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October 22nd,
2006 - Israel Admits Using Phosphorus Bombs during War in Lebanon |
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Israel Admits Using
Phosphorus Bombs during War in Lebanon By Meron Rappaport Haaretz October 22, 2006 Israel has acknowledged for
the first time that it attacked Hezbollah targets during the second Lebanon
war with phosphorus shells. White phosphorus causes very painful and often
lethal chemical burns to those hit by it, and until recently Israel
maintained that it only uses such bombs to mark targets or territory. The announcement that the
Israel Defense Forces had used phosphorus bombs in the war in Lebanon was
made by Minister Jacob Edery, in charge of government-Knesset relations. He had
been queried on the matter by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz-Yahad). "The IDF holds
phosphorus munitions in different forms," Edery said. "The IDF made
use of phosphorous shells during the war against Hezbollah in attacks against
military targets in open ground." Edery also pointed out that
international law does not forbid the use of phosphorus and that "the
IDF used this type of munitions according to the rules of international
law." Edery did not specify where
and against what types of targets phosphorus munitions were used. During the
war several foreign media outlets reported that Lebanese civilians carried
injuries characteristic of attacks with phosphorus, a substance that burns
when it comes to contact with air. In one CNN report, a casualty with serious
burns was seen lying in a South Lebanon hospital. In another case, Dr. Hussein
Hamud al-Shel, who works at Dar al-Amal hospital in Ba'albek, said that he
had received three corpses "entirely shriveled with black-green
skin," a phenomenon characteristic of phosphorus injuries. Lebanon's President Emile
Lahoud also claimed that the IDF made use of phosphorus munitions against
civilians in Lebanon. Phosphorus has been used by
armies since World War I. During World War II and Vietnam the U.S. and British
armies made extensive use of phosphorus. During recent decades the tendency
has been to ban the use of phosphorus munitions against any target, civilian
or military, because of the severity of the injuries that the substance
causes. Some experts believe that
phosphorus munitions should be termed Chemical Weapons (CW) because of the
way the weapons burn and attack the respiratory system. As a CW, phosphorus
would become a clearly illegal weapon. The International Red Cross
is of the opinion that there should be a complete ban on phosphorus being
used against human beings and the third protocol of the Geneva Convention on
Conventional Weapons restricts the use of "incendiary weapons,"
with phosphorus considered to be one such weapon. Israel and the United States
are not signatories to the Third Protocol. In November 2004 the U.S.
Army used phosphorus munitions during an offensive in Faluja, Iraq. Burned
bodies of civilians hit by the phosphorus munitions were shown by the press,
and an international outcry against the practice followed. Initially the U.S. denied
that it had used phosphorus bombs against humans, but then acknowledged that
during the assault targets that were neither civilian nor population
concentrations were hit with such munitions. Israel also says that the use of
"incendiary munitions are not in themselves illegal." External link: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/777549.html Israel admits phosphorus
bombing From BBC News October 22, 2006 Israel has for the first
time admitted it used controversial phosphorus shells during fighting against
Hezbollah in Lebanon in July and August. Cabinet minister Jacob Edery
confirmed the bombs were dropped "against military targets in open
ground". Israel had previously said
the weapons were used only to mark targets. Phosphorus weapons cause
chemical burns and the Red Cross and human rights groups say they should be
treated as chemical weapons. The Geneva Conventions ban
the use of white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon against civilian
populations and in air attacks against military forces in civilian areas. Hospitals Mr Edery says he confirmed
during a parliamentary session last week on behalf of Defence Minister Amir
Peretz that the weapons were used in fighting. "The Israeli army made
use of phosphorus shells during the war against Hezbollah in attacks against
military targets in open ground," he said. No information was given on
when, where or how the shells were used. Lebanon had accused Israel
of using the weapons but at the time Israeli officials said they were only
for marking. Lebanese President Emile
Lahoud said in late July: "According to the Geneva Convention, when they
use phosphorus bombs and laser bombs, is that allowed against civilians and
children?" Doctors in hospitals in
southern Lebanon had said they suspected some of the burns they were seeing were
being caused by phosphorus bombs. Israeli forces said the arms
used in Lebanon did not contravene international norms. External link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6075408.stm |