“I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN observer post in southern Lebanon,”– UN Sec. Gen. Kofi Annan:
This week, an article in the Sept.4 issue of The Weekly Standard drops a bombshell;
DURING THE RECENT month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel, U.N. “peacekeeping” forces made a startling contribution: They openly published daily real-time intelligence, of obvious usefulness to Hezbollah, on the location, equipment, and force structure of Israeli troops in Lebanon.
UNIFIL–the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a nearly 2,000-man blue-helmet contingent that has been present on the Lebanon-Israel border since 1978–is officially neutral. Yet, throughout the recent war, it posted on its website for all to see precise information about the movements of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers and the nature of their weaponry and materiel, even specifying the placement of IDF safety structures within hours of their construction. New information was sometimes only 30 minutes old when it was posted, and never more than 24 hours old.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL posted not a single item of specific intelligence regarding Hezbollah forces. Statements on the order of Hezbollah “fired rockets in large numbers from various locations” and Hezbollah’s rockets “were fired in significantly larger numbers from various locations” are as precise as its coverage of the other side ever got.
This war was fought on cable television and the Internet, and a lot of official information was available in real time. But the specific military intelligence UNIFIL posted could not be had from any non-U.N. source. The Israeli press–always eager to push the envelope–did not publish the details of troop movements and logistics. Neither the European press nor the rest of the world media, though hardly bastions of concern for the safety of Israeli troops, provided the IDF intelligence details that UNIFIL did. A search of Israeli government websites failed to turn up the details published to the world each day by the U.N.
Inquiries made of various Israeli military and government representatives and analysts yielded near unanimous agreement that at least some of UNIFIL’s postings, in the words of one retired senior military analyst, “could have exposed Israeli soldiers to grave danger.” These analysts, including a current high ranking military official, noted that the same intelligence would not have been provided by the U.N. about Israel’s enemies.
Sure enough, a review of every single UNIFIL web posting during the war shows that, while UNIFIL was daily revealing the towns where Israeli soldiers were located, the positions from which they were firing, and when and how they had entered Lebanese territory, it never described Hezbollah movements or locations with any specificity whatsoever.
More at the link.
Until now, it appeared as though the deaths of four UNIFIL observers by Israeli shelling were the consequence of typical UN negligence in allowing Hezbollah to use their installations as “human shields”.
This is much, much more serious.
If this report is confirmed, if someone at UNIFIL made a conscious decision to aid Hezbollah, that places the death of Canadian Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener in a completely different light. By broadcasting troop movements, UN actions removed the neutrality of UN observers and placed their services at the disposal of Hezbollah.
Watch the Liberals closely on this one. What they say – or, more likely, don’t say about this development – will reveal much more about the party’s position on Israel than the high profile – low cost Wrzesnewskyj resignation.
“diplomats familiar with the probe say” So you are saying that these diplomats, on or before July 26,2006, were at the destroyed UN observer post, in a combat zone, during a real war, and determined that it was a precision guided missile that destroyed the observer post.
“Updated: 11:55 p.m. ET July 25, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon – An Israeli bomb destroyed a U.N. observer post on the border in southern Lebanon Tuesday, killing three observers and leaving another feared dead, officials said. U.N. chief Kofi Annan said Israel appeared to have struck the site deliberately.”
Pretty good work to make that determination so quickly! A missile, not a bomb! Because the diplomats familiar with the probe say!
But ctv doesn’t agree and has this to say!
A bomb directly hit the building of the observer force in the town of Khiam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.
And another bbc report that same day makes no mention of precision guided missiles, only arial attacks and bombs as well as artillary.
Headline fromm bbc website
Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 July 2006, 05:10 GMT 06:10 UK
Israeli bomb kills UN observers
But the diplomats familiar with the probe have determined that it was a precision guided missille and surely some one can inform me to as the make and model of this precision guided missile, so I can make the same determination.
wrong agin jeffy!!
the fact remains for whatever reason or circumstances, our esteemed soldats are whacking the good guys. they even did it to one of their OWN. maybe they need a few posters to guard against that happening.
this is not good, regardless of the intricacies and intertwined complexity of the grand sum total explanation.
the report was in the newspaper by the way, curious how you seem to bash the internet as a source when *I* may dare click the search engine, yet all you republicanist right wingers cant wait to get your own popular blog replete with news items.
and what about the somalia-airborne connection,
and what about the russian victory at stalingrad,
and what about the agenda of mil. commanders weighing their own career vs the needs and interests of their underlings???
the simple factoid is despite a well earned rep as superior ability and noteworthy success rate, the cdn military right now is nowhere near what it could be and should be for the 21st century and a lot of that situation rests with the commanders themselves.
which is why my type dont fit in; I bitch incessantly for what is needed to do the job the safest way reasonably possible. given a officer position in the cdn mil, I would do exactly that, in the interests of the soldiers in my group. and be demoted and booted out of the armed forces for my efforts. the boys in charge cant distinguish a subordinate pressing for the resources they need, from criticism of their decisions.
buuuuuut anyway, all you can do now is sputter and mud sling as usual.
you are therefore, by definition, defeated.
Kate:
RobertJ’s last rant was interesting; there would appear to be some deep-seated personal issues bubbling up to the surface here.
But I’m not a doctor so I’m in no position to say with any authority.
And on that very note, one small line in his previous tirade about being rejected for the CF is worthy of attention because it just doesn’t ring true:
“[S]he axes my application right there on medical grounds.”
Unless “she” was a medical doctor, this is pure fiction.
Military career counsellors and recruiters have no authority to terminate applications on medical grounds. Only medical doctors do.
It seems more likely she had accurately measured up her man and sent him away for reasons old RobertJ is much less inclined to share.
other greg’s
who cares if it was a bomb or a precision guided missile
the fact remains that the UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them
they made several calls to the Israelis to protest at the shelling and to call for it to stop
in response, Israel reportedly promised to halt the firing
only to murder them later…get it?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,1831068,00.html?gusrc=rss
this is nothing new, as the Israelis routinely attack the United Nations
on April 18, 1996, in the Lebanese village of Qana, during Israel’s “Operation Grapes of Wrath” invasion, the IOF killed 106 Lebanese refugees seeking protection at a Fijian UNIFIL compound
http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=480
How many of our troops in Afghanistan have been killed by terrorists who drive up to the soldiers and blow up their vehicles in a suicide attack? When any vehicle doesn’t stop when told to, in a war zone, it’s bound to be unhealthy for the occupants.
Our soldiers can’t know whether the oncomming vehicle is laden with explosives or just a stupid driver. Either way, would Robert allow them to drive right up when told to stop?
Just another Lib from la la land. I’ve noticed the MSM seems to miss the above nuance as well.
Jacobin – when your comment is caught in the spam filter, do not resend it 10 times. Next time, I’ll delete them all.
Kofi Annan Springs Into Action
Extra! Corrupt Israel-hating diplomat saves Middle East with sheer presence! Read all about it! UN chief in Beirut to shore up fragile peace.
BEIRUT (AFP) – UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has met with Lebanese leaders in Beirut on the first leg of a Middle East tour aimed at strengthening the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
“This is a very critical time for Lebanon, and I think it’s important that I’ve come here myself to discuss with the Lebanese authorities the aftermath of the war … and to underscore international solidarity,” Annan said on his arrival on Monday. via LGF
RobertJ is definitly fibbing if he says his application was axed right then and there on medical grounds. As one who is very familiar with recruiting and the training system, I most certainly agree with JJM. The file is sent to CFRC medical in Borden for review, and RobertJ would have been given the opportunity to present his case. As for his lame comment regarding keeping older recruits out of the CF, I personally have trained over 25 techs who were all over 40 while I was an instructor, and over a 100 who were between 30 and 39. This in addition to the 200 or so 18 to 29 year olds.
RobertJ, do us all a favour and come clean and it might gain you a little credibility.
Having served in the area in 2003 (but not with UNFIL) I think I can comment on some of the questions by Stephen and Allan.
Since the UN is officially “neutral”, certain actions are taken or not taken by UN forces. For example, no UN mission has an intelligence section (the job of intelligence to try and tell commanders what the other guy will/may do). However, they do have an info section, which tends to do similar things, but the UN is very sensitive to charges of spying. As a result, the UN mission “on the ground” may be poorly informed as to what both sides in a conflict may be up to.
Key to what this post is about, is reporting. My experience with UN soldiers is that most take their job seriously. They understand that it is their job to report what both sides are up to, and they do that. However, as with what I mentioned about spying, the UN does not have secure communications. The rationale being that the UN has nothing to hide. I would make the assumption that any radio reports by UNFIL are likely unencrypted and listened to by both sides (they would be dumb not to).
Therefore, the only way not to know what the other side is doing is to ensure the UN does not report it or does not see it. Unlikely the UN (at least the troops on the ground) would not report something, as most troops take their neutrality seriously.
What I am saying is that it is likely UN New York (civilians) made the decision not to publish Hez troop movement on their website (assuming the troops saw anything), for whatever reason you may wish to assume.
However, in the end this does not matter, as the Israelis listen to all UN radio traffic (and I mean all) and would likely know anything a UN frontline observation post reported.
Allan: UNFIL must report on troop movement to the both sides. It is one of the key aspects of their job. Without this, why even have the mission? You might suggest that the UN use encrypted communications, but neither side would agree to that. Monitoring UN radio traffic is another way to keep tabs on the other side.
To summarize: My experience is that UN soldiers would report anything they saw from both sides up the chain. Wha the UN civilians would do with that info (post it on websites, etc) and how it might be “filtered” at that level I cannot comment on. However, I would suggest that it might be very political very quickly.
Monday, August 28, 2006
ICRC Removes High-Res Ambulance Photo
The International Committee of the Red Cross seems to have removed the high resolution image of ambulance 782 (supposedly struck by an Israeli missile) from their web site: Conflict in the Middle East: selection of photos.
Is someone getting a little too close to the truth?
Here is the high-resolution photograph that no longer exists on their site: Ambulance 782.
UPDATE at 8/28/06 9:03:26 am:
viaLGF …-
Red Cross Tainted Blood Scandal:
Red Cross charged over blood bank scandal. By Amran Abocar in Toronto … Screening for hepatitis C began in 1990. The head of the Canadian Red Cross, …
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/21/1037697805212.html – 21k –
“other greg’s
who cares if it was a bomb or a precision guided missile”
jacobin isn’t that the whole basis of your argument? A precision guided missile implies intent. A bomb could imply a mistake. So again I ask, what type of precision guided missile are you referring to and who made that determination, based on what evidence? By the way, evidence is not a story about an attack that happened ten years ago.
“Watch the Liberals closely on this one.”
The Liberals to watch include M. Ignatieff/Denis Coderre.
Liberal MP Coderre marched in the infamous “We Are All Hezbollah Now” demonstration in Montreal along with the Quebec Socialists/anarchists. By his actions, not words, Coderre revealed his anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, pro-Hezbollah sentiments. As the wise owl said: Actions speak louder than words.
Coderre is national co-chairman of Ignatieff’s campaign/campagne for the leadership of the Libs.
Does Ignatieff share Coderre’s endorsement of Hezbollah? Ignatieff must own up; speak, Iggy. …-
Stunning sight of militant mea culpa
The Australian ^ | August 29, 2006 | Abraham Rabinovich
DESPITE the inclination in Israel to accept the verdict of the Muslim world that Hezbollah came out on top in the recent war, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in his stunning interview yesterday, in effect handed the victory to Israel. In acknowledging that he had erred in estimating the likely Israeli reaction and that he had not foreseen the devastating consequences for Lebanon, he asserted that Israel’s deterrent power had not been eroded by the war, but enhanced.
It has been widely mooted in the Muslim world, and to a large extent in Israel itself, that Israel’s inability to stop Hezbollah’s rocket fire into northern Israel in a month of warfare – and its failure to complete the capture of southern Lebanon – had shattered the image of the Israeli army as virtually invincible and exposed it as vulnerable to militants.
The thrust of Nasrallah’s remarks, however, was that the punishment inflicted by Israel had been too great a price for Hezbollah and Lebanon to bear. “There has not been a war like this in the history of wars,” he said, a view that reflected his stunned appearance in a taped interview in a Beirut bunker at the war’s beginning after Israeli warplanes had begun to level an entire Hezbollah neighbourhood above his head.
In contrast with the aggressive way in which he spoke of Israel in the past, Nasrallah’s tone during this interview was markedly restrained. Gone was the taunting nature of his famous speech several years ago in which he said Israel was a cobweb that would be swept away by the first strong wind. …-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1691396/posts
How easy is it to die by friendly fire? When posted to Rwanda,there is one occasion that stands out on my mind.A very drunken youth,with a military style assault rifle was pointing and taking pot shots at anybody who crossed his path.I was standing behind an armoured car and had made the concious decision that if he came within a zone i determined to be dangerous to myself and my comrades, i would have to shoot him.
He crept closer and closer,waving madly until he finally came to the point i had determined i would have to act.I exposed myself for a brief moment and took deliberate aim at the boys chest.
At that exact moment,one of the gov’t representatives i was with popped right up in front of me and right into the middle of my sight as i pulled the trigger.
He shot the boy in the groin and thigh,and he collapsed..i swore up and down at the fool in front of me ..he had nearly lost his head and had powder burns all down the side of his face
It ended badly for the boy(he died) and could have ended badly for the gent i nearly shot…that is how easy it is to die in war..you make a mistake and there are no second chances, even if you are a highly trained professional.
Oh yeah Canadians shot Afghani police…..who just happened to be out of uniform and driving an unmarked truck and armed and not heading warnings.
Bet those boys were out on an errand for the local drug kingpin….
As for claims of Israeli attacks on UN forces….I was shocked when I heard about this the first time…I believe it was about Jenin..however it turned out that Hezbola thugs were using the refugees as cover for their operations and hiding weapons in the camps….UN and NGOs were obligingly NOT complaining about this. The pattern continues and MSM asswipes continue to lie about it while spoonfeeding the groundless tripe to willing gullible sheeple like Jacobin and others who reiterate the said tripe and BS ad nauseum!
BTW – I see more people are getting wise to RobertJ
Nasrallah is a bad cat, period. He has gotten into a supreme bind. He was fighting the battle with Isreal at the behest of Iran, his arms supplier and pusher.They, Iran and their toady, Nasrallah, are responsible for ravaging two countries. They both are coming to their senses and realizing Israel has her sights set on Iran and rightly so. The cowardly madman at the helm in Iran is getting worried and instructing his henchman Nasrallah to get friendly and do a bit of suck-up. Well it may be too late.
It’s long past time to humble the madman of Iran for the safety of Israel and the world. We cannot afford to sit by and let these despicable wretches call the shots.
If Israel goes for it we had all better pitch in, to hell with the disUnited Nations and Lefties everywhere.
Liz – wanna get married?
other greg’s
“jacobin isn’t that the whole basis of your argument?”
–no, it doesn’t matter what ammunition/bomb/ they used, because the UN peacekeepers warned the israelis 10 times about the shelling, the IDF promised to halt the firing only to murder them later
–please don’t tell me it’s because hezbollah uses human shields and all that, because with over 1100 lebanese civilians dead obviously that tactic isn’t working to well for hezbollah and the IDF could care less so long as they bomb there target (UN observers perhaps)
–p.s. sorry kate! my apologies for posting 10 times, i seriously thought you were trying to ban me, hehe
Jacobin it seems from the comments of a Canadian Peacekeeper that Hezbollah fighters were close by shooting at Israel if this is the case, the UN warnings are a red herring
rob west
that is such bullshit
first do you have a link to that article quoting that canadian peacekeeper?
and secondly, the UN observers made several calls to the Israelis to protest at the shelling and to call for it to stop
in response, Israel reportedly promised to halt the firing, only to MURDER them shortly after
HOW IS THAT A RED HERRING???
Because there was a war going on and Hezbollah was using the position to attack Israel. If you are truly interested in finding the quote try googling (I think that is the proper spelling) General Lewis MacKenzie. He was the one that told about it. Furthermore, when the war started, the UN troops were no longer needed and as Harper stated why didn’t they leave? Ask yourself why would Israel attack the UN position just for the fun of it? Oh I get it, your have to find a reason to hate Israel 😉
First, Hezbollah was not quoted in any MSM or other media as being inside, or near enough to the compound to warrant guided munitions to be dropped on the bunker (all UN OPs have a bunker, and it would take a direct hit from large munitions to destroy it, I know, as I have had a hand in building bunkers similar but smaller in BiH).
Second, the IDF has targetted the UN positions in Lebannon and Golan before.
Third, the IDF is no better then Hezbollah in their conduct, and their generals should be investigated for their conduct with a view to determine whether or not the Geneva Conventions were followed.
Anyone who thinks Israel would purposely bomb the freaking UN Post needs a serious rewire of their brain.
Civilians are a big part of the terrorist force.
They like nothing better than to have dead bodies to show the sympathetic media conglomerates, especially bodies of children for more impact, where only the toys survive intact.
Terrorists are cowards, innocents make up their frontlines.
Terrorist sympathizers, for gods sake go live among them, give them your tea and sympathy in person.
Jeff. How do you know guided munitions were used, how do you know guided munitions if used did not malfunction (yes this does happen).
As for your second and third points, please provide some proof
You do not have to look too terribly far up there to find a post with a link to an MSM article concerning this.
Second. It is a bunker, only a direct hit with a large or penetrating warhead could destroy the bunker. SOP for UNMOs is simple… Shooting starts, radio HQ, then head to the bunker and wait it out. This particular bunker occupies land strategic to the IDF and Hezbollah. Hezbollah has made it a point NOT to target the UN over the years, nor were they operating near the OP.
Lastly, and you will get no more out of me on this, as I beleive you are lazy, the attacks on UN OPs in Lebannon and Golan are a matter of public record, and deeply ingrained on CF soldiers who served in the area. Isrealis are good people… Most IDF soldiers are good people. The IDF leadership is rotten to the core.
Liz J, not everyone who correctly criticises the IDF for their conduct is a terrorist sympathiser. For my own part, I will most likely be in Afghanistan come this time next year to do my own part in the war on terror, and I can assure you, the only sympathy that terrorists will get from me is treatment IAW the Geneva Conventions should they surrender, or a 5.56mm pain releiver should they not.
There are many examples of violations of the Geneva Conventions allegedly commited by the IDF and Hezbollah in their little spat.
Not related to war crimes, however, displaying a rather low level of empathy is the use of cluster bombs in built up areas. Did you know that in the last 72 hours of the conflict, the IDF distributed thousands of bomblets along the Isreal Lebannon border? Everyone (who know about munitions) knows that there is a 20% fail rate on these things, which means the IDF has effectively made a very large anti pers minefeild in an area that refugees are now trying to return to. Refugees have kids… And it will be the kids that get killed by these things al la BiH.
Cluster munitions are very effective, and I strongly beleive that we in the CF should maintain an arsenal of these… However, to go using them willy nilly is a gross display of incompetance at best, and a willingness to tread very close to violations of the LOAC.
We in the western world are the good guys, because we do not sacrafice the moral high ground for easy victories. I beleive this very strongly, despite the fact that myself being in the infantry, will be in the meat grinder sooner or later, and I know full well the risks that that entails having seen a friend, and another mentor trainer come back home from their respected rotos early in flag drapped caskets. HVK made me the soldier I am today, and I endeavour now, to remake myself into a better soldier… Part of that is knowing our past, present and future course, and understanding what it is that we are truely fighting for.
Meant to add some articles to my last:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14528281/
http://www.imi-israel.com/Business/ProductsFamily/Product.aspx?FolderID=32&docID=412
http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=156227
Further, this site really needs an edit function on posts… “…knows that there is a 20% fail rate on these…” should read “… knows that there is a 5-10% fail rate…” was typing fast, whilst talking on the phone. Sorry for any confusion.
Jeff: You don’t say! God bless us one and all.