Posted on 08/29/2007 9:15:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A human rights group issued a report Wednesday accusing Hezbollah of firing rockets indiscriminately at civilian areas in Israel during last summer's war, prompting swift condemnation by the militant group and even its Lebanese opponents.
Human Rights Watch's report said it found numerous rockets fired by Hezbollah in which there was no apparent legitimate military target, indicating civilians were deliberately attacked.
The report also said Hezbollah's justifications that the rocket attacks were a response to Israeli fire into southern Lebanon and aimed at drawing Israel into a ground war had no legal basis under the rules of war.
"Hezbollah's explanations for why it fired rockets at Israel's civilian population utterly fail to justify these unlawful attacks," said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division. "Hezbollah, like Israel, must respect the laws of war."
Hussein Khalil, political adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, called the report "political debauchery."
"They come to stand on top of the head of the victim, the country destroyed by the Israelis, to talk about how this victim has hurt the Israelis," he said.
Even Hezbollah's opponent, U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, criticized the report, saying Human Rights Watch should have released a report on Israel first. Saniora's office said the rights group did not show "such vigor toward Israeli crimes committed against Lebanese civilians."
Human Rights Watch said it was planning to release a report critical of Israel on Sept. 6.
The New York-based group had planned to release the Hezbollah report during a news conference Thursday at a Beirut hotel. But the group said it was forced to release it a day early after the hotel canceled the news conference and pro-Hezbollah activists threatened to hold protests.
"Hezbollah is trying to silence criticism of its conduct during the 2006 war," Whitson said in a statement. "But the fairness and accuracy of our reporting will speak for themselves, whether we hold a press conference or not."
The war erupted last July after Hezbollah guerrillas killed three Israeli soldiers and captured two others in a cross-border raid. Israeli warplanes blasted Lebanese highways, bridges and other infrastructure before the army launched a ground offensive into the southern part of the country.
More than 1,000 Lebanese were killed in 34 days of fighting. The Israeli death toll was 159, including 120 soldiers. Hezbollah launched nearly 4,000 rockets at Israel during the war.
I shot a rocket into the air,(With apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.)
It fell to earth, I know not where,
But then, for some reason or other
I've had no news from my brother
Muslim logic.
I have no more respect for muslim argument than I would from a pack of rabid dogs. Make that starving, mangy, useless rabid dogs.
You may recall that the great former Pres. Carter bought into this Has-been-ohllah bs and said Israel was “over reacting!”
Truth is like Kryptonite to the liar.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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