Reuters: "UN: Israel used precision bomb to hit UN officers"

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=13648290

UN: Israel used precision bomb to hit UN officers

Fri Sep 29, 2006 03:40 PM ET

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israel used a precision-guided bomb to launch a direct hit on four U.N. peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon last July, the United Nations said on Friday of its probe into the incident.

...

Annan said the U.N. bunker at Khiam "was struck by a 500- kilogram precision-guided aerial bomb."

...

[rkc3]

1. 500 kg of subtlety.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Makes it a little more difficult

to claim they weren't directly targeted.

[ThomCat]

3. Doesn't matter. People don't care.

Israel could send soldiers in to deliberately pour buckets of napalm over small children and there are people who would dismiss it. "Israel didn't really do it. La la la la la. I'm not listening."

[Zhade]

14. Israel did in fact use white phosphorous, didn't they?

And we did see the megaphonies here deny it as impossible.

[mom cat]

4. Bingo!

[me b zola]

8. Especially with the rest of the information of events from that day:

From the same article:

Jane Holl Lute, a deputy head of U.N. peacekeeping operations, told the U.N. Security Council on July 26 there were 21 strikes within 300 metres (yards) of the observer post during the six hours before it was completely destroyed.

Twelve of the 21 struck within 100 metres, including four that scored direct hits, Holl Lute said.

While there was speculation Israel may have been targeting Hizbollah positions near the Khiam post, Holl Lute said there was no Hizbollah firing coming from near the outpost.

An Irish army officer in south Lebanon warned Israeli forces six times that its strikes threatened the lives of the four observers, Ireland's Foreign Ministry said.

[w4rma]

5. There it is. That's the final undeniable (except to a zealot) proof. (nt)

[daleo]

6. The response will be:

Yes, the strike was accurate but our targeting coordinates were mistaken.

[leesa]

7. Or...the UN is always against us...waaaaahhh...

[papau]

9. Funny how UN admission of providing cover for Hez in the past is missed

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=13648290

UN: Israel used precision bomb to hit UN officers

Fri Sep 29, 2006 03:40 PM ET By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)....Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said maps of the area had been incorrect. "There was a mishap on the Israeli side where in duplication of maps, the U.N. position on the maps was not marked as it should have been and that created the tragedy," he said....

Regev said the INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT ABOUT 100 METRES (YARDS) FROM THE U.N. POSITION THERE WAS A HIZBOLLAH POSITION WHERE THERE WAS "HOSTILE ACTIVITY."

U.N. OFFICIALS AGREED HIZBOLLAH GUERRILLAS WERE AT A BASE IN THE AREA AS WELL AS IN A NEARBY PRISON. NOTE TO READER - NEAR ZERO OF THE ABOVE WAS REPORTED BY THOSE OBSERVERS OVER THE YEARS AS THE UN PROTECTED HIZBOLLAH.

...they said there was no activity from the militia on July 25 and the U.N. bunker was clearly marked...

NOTE TO READER - AT THIS POINT - IN THE CLOSING PARAGRAPH - REUTERS STATES "While there was speculation Israel may have been targeting Hizbollah positions near the Khiam post, Holl Lute said there was no Hizbollah firing coming from near the outpost."

SO WE HAVE HIZBOLLAH "ACTIVITY" - BUT A UN CLAIM THAT THERE WAS NO FIRING - WITHIN 100 YARDS OF THE OUTPOST (No firing based on what observation I wonder)

[MGKrebs]

10. Inconclusive at best.

The Israeli spokesman claims "hostile activity". Vague and uncorroborated and therefore meaningless.

"Mismarked map"- Israel kept dropping bombs despite repeated warnings that there was a UN post in danger, map or no map.

"Near zero" activity reported by UN- That is the same as saying that the UN HAD previously reported activity in the area. Not exactly "protecting".

Hizbollah "activity" is not necessarily prohibited.

The report does not say "within" 100 yards. It says "about" 100 yards.

[papau]

12. and UN agreed that there was Hez in the area-but read reports by UN & see

how UN observers do not report Hez activity next to their posts - no reports of UN outpost areas being used by Hez for cover for Hez activity - activity against Israel.

Nothing is ever reported about UN helping Hez because they are only helping local citizens - right?(the reports are online at the UN web site)

No - it is not inconclusive.

Indeed it is inconclusive only if you want it to be

Indeed one can put the bar so high for these things - like civil war - that one can say there is no civil war in Iraq these days. And some folks will believe you.

So you are correct - the statement "U.N. OFFICIALS AGREED HIZBOLLAH GUERRILLAS WERE AT A BASE IN THE AREA AS WELL AS IN A NEARBY PRISON" does not say there was "activity".

And again you are correct - activity by itself is not reportable unless in the judgement of the UN observor it is an act against Israel(or Leb.) or an act in preparation of an act against Israel(or Leb.) or an act that might involve the UN in providing cover for an act against Israel(or Leb.) or an act that increases the likelyhood of the UN being directly associated with an act against Israel(or Leb.) (such as the UN giving Hez the UN marked vehicles and uniforms used to act the Farms a few years back). So nothing being reported re the Farms attack because in the judgement of the UN on the ground, giving vehicles and uniforms (all of which is seen in the video of the Farms attack) is not involving the UN in Hez activities, I see how I should defer to the UN's observor judgement that nothing worth reporting was going on next to the observor post.

I am glad we could agree.

[Zhade]

15. Great job breaking down the spin!

The poster to whom you replied has been caught plagiarizing other works as his own twice on this website, so reading it was a wise move.

[entanglement]

11. It was murder, plain and simple

n/t

[Zhade]

13. Well, Israel DID know it was there.

And someone in the military gave Kofi Annan assurances that they would NOT hit it.

Guess they lied - just like they lied about Hezbollah using it as a place to launch attacks. THAT turned out to be yet another lie.

(Mods: not I/P, please don't take the cowardly way out by dumping this into the dungeon.)

[LifeDuringWartime]

16. what can the UN do?

is there a provision in the UN charters for this situation?