UN observers begged Israelis to stop shelling their position

The Times London ^ | June 27, 2006 | Steve Farrell and Nicholas Blanford

[plenipotentiary]

In the past three days UN observers have reported frequent attacks close to their positions.

Heavy shelling around Khiam on Tuesday had forced the four observers into the bomb shelters. At about 1.20pm, officials say, a jet dropped a bomb only 300 metres away. The observers contacted the Unifil headquarters.

The observers warned Israel that their aircraft were dropping bombs dangerously close to a UN position. The Israelis said that they would check the situation and make any necessary adjustments, UN officials say. But jets then dropped ten bombs between 100 and 300 metres from the UN position and fired 12 artillery rounds within 150 metres, UN officials said. The fatal strike — using a “precision-guided weapon”, said UN military personnel — hit the post at about 7.20pm.

[plenipotentiary]

The printed version of The Times shows a time scale makes it clear that the Israelis were targetting the area around the UN post for some time, presumably because some Hezbollah were situated in very close proximity to the UN post.

It seems clear to me, in the light of this, and the email from the deceased Canadian Officer, that Kofi Annan has grossly misrepresented the situation, as have some members of UNIFIL.

This indicates that Kofi Annan, and UNIFIL in general are partial towards Hezbollah, and are engaging in news management which favours Hezbollah.

When the facts of this are firmly established, Anan must be asked to resign, for his partiality, and for needlessly putting UN soldiers lives at risk.

[RolandBurnam]

the U.N. observers were on the Hizbullah side and got what they deserved.

[clamper1797]

When the facts of this are firmly established, Anan must be asked FORCED to resign, for his partiality, and for needlessly putting UN soldiers lives at risk.

[npg]

WHAT???!!!

WE CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER ALL THESE BOMBS!!!!

[Beth528]

Israel knows what it is doing..The only way they will get these thugs is to go after the people that are shielding them.. The UN!!!

[oolatec]

Why didn't they beg Hezbullah to stop using their positions as areas to stage attacks?

[JOHN ADAMS]

I note that they asked the Israelis to stop shooting at their location, but never "asked" the Hizb fighters to move away from their location. Doing the latter would have resulted in instant death; doing the former only made it more likely that they'd get killed. Not a good situation to be in, but I for one am THRILLED that the IDF kept shooting at their enemy regardless of behind whom the enemy was hiding.

[Nathan Zachary]

The headline is terribly biased and misleading. Where was this supposed "begging"?
There was an interview with a Canadian who had been on one of these 'observer' assignments. He said it was always a risky assignment, and that the UN should not do such stupid things in the first place. Half the time the UN ABANDONS people who are in these isolated areas. A couple years ago some Canadian and US "observers" were killed and hacked to pieces by muslim terrorists in Nigeria, and there have been others over the years as well put into these positions with no amunition (6 bullets) and no hope of rescue should something go wrong.

Amazing that nothing is said about these incidents, but because it involves and accident caused by Israel, well, that's just different. We know how koffi Anus feels about jews and Israel, but when perposeful crimes are committed by his beloved muslim terrorists- well that's just ok. It's also OK when Anan's beloved Muslim UN "peacekeepers rape and torture, and injure thier penis making out with goats.

Kofi Anus should be removed from office immediately, his failure to enforce resolution 1559 over the years, plus his FAILURE to recognize Islamic terrorism and genocide all over the world for his entire term is more than ample evidence that his is in agreement with Islamic terrorism and supporting it worldwide.

[Diogenesis]

In Lebanon, United Nations personel were killed after Kofi Annan personally
refused to let them leave because he fears that the UN-Hizb'allah connection may
become clearer.

Israel asked for all non-Hizb'allah personnel to evacuate from South Lebanon.
Even as the missiles were fired from their UN-Hizb'allah buildings,
they called the UN then Israel, and back and forth, but they were Kofi's
'shields', guinea pigs for the UN who would have been shot for desertion
if they had left without the explicit written order, which had to be signed
by War Criminal Terrorist-Emperor and grifter Annan himself. Annan
refused and has since forced these people from several countries
to reman as terrorist shields for the UN.

The UN has a long and proven history working with Hizb'allah terrorists.
Note -- and remember -- this photo where both the UN and Hizb'allah terrorist flags fly together.

---

AMAZING PRECISION

Less than 1% of Beirut has been hit. Yet the MSM
will not present that because these have been ultra-precision
attacks against terrorists (and the civilian shields and UN toadies).

The black in the maps is what the Israelis have taken out.
The MSM focuses on the same buildings over and over.

[Chena]

the U.N. observers were on the Hizbullah side and got what they deserved.

Shameful comment, IMHO. You nor I know diddly-squat about the personal opinions of these men. They were soldiers, following orders.

[texas_mrs]

And there's this, from The New York Sun:

"A Canadian U.N. observer, one of four killed at a UNIFIL position near the southern Lebanese town of Khiyam on Tuesday, sent an e-mail to his former commander, a Canadian retired major-general, Lewis MacKenzie, in which he wrote that Hezbollah fighters were "all over" the U.N. position, Mr. MacKenzie said. Hezbollah troops, not the United Nations, were Israel's target, the deceased observer wrote."

[dfwgator]

Why didn't they beg Hezbullah to stop using their positions as areas to stage attacks?

You make way too much sense.

[Nathan Zachary]

If one were to judge by what MSM shows, you would think that 90% of lebanon has been flattened.
What's really working against MSM, is that Canadian Lebonese are saying the exact opposite. There was an interview with a lebonese-Canadian (On CTV, (a C-BS Canada affiliate station)) who is in Beruit right now. When asked if she felt that she was in danger, she said she feels safer there than she would walking in the streets of downtown Toronto in the evening.
Canadian Lebanese as a whole have been supporting Israel's actions, and showing just how badly MSM is spinning (or trying to) What's going on.

[APRPEH]

the sun article

article

[Nathan Zachary]

There was anther news clip they showed last night, of a muslim woman sitting on a chair. Then, as if on cue, someone told her that her husband (probably a Hezbollah terrorist) had been killed. It was the most fake "fainting" spell I have ever seen. There were 3 others conveniently standing around her. They started to move to catch her when she "fainted" and fell off her chair to the floor- before she even moved! It was bad acting.
You'd think they would have rehearsed it a few more times. I don't know who originally filmed that piece, probably AP. They seem to always be near Muslim terrorists and their families, Who are the only ones complaining about Israel's actions against the Hezbollah missile attacks, which number now to over 1400 Iranian made missiles launched.

[NonLinear]

I guess it is too much of a stretch to wonder why they didn't say, "Boss, those bombs are awfully close. I'm heading to the house for a cool one or six, until the dust settles down a bit over here. You coming? I've got some hummus that will just go bad with the power off, unless we eat it."

[Nathan Zachary]

Maybe Koffi Anus should dress "Observers" in striped referee shirts, and have them throw down penalty flags and award penalty kicks(penalty missles) when they think someone is breaking the rules. It seems the UN (koffee Anan) think war is a game with rules, rest breaks, half time shows and that it should only last for 2 hours.

[exg]

Tough guy jumper killed in UN bombing
Hess-von Kruedener a serious soldier


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Major Hess-von Kruedener is shown in an undated photo being presented with his jump certificate. Hess-von Kruedener is missing and presumed dead after an Israeli bomb flattened a clearly marked UN post in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 killing three other observers.
Photograph by : Canadian Press/Canadian Forces
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Font: * * * * with files from Vito Pilieci, Lance Crossley and MatthewFisher, CanWest News Service, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen
Published: Thursday, July 27, 2006
Maj. Paeta Derek Hess-von Kruedener was a serious soldier who took pride in his job and used the experiences he accumulated after spending decades in warzones to help teach others about the dangers of combat.

In a 2003 course for journalists about how to report on and survive during a war, held at Canadian Forces Base Kingston by the Canadian Armed Forces, Hess-von Kruedener told about 30 journalists that if they wanted to survive in a warzone, the No. 1 rule that must be followed is ''don't trust anyone.''

"Operate on the fact someone is listening. Someone is always listening," he told the group.

Hess-von Kruedener informed his students that spies lie everywhere and even a taxi driver can prove to be extremely dangerous as many are affiliated with foreign spy organizations and are trained to eavesdrop on passengers.

His battlefield experience comes from more than 20 years of service with the Armed Forces. He previously served in Cyprus, twice in Bosnia and Congo before his most recent posting in Lebanon.

He also served at the Canadian Parachute Centre, a national school that teaches advanced parachute techniques, in Trenton, Ont.

According to his colleagues, there are very few people better trained or prepared to deploy into combat.

Hess-von Kruedener is the Canadian United Nations representative who is missing and presumed dead as a result of an Israeli bombing on a UN observation point in southern Lebanon earlier this week.

His name was released in a statement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper Wednesday afternoon. News that Hess-von Kruedener may have been killed by a bomb in Lebanon tore through his home town of Kingston and his regiment with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton.

"This saddens us all," said Lt.-Col. Shane Brennan of Kingston, who commands Joint Task Force Lebanon, recently set up to help evacuate Canadians from the war-torn country.

"Many of us here have known him. He was a jumper (skydiver), a hard, tough, physical guy who was really motivated. He was a man of action always pushing the limits."

In his most recent assignment, Hess-von Kruedener was acting as an unarmed military observer with the UN's Truce and Supervision Organization. He was one of four UN observers stationed in southern Lebanon to observe fighting in that region.

No one at Hess-von Kruedener's Kingston home would comment Wednesday night. Maj.-Gen. Stu Beare, who was at the residence Wednesday afternoon, said the family was extremely emotional.

Neighbours of Hess-von Kruedener were shocked to hear the friendly outdoorsman, who had only moved to the area from Alberta about two years ago, may have been killed.

Many described him as a good person who was always willing to help someone in need.

"A fabulous person," said Cathy Forshner, who lives near the Hess-von Kruedener home. "That is the best way to explain him. He is very kind and very honest. Just a fabulous person."

In an e-mail sent to CTV shortly after hostilities renewed in the Middle East, Kruedener described UN Patrol Base Khiam, strategically perched about 10 kilometres from Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian borders. The base is named after the village El Khiam, which sits on one of four ridges overlooking the Hasbani River valley.
"We have on a daily basis had numerous occasions where our position has come under direct or indirect fire from both artillery and aerial bombing," he wrote in his July 18 e-mail.

"The closest artillery has landed within two metres of our position and the closest 1,000-pound aerial bomb has landed 100 metres from our patrol base. This has not been deliberate targeting, but has rather been due to tactical necessity."

Brennan said when he was deployed to the region last week, he learned his friend was serving as the only Canadian with UNTSO in the area, and feared the worst when he heard a Canadian might have been killed.

"We're a small regiment and we run into each other all the time."

Added Brennan, who also served in Croatia, Bosnia and Cyprus: "Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, but as soldiers we have to focus on on the mission at hand.

"I know that anytime there is active hostilities it is very dangerous to be an unarmed UN observer."

Under UNTSO, which was created in 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East, unarmed observers working in multinational teams report on violations of agreements, including ceasefires in southern Lebanon, Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula.

Canada has contributed military observers since 1954, and currently has eight Canadian Forces personnel assigned to UNTSO, as part of Operation Jade.

Ottawa Citizen

[montomike]

Stupid is as stupid Does!

Don't get in an ambulance...pick up a few wounded terrorists...and head for safety under the UN-Red Crescent flag!

[APRPEH]

its sad. what a guy. i wish the Canadians would re-think participating in these things.