Devastation in Qana
Photo: Reuters
Olmert urged to call for Qana inquiry
Association for Civil Rights in Israel demands official commission of inquiry into air raid that killed dozens of Lebanese civilians
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel demanded Tuesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
order the establishment of an official commission of inquiry that would look into the Qana air raid, which
left dozens of Lebanese civilians dead.
The Association is also calling for a probe into other incidents where Lebanese civilians were killed by the army.
The letter to Olmert charges that the Qana raid, "which led to the death of innocents, has a black flag flying over it, and seemingly constitutes a blatant violation of the two basic principles of international humanitarian and criminal law – the principle of distinction between fighters and civilians, and that of proportionality."
The Association argued that IDF attacks on roads and bridges in southern Lebanon, and in some cases bombings of vehicles carrying refugees, prevented many Lebanese civilians from complying with Israeli leaflets urging them to leave their homes.
"The claim that the IDF informed residents they should leave their villages does not exempt it from responsibility for the fate of these civilians," the Association said. "The bombardment of residential buildings on the pretext that residents were warned in advance, while completely ignoring the difficulties faced by the refugees…constitutes a complete shirking of the duty to act cautiously."
The Association also argued that IDF claims that rockets were fired at Israel from the village of Qana did not justify the bombing of a residential building. Following a probe, officials should look into the possibility of bringing to justice anyone suspected of violating the law, the Association said.
"A state that pretends to be democratic, moral, and law-abiding, must manage the fighting in accordance with international humanitarian and criminal law regulations," the Association noted. "The willingness to respect those regulations during times of crisis and times of war is what distinguishes moral, law-abiding states from countries that are not."
