Israel's Massacre At Qana: Zionist Extremism's 'Moral High-Ground' Evaporates
Various | 30.07.2006 21:54 | Anti-militarism | World
The world seems to be coming to the realization that even though a strong majority of Israelis are decent, peace-loving people, they have been ruled and used by a relatively-small number of violent Extremists, Terrorists if you will, who along with their American partners, hold all of Israel hostage to their Fascist Agenda of Aggression.
Israel's Massacre At Qana: Zionist Extremism's 'Moral High-Ground' Evaporates
Qana: Photographic Evidence of Israeli Crimes against Humanity
www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/7/30/14267/3839
Qana Massacre - SEE FOR YOURSELF
wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/07/qana-massacre-see-for-yoursel
Analysis: A second Qana Massacre?
By Martin Asser
BBC News, Beirut
The southern Lebanese town of Qana is known for two events in history, and there could soon be a third as news comes in of rising civilian casualties from an Israeli air strike there.
A Lebanese woman mourns after Israeli air strikes on Qana
More than 40 people have been killed in air strikes on Qana
In realms of biblical narrative, some believe it to be the scene of Jesus Christ's first miracle, turning water into wine during the wedding at Cana of Galilee.
In modern times, it was the scene of one of the bloodiest events of the modern Arab-Israeli conflict, the Israeli shelling of a UN base sheltering Lebanese civilians 10 years ago.
International shock at those deaths - more than 100, and another 100 injured - led to huge pressure for a ceasefire deal bringing an end to Israel's last sustained military operation against Hezbollah militants, codenamed Operation Grapes of Wrath.
The Qana Massacre, as it is known in Lebanon, remains a powerful symbol for Lebanese people of what they say is Israel's indiscriminate and disproportionate response to Hezbollah's rocket attacks.
'No accident'
Israel still insists the 1996 shelling was an accident and that its forces had a legitimate militant target - a Hezbollah military unit that had fired mortars and rockets from near the Qana base.
Then, as now, Israel accused Hezbollah of using the civilian population as human shields when they launched their attacks.
However, a UN investigation reported in May 1996 that the deaths at the Qana base were unlikely to have been the result of an accident as claimed by the Israelis.
The UN report cited the repeated use of airburst shells over the small UN compound, which sent down a deadly torrent of shrapnel that caused terrible injuries among the unprotected civilians.
The UN also noted the presence of Israeli helicopters and a drone in the skies over Qana which must have witnessed the bloodbath.
Strategic location
In the current round of Israel's bombardment, Qana has again been in the news - the scene of several incidents, such as the bombing by Israel of two Lebanese Red Cross ambulances and the death of a young Lebanese photojournalist, Layal Nejib, also in an air strike on her car.
Looking at the map, it is not hard to see why Qana is never far from the headlines when Israel bombards southern Lebanon.
It lies at the northern edge of the Lebanon's southern uplands which border Israel and also at the confluence of five strategic roads in the hinterland south-east of the southern city of Tyre.
Qana and the villages surrounding it are a strong pro-Hezbollah area and Israel says it has repeatedly been used to fire rockets over the border about 10km (six miles) to the south.
Israeli officials say leaflets had been dropped in the area warning civilians to leave their homes so it could conduct more anti-Hezbollah operations.
However, it seems clear that, with the number of civilian cars and convoys which have been bombed on the roads heading to Tyre, many residents chose to ignore the Israeli warnings.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5228554.stm
Pro-Israel BBC insinnuates that it's the victims' fault. However, the dropping of leaflets is a tactic of Psychological terrorism, not a serious attempt to save lives. If they wanted to save lives, the Zionist Extremists wouldn't be dropping multiple 1000 pound bombs in the middle of residential neighbourhoods.
The Israel You Don't Se On The News
For TvNewsLIES.org to take the time to expose media deception when it comes the the American corporate media’s coverage of Israel and all things related would be silly at this point in history. It would be like using a flashlight to point out the sun. The media bias is so obvious that it would be laughable if it were not so unjust.
What Americans do not realize however, is the extent of media deception and information control that is official Israeli policy. Yes, by policy and with the total agreement and cooperation of all the Israeli TV news media, Israeli military censors have the final say on every single Israeli military operation that is covered by their media. Every single news item that is viewed by Israeli citizens on their own media in their own so called democracy is government censored.
We hear accusations of bias in media outlets like Al Jazeera in the Arab world and on outlets like FOX News here in America, but we never hear about the cooperative deception campaign between the Israeli media and their government.
The world can not blame the Israeli citizens for their harsh opinions of Palestinians or any other Arabs because they are fed a controlled one sided and deceptive stream of propaganda masquerading as news.
The most important freedom one can have in a democracy is a truly free press for without a free press the citizens can never really be sure about the legitimacy of their democracy. America does not have a national journalism industry. I challenge anyone who claims different to a public discussion about this. And Israel clearly does not have a free press and they are quite open about this.
So I ask all of the blind supporters of Israel this question: If Israeli news media clearly and openly take part in complete government censorship, how can you possibly trust them and how can you logically dismiss news and information that contradicts their claims?
Think about it.
Jesse Richard - Editor, TvNewsLIES.org
tvnewslies.org/html/the_israel_you_don_t_see_on_th.html
Eyewitness: Mass burial in Lebanon
www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/29/btsc.perry/index.html
Excuses, Lies, and Inaction - An open letter to my Congressman
The situation in Lebanon is the result of many years of unconditional support for Israel, and over $42 million dollars in pro-Israel PAC money contributed to our Congressmen. It's time to do something about this. I would encourage all Americans to write to their Congressmen and let them know that enough is enough. If you don't want to write your own letter, feel free to copy and modify this one.
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOUR CONGRESSMAN TAKE? www.wrmea.com/archives/May-June_2006/0605031.html
www.liberateus.org/AR-deadchildren.html
Slaughter at Qana: Just Arabs, Never Mind
kurtnimmo.com/?p=490
Jordan's king accuses Israel of 'criminal aggression' in Qana attack
www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=c83a2427-5020-4c06-a7d
34 Youths Among 56 Dead in Israeli Strike
Jul 30, 10:29 AM (ET)
By KATHY GANNON
(AP) A man looks at the bodies of Lebanese victims, recovered from the rubble of a demolished building...
QANA, Lebanon (AP) - Israeli missiles hit several buildings in a southern Lebanon village as people slept Sunday, killing at least 56, most of them children, in the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "great sorrow" for the airstrikes but blamed Hezbollah guerrillas for using the area to launch rockets at Israel, and said he would not halt the army's operation.
The Lebanese Red Cross said the airstrike in Qana, in which at least 34 children were killed, pushed the overall Lebanese death toll to more than 500. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice postponed a visit to Lebanon in a setback for diplomatic efforts to end hostilities. She was to return to the U.S. Monday morning, abruptly breaking off her diplomatic mission in the Mideast.
Before the airstrike, Olmert told Rice he needed 10-14 days to finish the offensive in Lebanon, according to a senior Israeli government official. The two said they would meet again Sunday evening.
"We will not stop this battle, despite the difficult incidents this morning," Olmert said said during Israel's weekly Cabinet meeting, according to a participant in the meeting. "We will continue the activity and if necessary it will be broadened without hesitation."
(AP) Smoke continues to billow from a fuel dump at Beirut International airport in Lebanon at sunset...
Full Image
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to hold an emergency Security Council meeting to arrange for an immediate cease-fire after the Qana strike.
Rice said she had called Saniora to postpone; angry Lebanese officials said it was their government that called off the meeting.
Israeli said it targeted Qana because it was a base for hundreds of rockets launched at Israeli, including 40 that injured five Israelis on Sunday. Israel said it had warned civilians several days before to leave the village.
"One must understand the Hezbollah is using their own civilian population as human shields," said Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir. "The Israeli defense forces dropped leaflets and warned the civilian population to leave the place because the Hezbollah turned it into a war zone."
Rescuers aided by villagers dug through the rubble by hand. At least 20 bodies wrapped in white sheets were taken away, including 10 children. A row of houses lay in ruins, and an old woman was carried away on a plastic chair.
(AP) Lebanese youths gather on a hilltop overlooking the city of Beirut in Lebanon at sunset Friday,...
Full Image
Villagers said many of the dead were from four families who had taken refuge in on the ground floor of a three-story building, believing they would be safe from bombings.
"We want this to stop!" shouted Mohammed Ismail, a middle-aged man pulling away at the rubble in search for bodies, his brown pants covered in dust. "May God have mercy on the children. They came here to escape the fighting."
"They are hitting children to bring the fighters to their knees," he said.
Rice said she was "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life" in Israel's attack. But she did not call for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militias.
"We all recognize this kind of warfare is extremely difficult," Rice said, noting it comes in areas where civilians live. "It unfortunately has awful consequences sometimes."
(AP) Three men cross a large bomb crater on foot, towards a nearby checkpoint, after leaving their...
Full Image
"We want a cease-fire as soon as possible," she added.
The United States and Israel are pressing for a settlement that addresses enduring issues between Lebanon and Israel and disables Hezbollah - not the quick truce favored by most world leaders.
Saniora said Lebanon would be open only to an immediate cease-fire.
"There is no place at this sad moment for any discussions other than an immediate and unconditional cease-fire as well as international investigation of the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now," he told reporters Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not rush into a cease-fire until it achieved its goal of decimating Hezbollah, whose July 12 capture of two Israel soldiers provoked the fighting.
More than 5,000 people protested in central Beirut, denouncing Israel and the United States, some chanting, "Destroy Tel Aviv, destroy Tel Aviv." A few broke car windows and tried briefly to break into the main U.N. building until political leaders called for a halt to damage.
Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr questioned Israel's claim that Hezbollah fired rockets from the village. "What do you expect Israel to say? Will it say that it killed 40 children and women?" he told Al-Jazeera television.
Qana, in the hills east of the southern port city of Tyre, has a bloody history. In 1996, Israeli artillery killed more than 100 civilians who had taken refuge at a U.N. base in the village. That attack sparked an international outcry that helped end an Israeli offensive.
Sunday's attack drew swift condemnation from several world leaders.
French President Jacques Chirac's office said "France condemns this unjustifiable action, which shows more than ever the need to move toward an immediate cease-fire, without which other such dramas can only be repeated."
Jordan's King Abdullah II condemned "the ugly crime perpetrated by Israeli forces in Qana," calling it "a blatant violation of the law and all international conventions."
Lebanese civilians have suffered the most from the fighting. Lebanese officials said most of their citizens slain in the conflict have been civilians. Thirty-three Israeli soldiers have died, and Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel have killed 18 civilians.
Fighting also broke out between guerrillas and Israeli soldiers in a zone called the Taibeh Project area, about 2 miles inside Lebanon. The Israeli army said one soldier was moderately wounded. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV claimed two Israeli soldiers were killed.
Heavy artillery rained down on the villages of Yuhmor and Arnoun, close to Taibeh. In northern Israel, rockets fell on Nahariya, Kiryat Shemona and an area close to Maalot, the army said.
Israel has said it would launch a series of limited ground incursions into Lebanon to push back guerrillas, rather than carry out a full-fledged invasion. Israeli troops pulled back Saturday from the town of Bint Jbail, suggesting the thrust, launched a week ago, had halted.
But Lebanese officials reported a massing of troops and 12 tanks near the Israeli town of Metulla further to the northeast, on the tip of the Galilee Panhandle near the Golan Heights, suggesting another incursion could begin soon.
France circulated a draft Security Council resolution on Saturday among the other 14 council members. It would call for an immediate halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and seek a wide new buffer zone in south Lebanon monitored by international forces and the Lebanese army.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the strike on Qana was a "tragedy for the people affected," especially so since negotiators had been close to reaching "the basis for a cease-fire."
She stopped short of calling for a cease-fire. "We have repeatedly called on the Israelis to act proportionately," Beckett said.
A peace package Rice brought to the region called for a U.N.-mandated multinational force that can help stabilize in the region, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
It also proposes: disarming Hezbollah and integrating the guerrilla force into the Lebanese army; Hezbollah's return of Israeli prisoners; a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to put Hezbollah rockets out of range of Israel; a commitment to resolve the status of a piece of land held by Israel and claimed by Lebanon; and the creation of an international reconstruction plan for Lebanon.
The latter two provisions resembled parts of a proposal by Lebanon's government. But they fell short of Hezbollah's demands, including a prisoner swap to free Lebanese held for years in Israeli prisons and the disputed land, known as Chebaa farms, put under U.N. supervision until its status can be resolved.
---
Associated Press Writer Katherine Shrader in Jerusalem contributed to this story.
apnews.myway.com//article/20060730/D8J6C56O0.html
There is no true sorrow here at the death and carnage caused by this war: only appropriate soundbites for the cameras while the destruction continues.
Qana: Photographic Evidence of Israeli Crimes against Humanity
www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/7/30/14267/3839
Qana Massacre - SEE FOR YOURSELF
wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/07/qana-massacre-see-for-yoursel
Analysis: A second Qana Massacre?
By Martin Asser
BBC News, Beirut
The southern Lebanese town of Qana is known for two events in history, and there could soon be a third as news comes in of rising civilian casualties from an Israeli air strike there.
A Lebanese woman mourns after Israeli air strikes on Qana
More than 40 people have been killed in air strikes on Qana
In realms of biblical narrative, some believe it to be the scene of Jesus Christ's first miracle, turning water into wine during the wedding at Cana of Galilee.
In modern times, it was the scene of one of the bloodiest events of the modern Arab-Israeli conflict, the Israeli shelling of a UN base sheltering Lebanese civilians 10 years ago.
International shock at those deaths - more than 100, and another 100 injured - led to huge pressure for a ceasefire deal bringing an end to Israel's last sustained military operation against Hezbollah militants, codenamed Operation Grapes of Wrath.
The Qana Massacre, as it is known in Lebanon, remains a powerful symbol for Lebanese people of what they say is Israel's indiscriminate and disproportionate response to Hezbollah's rocket attacks.
'No accident'
Israel still insists the 1996 shelling was an accident and that its forces had a legitimate militant target - a Hezbollah military unit that had fired mortars and rockets from near the Qana base.
Then, as now, Israel accused Hezbollah of using the civilian population as human shields when they launched their attacks.
However, a UN investigation reported in May 1996 that the deaths at the Qana base were unlikely to have been the result of an accident as claimed by the Israelis.
The UN report cited the repeated use of airburst shells over the small UN compound, which sent down a deadly torrent of shrapnel that caused terrible injuries among the unprotected civilians.
The UN also noted the presence of Israeli helicopters and a drone in the skies over Qana which must have witnessed the bloodbath.
Strategic location
In the current round of Israel's bombardment, Qana has again been in the news - the scene of several incidents, such as the bombing by Israel of two Lebanese Red Cross ambulances and the death of a young Lebanese photojournalist, Layal Nejib, also in an air strike on her car.
Looking at the map, it is not hard to see why Qana is never far from the headlines when Israel bombards southern Lebanon.
It lies at the northern edge of the Lebanon's southern uplands which border Israel and also at the confluence of five strategic roads in the hinterland south-east of the southern city of Tyre.
Qana and the villages surrounding it are a strong pro-Hezbollah area and Israel says it has repeatedly been used to fire rockets over the border about 10km (six miles) to the south.
Israeli officials say leaflets had been dropped in the area warning civilians to leave their homes so it could conduct more anti-Hezbollah operations.
However, it seems clear that, with the number of civilian cars and convoys which have been bombed on the roads heading to Tyre, many residents chose to ignore the Israeli warnings.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5228554.stm
Pro-Israel BBC insinnuates that it's the victims' fault. However, the dropping of leaflets is a tactic of Psychological terrorism, not a serious attempt to save lives. If they wanted to save lives, the Zionist Extremists wouldn't be dropping multiple 1000 pound bombs in the middle of residential neighbourhoods.
The Israel You Don't Se On The News
For TvNewsLIES.org to take the time to expose media deception when it comes the the American corporate media’s coverage of Israel and all things related would be silly at this point in history. It would be like using a flashlight to point out the sun. The media bias is so obvious that it would be laughable if it were not so unjust.
What Americans do not realize however, is the extent of media deception and information control that is official Israeli policy. Yes, by policy and with the total agreement and cooperation of all the Israeli TV news media, Israeli military censors have the final say on every single Israeli military operation that is covered by their media. Every single news item that is viewed by Israeli citizens on their own media in their own so called democracy is government censored.
We hear accusations of bias in media outlets like Al Jazeera in the Arab world and on outlets like FOX News here in America, but we never hear about the cooperative deception campaign between the Israeli media and their government.
The world can not blame the Israeli citizens for their harsh opinions of Palestinians or any other Arabs because they are fed a controlled one sided and deceptive stream of propaganda masquerading as news.
The most important freedom one can have in a democracy is a truly free press for without a free press the citizens can never really be sure about the legitimacy of their democracy. America does not have a national journalism industry. I challenge anyone who claims different to a public discussion about this. And Israel clearly does not have a free press and they are quite open about this.
So I ask all of the blind supporters of Israel this question: If Israeli news media clearly and openly take part in complete government censorship, how can you possibly trust them and how can you logically dismiss news and information that contradicts their claims?
Think about it.
Jesse Richard - Editor, TvNewsLIES.org
tvnewslies.org/html/the_israel_you_don_t_see_on_th.html
Eyewitness: Mass burial in Lebanon
www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/29/btsc.perry/index.html
Excuses, Lies, and Inaction - An open letter to my Congressman
The situation in Lebanon is the result of many years of unconditional support for Israel, and over $42 million dollars in pro-Israel PAC money contributed to our Congressmen. It's time to do something about this. I would encourage all Americans to write to their Congressmen and let them know that enough is enough. If you don't want to write your own letter, feel free to copy and modify this one.
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOUR CONGRESSMAN TAKE? www.wrmea.com/archives/May-June_2006/0605031.html
www.liberateus.org/AR-deadchildren.html
Slaughter at Qana: Just Arabs, Never Mind
kurtnimmo.com/?p=490
Jordan's king accuses Israel of 'criminal aggression' in Qana attack
www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=c83a2427-5020-4c06-a7d
34 Youths Among 56 Dead in Israeli Strike
Jul 30, 10:29 AM (ET)
By KATHY GANNON
(AP) A man looks at the bodies of Lebanese victims, recovered from the rubble of a demolished building...
QANA, Lebanon (AP) - Israeli missiles hit several buildings in a southern Lebanon village as people slept Sunday, killing at least 56, most of them children, in the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed "great sorrow" for the airstrikes but blamed Hezbollah guerrillas for using the area to launch rockets at Israel, and said he would not halt the army's operation.
The Lebanese Red Cross said the airstrike in Qana, in which at least 34 children were killed, pushed the overall Lebanese death toll to more than 500. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice postponed a visit to Lebanon in a setback for diplomatic efforts to end hostilities. She was to return to the U.S. Monday morning, abruptly breaking off her diplomatic mission in the Mideast.
Before the airstrike, Olmert told Rice he needed 10-14 days to finish the offensive in Lebanon, according to a senior Israeli government official. The two said they would meet again Sunday evening.
"We will not stop this battle, despite the difficult incidents this morning," Olmert said said during Israel's weekly Cabinet meeting, according to a participant in the meeting. "We will continue the activity and if necessary it will be broadened without hesitation."
(AP) Smoke continues to billow from a fuel dump at Beirut International airport in Lebanon at sunset...
Full Image
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora asked U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to hold an emergency Security Council meeting to arrange for an immediate cease-fire after the Qana strike.
Rice said she had called Saniora to postpone; angry Lebanese officials said it was their government that called off the meeting.
Israeli said it targeted Qana because it was a base for hundreds of rockets launched at Israeli, including 40 that injured five Israelis on Sunday. Israel said it had warned civilians several days before to leave the village.
"One must understand the Hezbollah is using their own civilian population as human shields," said Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir. "The Israeli defense forces dropped leaflets and warned the civilian population to leave the place because the Hezbollah turned it into a war zone."
Rescuers aided by villagers dug through the rubble by hand. At least 20 bodies wrapped in white sheets were taken away, including 10 children. A row of houses lay in ruins, and an old woman was carried away on a plastic chair.
(AP) Lebanese youths gather on a hilltop overlooking the city of Beirut in Lebanon at sunset Friday,...
Full Image
Villagers said many of the dead were from four families who had taken refuge in on the ground floor of a three-story building, believing they would be safe from bombings.
"We want this to stop!" shouted Mohammed Ismail, a middle-aged man pulling away at the rubble in search for bodies, his brown pants covered in dust. "May God have mercy on the children. They came here to escape the fighting."
"They are hitting children to bring the fighters to their knees," he said.
Rice said she was "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life" in Israel's attack. But she did not call for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militias.
"We all recognize this kind of warfare is extremely difficult," Rice said, noting it comes in areas where civilians live. "It unfortunately has awful consequences sometimes."
(AP) Three men cross a large bomb crater on foot, towards a nearby checkpoint, after leaving their...
Full Image
"We want a cease-fire as soon as possible," she added.
The United States and Israel are pressing for a settlement that addresses enduring issues between Lebanon and Israel and disables Hezbollah - not the quick truce favored by most world leaders.
Saniora said Lebanon would be open only to an immediate cease-fire.
"There is no place at this sad moment for any discussions other than an immediate and unconditional cease-fire as well as international investigation of the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now," he told reporters Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would not rush into a cease-fire until it achieved its goal of decimating Hezbollah, whose July 12 capture of two Israel soldiers provoked the fighting.
More than 5,000 people protested in central Beirut, denouncing Israel and the United States, some chanting, "Destroy Tel Aviv, destroy Tel Aviv." A few broke car windows and tried briefly to break into the main U.N. building until political leaders called for a halt to damage.
Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr questioned Israel's claim that Hezbollah fired rockets from the village. "What do you expect Israel to say? Will it say that it killed 40 children and women?" he told Al-Jazeera television.
Qana, in the hills east of the southern port city of Tyre, has a bloody history. In 1996, Israeli artillery killed more than 100 civilians who had taken refuge at a U.N. base in the village. That attack sparked an international outcry that helped end an Israeli offensive.
Sunday's attack drew swift condemnation from several world leaders.
French President Jacques Chirac's office said "France condemns this unjustifiable action, which shows more than ever the need to move toward an immediate cease-fire, without which other such dramas can only be repeated."
Jordan's King Abdullah II condemned "the ugly crime perpetrated by Israeli forces in Qana," calling it "a blatant violation of the law and all international conventions."
Lebanese civilians have suffered the most from the fighting. Lebanese officials said most of their citizens slain in the conflict have been civilians. Thirty-three Israeli soldiers have died, and Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel have killed 18 civilians.
Fighting also broke out between guerrillas and Israeli soldiers in a zone called the Taibeh Project area, about 2 miles inside Lebanon. The Israeli army said one soldier was moderately wounded. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV claimed two Israeli soldiers were killed.
Heavy artillery rained down on the villages of Yuhmor and Arnoun, close to Taibeh. In northern Israel, rockets fell on Nahariya, Kiryat Shemona and an area close to Maalot, the army said.
Israel has said it would launch a series of limited ground incursions into Lebanon to push back guerrillas, rather than carry out a full-fledged invasion. Israeli troops pulled back Saturday from the town of Bint Jbail, suggesting the thrust, launched a week ago, had halted.
But Lebanese officials reported a massing of troops and 12 tanks near the Israeli town of Metulla further to the northeast, on the tip of the Galilee Panhandle near the Golan Heights, suggesting another incursion could begin soon.
France circulated a draft Security Council resolution on Saturday among the other 14 council members. It would call for an immediate halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and seek a wide new buffer zone in south Lebanon monitored by international forces and the Lebanese army.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the strike on Qana was a "tragedy for the people affected," especially so since negotiators had been close to reaching "the basis for a cease-fire."
She stopped short of calling for a cease-fire. "We have repeatedly called on the Israelis to act proportionately," Beckett said.
A peace package Rice brought to the region called for a U.N.-mandated multinational force that can help stabilize in the region, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.
It also proposes: disarming Hezbollah and integrating the guerrilla force into the Lebanese army; Hezbollah's return of Israeli prisoners; a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to put Hezbollah rockets out of range of Israel; a commitment to resolve the status of a piece of land held by Israel and claimed by Lebanon; and the creation of an international reconstruction plan for Lebanon.
The latter two provisions resembled parts of a proposal by Lebanon's government. But they fell short of Hezbollah's demands, including a prisoner swap to free Lebanese held for years in Israeli prisons and the disputed land, known as Chebaa farms, put under U.N. supervision until its status can be resolved.
---
Associated Press Writer Katherine Shrader in Jerusalem contributed to this story.
apnews.myway.com//article/20060730/D8J6C56O0.html
There is no true sorrow here at the death and carnage caused by this war: only appropriate soundbites for the cameras while the destruction continues.
Various
