a Good Day.

Hey Hey Hey, Sounds Like Genocide to Me! :rolleyes: