Whether it’s Hezbollah or the Israelis, targeting civilians is a war crime

JAMES McGRATH (Irish Examiner letters, August 22) seems to have read my recent letter too quickly to follow what I was saying (Irish Examiner, August 15).

If he returns to it, he will see that I forcefully condemned the Hezbollah rocket attacks into civilian districts in northern Israel.

As I have already stated, the deliberate targeting of civilians by anybody is a war crime and utterly reprehensible.

However, I do not believe Israel and Hezbollah are equally responsible for the latest violence.

Israel, backed by George W Bush, is patently the aggressor, hence my emphasis on Israeli actions. What did the people of Beirut do to have bombs rain down on their houses and apartment blocks? The causes are complex and pre-exist the capture of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah.

In this context, it is worth remembering the continued imprisonment in Israel of many Lebanese citizens seized during the lengthy Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

This is a running sore in Lebanese-Israeli relations.

Mr McGrath needs to recall how it was Israel that invaded Lebanon — yet again. It is important to remember that the present conflict is occurring on Lebanese soil and that the Israeli army is by far the best armed force in the field. Israeli fighters dominate the skies, while their warships control the seas.

Worryingly, the Israeli state is also armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons.

This is not a contest between equals, and it is clear that the mass murder of hundreds of Lebanese civilians by the Israeli army was an attempt to terrorise a nation. It was a hugely disproportionate response to a relatively small-scale attack by Hezbollah.

As the bombs fell on Lebanese homes, killing many innocents, the people of Gaza continued to suffer oppression. Hundreds of Palestinians, including scores of children, have been killed by the Israeli army in the past two months.

In addition, the Israeli state continues to construct a wall around the Palestinian territory, forcing their Arab neighbours to live on what is, in effect, a giant reservation. The appalling treatment of the Palestinian people cannot be accepted by anybody who believes in basic human rights.

Within Israel, small numbers of Jewish citizens have resisted the militarism of the state by refusing to serve in the army. Others have marched for peace and in solidarity with those suffering in Palestine and Lebanon. Let us hope that these numbers grow. A peaceful and better Middle East can be forged, but it cannot be done by ignoring the injustices that currently exist.

Fintan Lane

Anti-War Ireland

Palmers Glade

Dublin 20