4 Killed When Israeli Bomb Hits U.N. Post
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

(07-25) 15:01 PDT BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) --

A U.N. observer post was hit by an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon Tuesday, killing four peacekeepers, U.N. officials said.

A bomb directly hit the building and shelter of an Indian patrol base from the observer force in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said in New York that the Security Council was informed that four officers with UNIFIL were killed, but he had no other information.

"We're obviously very sorry," Boltin said. "We're attempting to get information where we can to confirm the nature of the incident."

Struger also said there were 14 other incidents of firing close to this position from the Israeli side Tuesday afternoon. "The firing continued even during the rescue operation," he said.

Since Israel launched a massive military offensive against Lebanon and Hezbollah guerrillas July 12, an international civilian employee working with UNIFIL and his wife have been killed in the crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas in the southern port city of Tyre.

Five UNIFIL soldiers and one military observer have also been wounded, Struger said.


URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2006/07/25/international/i150154D50.DTL
©2006 Associated Press

Israel doesn't like the UN much as the UN has called them on their terror, theft, occupation and various other atrocities:


Here's a list of UN resolutions ignored by Israel:
A list of UN Resolutions against "Israel"

* 1955-1992:
* * Resolution 106: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for Gaza raid".
* * Resolution 111: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for raid on Syria that killed fifty-six people".
* * Resolution 127: " . . . 'recommends' Israel suspends it's 'no-man's zone' in Jerusalem".
* * Resolution 162: " . . . 'urges' Israel to comply with UN decisions".
* * Resolution 171: " . . . determines flagrant violations' by Israel in its attack on Syria".
* * Resolution 228: " . . . 'censures' Israel for its attack on Samu in the West Bank, then under Jordanian control".
* * Resolution 237: " . . . 'urges' Israel to allow return of new 1967 Palestinian refugees".
* * Resolution 248: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for its massive attack on Karameh in Jordan".
* * Resolution 250: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to refrain from holding military parade in Jerusalem".
* * Resolution 251: " . . . 'deeply deplores' Israeli military parade in Jerusalem in defiance of Resolution 250".
* * Resolution 252: " . . . 'declares invalid' Israel's acts to unify Jerusalem as Jewish capital".
* * Resolution 256: " . . . 'condemns' Israeli raids on Jordan as 'flagrant violation".
* * Resolution 259: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's refusal to accept UN mission to probe occupation".
* * Resolution 262: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for attack on Beirut airport".
* * Resolution 265: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for air attacks for Salt in Jordan".
* * Resolution 267: " . . . 'censures' Israel for administrative acts to change the status of Jerusalem".
* *Resolution 270: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for air attacks on villages in southern Lebanon".
* * Resolution 271: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's failure to obey UN resolutions on Jerusalem".
* * Resolution 279: " . . . 'demands' withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon".
* * Resolution 280: " . . . 'condemns' Israeli's attacks against Lebanon".
* * Resolution 285: " . . . 'demands' immediate Israeli withdrawal form Lebanon".
* * Resolution 298: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's changing of the status of Jerusalem".
* * Resolution 313: " . . . 'demands' that Israel stop attacks against Lebanon".
* * Resolution 316: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for repeated attacks on Lebanon".
* * Resolution 317: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's refusal to release Arabs abducted in Lebanon".
* * Resolution 332: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's repeated attacks against Lebanon".
* * Resolution 337: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for violating Lebanon's sovereignty".
* * Resolution 347: " . . . 'condemns' Israeli attacks on Lebanon".
* * Resolution 425: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon".
* * Resolution 427: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon.
* * Resolution 444: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's lack of cooperation with UN peacekeeping forces".
* * Resolution 446: " . . . 'determines' that Israeli settlements are a 'serious
* obstruction' to peace and calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention".
* * Resolution 450: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to stop attacking Lebanon".
* * Resolution 452: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to cease building settlements in occupied territories".
* * Resolution 465: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's settlements and asks all member
* states not to assist Israel's settlements program".
* * Resolution 467: " . . . 'strongly deplores' Israel's military intervention in Lebanon".
* * Resolution 468: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to rescind illegal expulsions of
* two Palestinian mayors and a judge and to facilitate their return".
* * Resolution 469: " . . . 'strongly deplores' Israel's failure to observe the
* council's order not to deport Palestinians".
* * Resolution 471: " . . . 'expresses deep concern' at Israel's failure to abide
* by the Fourth Geneva Convention".
* * Resolution 476: " . . . 'reiterates' that Israel's claim to Jerusalem are 'null and void'".
* * Resolution 478: " . . . 'censures (Israel) in the strongest terms' for its
* claim to Jerusalem in its 'Basic Law'".
* * Resolution 484: " . . . 'declares it imperative' that Israel re-admit two deported
* Palestinian mayors".
* * Resolution 487: " . . . 'strongly condemns' Israel for its attack on Iraq's
* nuclear facility".
* * Resolution 497: " . . . 'decides' that Israel's annexation of Syria's Golan
* Heights is 'null and void' and demands that Israel rescinds its decision forthwith".
* * Resolution 498: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon".
* * Resolution 501: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to stop attacks against Lebanon and withdraw its troops".
* * Resolution 509: " . . . 'demands' that Israel withdraw its forces forthwith and unconditionally from Lebanon".
* * Resolution 515: " . . . 'demands' that Israel lift its siege of Beirut and
* allow food supplies to be brought in".
* * Resolution 517: " . . . 'censures' Israel for failing to obey UN resolutions
* and demands that Israel withdraw its forces from Lebanon".
* * Resolution 518: " . . . 'demands' that Israel cooperate fully with UN forces in Lebanon".
* * Resolution 520: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's attack into West Beirut".
* * Resolution 573: " . . . 'condemns' Israel 'vigorously' for bombing Tunisia
* in attack on PLO headquarters.
* * Resolution 587: " . . . 'takes note' of previous calls on Israel to withdraw
* its forces from Lebanon and urges all parties to withdraw".
* * Resolution 592: " . . . 'strongly deplores' the killing of Palestinian students
* at Bir Zeit University by Israeli troops".
* * Resolution 605: " . . . 'strongly deplores' Israel's policies and practices
* denying the human rights of Palestinians.
* * Resolution 607: " . . . 'calls' on Israel not to deport Palestinians and strongly
* requests it to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention.
* * Resolution 608: " . . . 'deeply regrets' that Israel has defied the United Nations and deported Palestinian civilians".
* * Resolution 636: " . . . 'deeply regrets' Israeli deportation of Palestinian civilians.
* * Resolution 641: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's continuing deportation of Palestinians.
* * Resolution 672: " . . . 'condemns' Israel for violence against Palestinians
* at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.
* * Resolution 673: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's refusal to cooperate with the United
* Nations.
* * Resolution 681: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's resumption of the deportation of
* Palestinians.
* * Resolution 694: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's deportation of Palestinians and
* calls on it to ensure their safe and immediate return.
* * Resolution 726: " . . . 'strongly condemns' Israel's deportation of Palestinians.
* * Resolution 799: ". . . 'strongly condemns' Israel's deportation of 413 Palestinians
* and calls for their immediate return.

I can't recall when UNIFIL ever was a peacekeeping force. This label is wholly inappropriate.

The UN functions much like the local courts of the deep south did in the 1930's. It carries a bigotted agenda. With 57 Muslim nations voting as a block, with the threat of losing acess to oil influencing the rest, this isn't surprising. Majority opinion doesn't make it right. It just makes it popular.


My personal "favorite" UN resolution- when Israel, in a daring raid, freed its kidnapped citizens held hostage in Entebbe, the UN issued a resolution condemning them for it.

The UN should be condemning these nations for not upholding the rights granted in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Quick! Call the Irony Police!
Quick. Someone call the irony police.

The Israelis are demanding that Lebanon and every other player with a stake in the Middle East comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559. That's the one that calls for the disarming of all militias in Lebanon, including, of course, Hezbollah.

On July 22, former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, in which he cited U.N. 1559. The leader of the right-wing Likud party declared that Lebanon's failure to disarm Hezbollah was a "direct violation" of the U.N. resolution. And he added that Israel was only using a "fraction of its firepower and is in fact, acting with great care to minimize harm to civilians."

Given Netanyahu's eagerness to cite U.N. resolutions, and given that the civilian death toll in Lebanon has passed 300 (many of the innocents are women and children) and given that the destruction of Lebanon's civilian infrastructure is nearly complete, it's time to revisit the idea of U.N. resolutions. While doing so, let's look at Israel's compliance with those measures.

Let's start with U.N. Resolution 242. Adopted unanimously by the U.N. Security Council on November 22, 1967, shortly after the end of the Six-Day War, the opening section of the resolution emphasizes the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." But the critical part of the resolution says that a "just and lasting peace" can only be achieved through certain measures. The first item on that list: "Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflicts."

Let's continue with U.N. Resolution 338, also passed unanimously. It was approved on October 22, 1973, in an effort to end the Yom Kippur War. Much shorter than 242, the newer resolution calls on the Israelis and their neighbors to immediately stop fighting, and "to start immediately after the cease-fire the implementation" of Resolution 242.

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