The Qana Atrocity

[Warren Stupidity]

The Qana Atrocity

A dead Hezbollah terrorist:

This is what is being done. 51 dead, at last count, in a single IDF attack on a building in the village of Qana in south Lebanon, an attack on a building in which the villagers had taken shelter from the IDF air raids that have now become a fact of life. An attack against a civilian target that took place as there was movement on both sides toward a resolution of the crisis.

This sort of military action is acceptable, says noted jurist and leading member of the Israel Can Do No Wrong faction, Alan Desrhowitz.

"The Israeli army has given well-publicized notice to civilians to leave those areas of southern Lebanon that have been turned into war zones. Those who voluntarily remain behind have become complicit. Some — those who cannot leave on their own — should be counted among the innocent victims."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-dershowitz22jul22,0,7685210.story

I wonder, Mr. Dershowitz, which category of your 'continuum of civilianality' you will place these latest victims of state terrorism? What a nice phrase of deceit that is, what a prime example of how brilliant intellectuals can become egregiously stupid by their own smug thought jumbles that rationalize their entrenched positions.

But it is unfair to the torture apologist Dershowitz to assume that he will place the dead here in the acceptable military target category, he has not had an opportunity to reflect on his essay attempting to abolish the clear legal standards of the Geneva Conventions in the light of the atrocity at Qana. So let us turn instead to those who have spoken directly of this affront to civilization.

"Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "great sorrow" for the airstrikes but blamed Hezbollah guerrillas for using the area to launch rockets at Israel.
...
Before the airstrike, Olmert told Rice he needed 10-14 days to finish the offensive in Lebanon, according to a senior Israeli government official. The two said they would meet again Sunday evening."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060730/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

"US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose latest Middle East mission was thrown into turmoil by the attack, she was "deeply saddened" by the loss of innocent lives and said it was time to "get to a ceasefire" in Lebanon but stopped short of calling for an immediate halt to hostilities on Sunday.

Israel expressed regret over the civilian deaths and ordered an inquiry but said it had warned residents to leave and pinned the blame on Hezbollah for launching rockets from the area."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060730/ts_afp/mideastconflict_060730141359;_ylt=Ah2Osw834QsXWFh2IbxT_78UvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

For the Israeli government and its supporters, Hezbollah is to blame. The war must continue. There will be no ceasefire. Those who are killed in attacks on civilian targets are to blame as they were warned to leave.

When you do wrong you apologize, you as an ethical mature adult. You do not make excuses, you do not insist on pointing out how those you have harmed might have avoided the injury you have inflicted on them. When you do wrong you apologize for what you have done unambiguously, you make amends for your errors, and you examine your own life and actions to understand how and why you have done wrong and take actions to make sure that you will not do this again. Our leaders in this vile conflict are not mature ethical adults, they are spoiled willfully bad children.