XSha Tell 
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(8/23/06 12:30)
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More War Crimes
Amnesty International accuses Israel of war crimes in Lebanon
Last Updated Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:33:19 EDT
CBC News
Amnesty International has accused Israel of war crimes in Lebanon, including indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and the intentional destruction of civilian infrastruct[/u]
"Israel’s assertion that the attacks on the infrastructure were lawful is manifestly wrong. … The evidence strongly suggests that the extensive destruction of power and water plants, as well as the transport infrastructure vital for food and other humanitarian relief, was deliberate and an integral part of a military strategy," said Amnesty's executive deputy secretary-general, Kate Gilmore.
The London-based human rights organization issued a report Wednesday saying both Israel and its Lebanon-based foe, the militant group Hezbollah, have repeatedly committed grave violations of international humanitarian law over many years of conflict.
As in the past, the Israeli government rejected Amnesty's charges.
The report focuses on Israel's latest air and ground campaign in Lebanon, a bid to crush Hezbollah and halt its practice of firing rockets into Israel.
"The widespread destruction of apartments, houses, electricity and water services, roads, bridges, factories and ports, in addition to several statements by Israeli officials, suggests a policy of punishing both the Lebanese government and the civilian population in an effort to get them to turn against Hezbollah," the report said.
"Israeli attacks did not diminish, nor did their pattern appear to change, even when it became clear that the victims of the bombardment were predominantly civilians, which was the case from the first days of the conflict."
In her statement, Gilmore dismissed the idea that Israel targeted Hezbollah positions and support facilities, and that other damage to infrastructure was a result of the group using civilians as human shields.
"The pattern, scope and scale of the attacks makes Israel's claim that this was 'collateral damage' simply not credible,” she said.
The UN children's fund, UNICEF, estimates that some 1,183 people died in Lebanon, mostly civilians and about a third of them child[/i]
Copyright © CBC 2006
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