The Crimes Continue in Lebanon

Despite the hostilities supposedly being over, the Lebanese people continue to suffer at the hands of the indiscriminate bombing by the Israelis over the course of the conflict. I say indiscriminate, as there is no way that the use of cluster bombs (supplied by the US government) could be described as targeted, given the continued destruction that they cause. According to the humanitarian chief of the UN, Jan Egeland,

90% of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict, when we knew there would be a resolution. Every day people are maimed, wounded and are killed by these ordnance.

According to some estimates, there are as many as 100,000 unexploded ordnance in Southern Lebanon. And yet, as usual, the far-right casually ignore simple facts like these, while keenly pointing out the use of pellets in Hizbullah rockets. These weapons are quite simply designed to cause maximum damage with no consideration of who the victims are. These bombs do not distinguish between Hizbullah and civilians. They simply maim and murder anyone that comes into contact with them. When fired, cluster bombs can cover an area as large as three football pitches, a particularly large area in built up areas where civilians reside. The allegations of the Israeli government 'mis-using' (as if you can use them properly) cluster bombs has even led the US State Department to launch an investigation into their use.

There is no doubt the use of such weapons is questionable at the very least. However, as long as the far-right continue to divert people away from the facts, these crimes will continue.