The E.U. condemns the situation without assigning blame.
Canada, Australia and Germany blame Lebananese-based terrorists for starting the conflict and do not condemn Israeli actions.
The Arab countries are largely opposed to what they see as a disruption of Lebanese sovereignty. The most moderate voice was Egypt, stating that "Targeting civilians under the pretext of fighting terrorism is unacceptable and unjustified. Israeli practices violate international law. We condemn any military action that targets civilians. We consider it a terrorist act, regardless of who the civilians are or its source." Iran was the most extreme.
The rest of the World, rightly in my opinion, condemns both the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers and the disproportionate response.
I thought the Areminian response was particularly eloquent, and relevent, given the large Armenian minority in Israel and the country’s history .
quote: Armenia is extremely concerned about the military actions in Lebanon and their escalation, as well as the great loss of civilian life." "Armenia condemns any violence whether it be abduction or use of force," he underscored. "We particularly denounce the use of such disproportionate force intended solely to collectively punish civilians and damage infrastructure. This kind of reaction by Israel is particularly difficult to understand given the fact that the Lebanese government has clearly distanced itself from the abduction incident. We hope that there will be restraint in the region and also hope there will be an immediate ceasefire so that the issues can be addressed by peaceful means.
Amnesty International states that both parties are guilty of
quote: blatant breach of international humanitarian law [which] amount to war crimes."
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
...and?
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Thanks for the information, Pelegius.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Amnesty international thinks not covering your mouth when you sneeze is a war crime.
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
Yes...It is a war crime.
Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
Actualy, Amnesty is one of the few sources that still has any moral authority. M. Chirac can talk, but who will listen?
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Whining any time someone makes a hard choice instead of sitting there and taking it is NOT moral authority.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
quote:JEDDAH, JULY 14, SPA -- AN OFFICIAL SOURCE SAID THAT THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA HAS BELIEVED AND STILL BELIEVES IN THE RIGHT OF PEOPLE UNDER OCCUPATION TO FIGHT THIS OCCUPATION IN ALL ITS FORMS AND TO REJECT ITS ILLEGAL MEASURES AIMING AT ERASING IDENTITY AND CHANGING REALTIES ON THE GROUND. ON THIS BASIS, THE KINGDOM HAS ALWAYS BEEN STANDING WITH ALL ITS CAPABILITIES WITH THE LEGITIMATE PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE WHICH AIMS AT RESISTING MILITARY OCCUPATION AND AVOIDING HARMING THE INNOCENT. ON THE SAME BASIS, THE KINGDOM STOOD FIRMLY WITH THE RESISTANCE IN LEBANON UNTIL ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF SOUTH LEBANON ENDED.
VIEWING WITH DEEP CONCERN THE BLOODY, PAINFUL EVENTS CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE IN PALESTINE AND LEBANON, THE KINGDOM WOULD LIKE TO CLEARLY ANNOUNCE THAT A DIFFERENCE SHOULD BE DRAWN BETWEEN LEGITIMATE RESISTANCE AND MISCALCULATED ADVENTURES CARRIED OUT BY ELEMENTS INSIDE THE STATE AND THOSE BEHIND THEM WITHOUT CONSULTATION WITH THE LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY IN THEIR STATE AND WITHOUT CONSULTATION OR COORDINATION WITH ARAB COUNTRIES, THUS CREATING A GRAVELY DANGEROUS SITUATION EXPOSING ALL ARAB COUNTRIES AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS TO DESTRUCTION WITH THOSE COUNTRIES HAVING NO SAY. THE KINGDOM VIEWS THAT IT IS TIME THAT THESE ELEMENTS ALONE BEAR THE FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF THESE IRRESPONSIBLE ACTS AND SHOULD ALONE SHOULDER THE BURDEN OF ENDING THE CRISIS THEY HAVE CREATED.
THE KINGDOM WILL CONTINUALLY SEEK FOR SECURITY AND STABILITY IN THE REGION, EXERTING EVERYTHING THAT IT CAN DO TO PROTECT THE ARAB NATION FROM AN ISRAELI OPPRESSION AND TRANSGRESSION.
--SaudiPressAgency
Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
The Pixiest, Amnesty International has consistently stood for human rights and criticized every government, Leftist or Rightist, that has violated these rights. It accepts no money from any government and strictly limits corporate donations. That is moral authority.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
quote:That is moral authority.
They don't speak for me.
. Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
That is truly sad, but even if true, that hardly diminishes their moral authority. May I ask why you do not believe in human rights?(I must presume this to be the case on the limited information I am given. Why else would one oppose a human rights group?)
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think more often than not Amnesty International is right when they call something a war crime...but that doesn't always matter. War itself is a crime, so the things that happen in them aren't really avoidable.
The fact that they bring attention to things that might be missed is important, but I don't think their voice is going to be paid much attention to in an issue that is already so heavily publicized as this.
Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
It is certainly true that Amnesty is often ignored, although they have had some remarkable success stories. However, Tstorm and The Pixiest seem to be questioning the morality, rather than the effectiveness of the organization.