United Nations: Blame Where It Is Due, Please
The United Nations has completed its investigation into the Israeli Defence Forces airstrike against the UNIFIL observation post in southern Lebanon during its defensive war against Hezbollah, which sadly resulted in the deaths of the four UNIFIL peacekeepers posted there. With its investigation completed the United Nations considers Israel solely to blame for the incident and the death of its peacekeepers. Israel conducted its own investigation and came to the conclusion that error was involved and the bombing was an accident. The United Nations is bitter that Israel will not permit it to look into Israel's internal investigation, to vet its conclusions.Most unfortunate. Unfortunate that Hezbollah used the UNIFIL observation post, along with others in the country, as a shield, much as they used sizeable portions of the civilian population, particularly the Shiites which supported them. In the process, and quite deliberately of course, drawing fire from the IDF when it responded to attacks upon Israel; attacks which emanated from the direct vicinities of observation posts, and dense concentrations of civilian habitation. The point being that in so doing Hezbollah handily created victims of IDF "brutality" and unconcern for civilian life, and the media loved every minute of it.
The blame for the deaths of those four UNIFIL peacekeepers lies squarely in the court of the United Nations. This was a war zone, thanks in part to the uselessness of the UN observers in actively doing their duty to prevent the occurrence of violent hostility from Lebanon across the border into Israel. The UN insisted on its force of peacekeepers but saw no need to install sufficient numbers and with an adequate mandate to ensure usefulness in forestalling hostilities.
The real question here should be why the observation posts were not vacated, when it became readily and swiftly apparent that the situation had changed from one of watchful waiting to one of outright war. Peace, tentative as it was, had fled, there was no potential for truce in sight, nor a ceasefire which would depend upon neutral observations to document the occurrence of either truce- or ceasefire-violations.
One of the UNIFIL personnel at the very least, a Canadian, had posted his observations of Hezbollah's inimical moves, and his own doubts regarding their presence in the area. His observations and concerns were doubtless conveyed to the United Nations through normal channels, so why was action to remove UN personnel from harm's way not taken? This is a clear failure on the part of the United Nations to act with despatch to safeguard their own.
Interestingly enough UNIFIL did produce observational data throughout the Israel-Lebanon war. It openly published daily, real-time intelligence on the location, equipment and force structure of IDF troops in Lebanon. Needless to say, this gift was of enormous usefulness to Hezbollah which had no trouble accessing it.
So much for neutrality, so much for honesty, so much for fairness and reliability of intent. Postings of new information was sometimes thirty minutes old. Pretty nifty for intelligence to be so handily accessible for an adversary, right? Conversely, UNIFIL posted zero items of specific intelligence with respect to Hezbollah forces and deployment.
Gives one such a warm glow of appreciation for the sterling qualities and work of the United Nations.
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, October 04, 2006
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