News > Politics > Israel Admits Using Phosphorous Weapons

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 22 2006 2:00 PM

Israel Admits Using Phosphorous Weapons

Submitted by legionnaire

Edited by legionnaire

Tags: Israel, phosphorous, geneva conventions, Hezbollah

During Israel's fight against Hezbollah troops in southern Lebanon this past summer, the Israeli army faced the daunting task of trying to pinpoint military targets that were peppered within civilian areas. The result was incredible carnage as collateral damage claimed the lives of civilians on both sides of the conflict, with Hezbollah indiscriminately attacking areas with civilians and Israelis killing Lebanese where Hezbollah troops were operating. Despite claims that the army worked to pinpoint strictly military targets, Israel now admits to having used white phosphorous based weapons, incendiary devices capable of inflicting massive burns during the conflict, raising the question of how strictly their counterassaults were directed against military centers of operation.

Cabinet minister Jacob Edery confirmed the bombs were dropped "against military targets in open ground".

Israel had previously said the weapons were used only to mark targets.

Phosphorus weapons cause chemical burns and the Red Cross and human rights groups say they should be treated as chemical weapons.

The Geneva Conventions ban the use of white phosphorous as an incendiary weapon against civilian populations and in air attacks against military forces in civilian areas.

Mr Edery says he confirmed during a parliamentary session last week on behalf of Defence Minister Amir Peretz that the weapons were used in fighting.

"The Israeli army made use of phosphorous shells during the war against Hezbollah in attacks against military targets in open ground," he said.

The usage of phosphorous in warfare against civilian targets is restricted by the 1980 UN Convention on Certain Conventional weapons, to which Israel is a signatory party, in an attempt to minimize the significant collateral damage these weapons are capable of creating.

The Israeli government is insisting that while the weapons were used, they were operating within the allowable treaty guidelines. Certainly the nature of the military operations against Hezbollah made it exceedingly difficult to distinguish between military and civilian targets (is an apartment building with a Hezbollah sniper inside a military or civilian structure?) However, the civilian recipients of these bombs might have argued for a more judicious use of these munitions.

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Comments

MetaTag

United Kingdom

September 2002

OCT 23, 2006 05:17 PM

Westley said:
MetaTag has got to be the most patient person in the history of internet message boards.

Thank you. I sometimes wonder how much of the problems in the ME are caused by psycology rather than idealogy. There seems to be too much emotion and too little pragmatism in the peoples of the region.

J24U

Danvers, MA

February 2006

OCT 23, 2006 05:24 PM

This thread gets better and better every day...

Dead_Ringer

I'm lost

September 2004

OCT 23, 2006 06:18 PM

MetaTag said:

Dead_Ringer said:
Right, the old we're causing the Islamofascists to decapitate Jews argument. Am I the only sane one here? Why don't you try, you know, blaming the Islamofascists for their actions?!

The islamofascists are completly responsible for their own actions, but the problem of managing them is another matter.

Manage? Just kill them. All of them - and their "civilian" sympathizers. Problem solved.

It has proven hard to do that with force alone and there is an important battle of "hearts and minds".

Again, I'm not arguing a means by which America wins hearts and minds; I'm not arguing for a mutually acceptable agreement; I'm not arguing for middle ground or moderation. Those measures are "appeasement." We saw what happened when Hitler was appeased. I'm not about to sit by and appease the Islamofascists - not one inch. Never again; never forget; never surrender.

The UK saw this with our troubles in Ireland. The more extreem our measure were to combat the IRA and other Irish terrorists, the more support they received.

Again, the failure of the Brits was too little force. They tried to sit down and talk with the Irifascists. The major difference with the IRA and the Islamofascists is that the IRA are at least God-fearing Christians, i.e. not agents of the devil.

You may feel righteous indignation and anger, but those feelings will not serve you well.

Someone has been watching too much CNN (Communist News Network).

MisterGone

Minneapolis, MN

March 2006

OCT 23, 2006 06:37 PM

Hope you remember to vote Nov, 8th Dead Ringer. you fucking neocon asshole.

malkav11

Saint Paul, MN

July 2003

OCT 23, 2006 06:52 PM

I think I've lost track of who's being sarcastic. Everyone?

MisterGone

Minneapolis, MN

March 2006

OCT 23, 2006 06:53 PM

Shhh!

Andvari

Calgary, AB

April 2005

OCT 23, 2006 06:55 PM

malkav11 said:
I think I've lost track of who's being sarcastic. Everyone?

Was the supposed to be sarcastic? Huh? HUH?

VinnyVidiVici

Orange Park, FL

February 2006

OCT 23, 2006 07:10 PM

Isreal used Willy Pete.

Hezbollah has still failed to return the bodies of the Isreali soldiers they crossed the border and kidnapped (which sparked the war) and probably murdered.

Sad state of affairs.