Human Rights; Civilians; Israelis

Isn't amazing how human rights groups can't figure out that there are Israeli civilians too?

A field researcher from the American based Human Rights Watch (HRW), Lucy Mair, sent pictures to military experts at the organisation's New York office of munitions being transported to Israel's northern border and fired into Lebanon from howitzers. She was shocked to discover they were cluster munitions.

Mair said researchers on the other side of the border documented an attack using the munitions on the village of Blida last week which killed one person and injured 12 and that the explosives - which disperse after impact - are 'inaccurate and unreliable', and should not be used in populated areas.

Mair, who heads HRW's Jerusalem office, said a disturbing picture was emerging of the use of weapons, fired from air and land, which pointed at best to a lack of due care regarding civilian life and at worst to the direct targeting of civilians.

'The overwhelming impression is that time and time and again civilians are attacked and only civilian infrastructure is targeted. In cases of civilian casualties our investigators have studied, they have not been able to find the presence of Hizbollah rockets or launchers - only civilian targets,' she said.

The group believes the use of cluster munitions in populated areas may violate the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks contained in international humanitarian law. Critics say the law of war requires a distinction between soldiers and civilians, so when an army is using an outdated, unreliable weapon in a populated area it is likely the attack will violate international law.

Regarding reports that Israel was intentionally trying to depopulate a large swathe of territory in the south, Mair said: 'It's hard for us to speak about this. But given there is such a massive displacement, it's difficult to imagine a situation where the population can move back.'

and now this:-

PRESS RELEASE – 31 JULY 2006 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARGO PLANE WITH HEBREW MARKINGS ARRIVES IN ‘NUCLEAR AREA’ AT RAF BRIZE NORTON

A peace activist at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, reported this evening that she observed a large cargo plane with red Hebrew markings between the nose and the wing land and pull in to the ‘nuclear area’. The ‘nuclear area’ is not cordoned off from the rest of the base, but is at the far east end of the runway, hidden from perimeter fences, where the plane can pull off and park away from outside view. The area is so described by peace activists because in the past, flights from the US carrying nuclear materials have landed at RAF Brize Norton and parked in the ‘nuclear area’, where they were met by specialist nuclear weapon convoys from the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment.

In light of recent military transports to Israel via Prestwick and subsequently RAF Mildenhall, serious questions have been raised about the nature of the plane’s cargo which is currently in Brize Norton’s ‘nuclear area.’ There has recently been speculation in the media about the transportation of ‘bunker buster’ bombs containing depleted uranium from the US to Israel for use against targets in Lebanon.