Lebanon retracts claim that Israel killed 40

[Freddie Stubbs]

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's prime minister said one person was killed in an Israeli air raid Monday in the southern border village of Houla, lowering the death toll from 40.

Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said at a news conference that he had based the initial tally on unspecified information that he had received. He offered no other explanation for the error.

He had announced that 40 were killed in the attack during an emotional address at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers.

more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14224221/from/RS.1/

[Igel]

1. Of course.

But to even hint that his absolutely, positively accurate information about an attack that happened an hour before he spoke, information given to him by somebody from within Hezbollistan and not by the Red Cross/Crescent, would be high treason and racist.

Hezbollah controls the ground. Hezbollah restricts access to media. The Health Minister, in charge of the numbers, is a Hezbollah supporter.

Cry, produce histrionics in public for the tv cameras, allege a massacre based on numbers from people that have lied before ... then issue a one line press-release later that evening.

Everybody will believe what they heard with their ears during an emotional speech. Front pages will have the "40 killed in Houla", with all the reporters jumping through their hoops. Then, a day later, on page D21 in 3-pt type will be a correction; that's if it makes it into print, and just doesn't show up on the newpaper's webpage.

(And what was the Qana death toll?)

[Kagemusha]

2. Well it's only last night I found out the Speaker is head of Amal.

That's like, kinda important, actually, but I'd only heard him referred to as "a Hezbollah sympathizer and representing Hezbollah's interests" or some dance like that.

Amal's not something no one's ever heard of, and it's a lot closer to the likes of al-Sistani, which was kind of an important detail...

[bennywhale]

5. Thats a political and media tactic as

old as the hills. In any sphere, industry and for whatever storyline.

I start from the assumption that every one is a liar except me and then work from there

[rinsd]

13. Exactly. Front page news followed days later by page 32 retraction (nt)

[allemand]

9. To ignore or to play down the high rate of civilian casualties is indeed

despicable.

To your information:

Lebanon says 1,000 dead or missing

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel's 27-day-old offensive against Hizbollah in Lebanon has killed 925 people, mostly civilians, and left 75 missing and presumed dead, Lebanese Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh said on Monday.

Khalifeh told Reuters about a third of the dead were children under the age of 13.

A running toll kept by Reuters puts the death toll at 773 people, but it does not include the bodies recovered from air strikes sometimes days or even weeks later.

The Israeli army says it has killed more than 400 Hizbollah guerrillas but Lebanese security sources put the figure at around 90.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1145322006

[Igel]

11. The truth is horrible enough.

We don't need it embellished. Siniora showed that he was more interested in promoting solidarity than truth. My cultural preference is that solidarity is based on truth.

Khalifeh, in particular, is no more trustworthy than Olmert, at best. He was willing to bring down the Lebanese government because 'militia' and 'disarm' were two words that must not be used wrt Hezbollah, and Siniora dared to say them. The Shi'ites in the cabinet returned when Siniora recanted and said Hezbollah was the 'resistance' and instead of disarming them, Lebanon was 'proud' of them.

Lebanon's stated policy or Hezbollah's policy, UN resolution or Hezbollah's stated intentions ... no question which has Khalifeh's loyalty. Truth or Hezbollah's spin ... ?

His overall numbers may be right. But I have no reason to think he's not continuing to be a Hezbollah supporter while ostensibly filling a government role. His ministry is responsible for the numbers given to the press. And Siniora.

Siniora spoke BS when he said 40 dead, and it was BS from Khalifeh. But Siniora can't say this: it would be too revealing.

[The Stranger]

22. But 40 is a drop in the bucket of 700 -- yet you perseverate on the 40.

It is important not to lose sight of the hundreds murdered because a few were lost in the massacure.

[Igel]

25. Because it speaks to the

integrity of the man and his information source.

One could equally well speak of Qana, but the spread between claim and reality isn't so stark. But that's a second example.

People are open about not believing the IDF's numbers. They make no pretense that they think the IDF lies whenever there's even just plausibly an error, and there's no need for proof. The other side makes a mistake, and another, similar mistake, and even pointing out the mistake is wrong. I think they lied, and in this case it was far too blatant a lie. And it makes me wonder where else they've lied.

[frankieT]

10. oh it's like when IDF elaborated a bogus theory

about the building collapsing 7 hours after the raid.

[msmcghee]

20. Israel continuously said that the facts did not add up . .

. . re: Qana and they were investigating. The time difference that they noted between the attack and the collapse was offered as an example of the facts not adding up.

That's not quite the same thing as "elaborating a bogus theory" - as a claim of 40 dead when it was really only one - is.

[azurnoir]

12. Yes I agree

It so helps Hezbollahs propaganda effort to announce a false number of deaths and then announce a short (but unspecified amount} of time later that it was a mistake, there by casting doubt on the numbers of civilian deaths that have been or will be announced, in Lebanon anyway. Quite the propaganda machine they have there. Just like last week when they hacked in Israel's communication systems, oh wait wasn't that the other way around?

[cali]

3. Both sides in any war

try and get as much mileage out of civilian deaths as they can. It's disgusting, but it's an age old tactic.

[MrPrax]

4. Good news...

Only one died and 40 injuried.

But it was reported like this by JPost on July 4th:

Up to 40 farmers hurt in IAF raid near Syria

An ISF missile slammed into farm workers loading vegetables into a refrigerator truck near the Lebanon-Syria border on Friday, killing or wounding as many as 40 people, the workers' foreman said.

The Lebanese and Kurdish farm laborers were in a field in a strip of no-man's land along the border, foreman Rabei al-Jabali said.

He said 40 casualties were taken to a hospital in Syria, because roads in Lebanon were cut off by Israeli airstrikes earlier Friday.
JPost

Without getting into revisionism and deciding where 40 dead is worst than 39 injuried and one dead, there still remains the fact that Israel bombed a bunch of guys in a field who were loading fruit into trucks?

I am glad to hear that they managed to survive...

[Marie26]

6. I thought they were in a building?

Confused. "They thought that the whole building smashed on the heads of about 40 people ... thank God they have been saved." Is this article referring to a different strike?

[allemand]

7. No, that was a different attack.

The attack in which 33 Syrian farm workers were killed happened in the North while the attack today in which fortunately only one person was killed happened in the village of Houla in the South. There were 65 people sheltering in that building:

"Lebanon TV: Rescuers pull 65 survivors from rubble in Houla after IAF strike (AP)"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/ShTickers.html

[frankieT]

8. the dozens of vegetable workers near Syria were killed

we're talking about a bombing in Houla

[MrPrax]

14. I wasn't sure which massacre was

being retracted...I assume it was that bombing because there were numerous reports of 40 killed and it was near the border region as well. So those Kurdish farmers are still dead...

So this was another bombing entirely -- the Leb PM was mistaken. Only 1 dead...in this bombing.

OK...I stand corrected...and a little more depressed :-(

[adriennui]

15. don't worry the corrected figure will be a page 50 retraction

the anti-israeli propaganda machine is doing its work well.
it's a cultural thing, indulge in hyperbole and hope everyone else falls for it.

[MrPrax]

16. Actually the retraction story

is more prominent at the moment on Google News than the original reporting...in fact the retraction story is prominent on sites from Raw Story through to the Guardian? So I don't understand why you would get this idea that the media, especially in North America, is slanted towards the 'terrorists'...it clearly Pro-Israel.

But if you noticed -- I like probably a few, was confused as to what massacre this was...apparantly the ONE I thought it was is still...40 dead civillians.

Don't be sad -- there are scambling to rescue people trapped in rumble in Beirut...so far only 15 dead (maybe) ;-)

[Ghost Dog]

17. Re. Pro-Israeli media (and politics) see SEMINAL VIDEO here:

VIDEO (1h20m): Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land (2003)- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7828123714384920696

[MrPrax]

18. I seen it...

It's not bad...any serious student of media studies should probably have a look at that one.

I recommend also that if people don't have time to view a live stream (like this one which is a full 90 minutes), they could, if using Firefox, simply use the VideoDownloader extension and grab it for later viewing!!!

You hit the button, a page will come up with the all video links, you 'save' the one you want from the page...and wallah! you can view it at your leisure.

(hows that for a commercial?) :-)

[Ghost Dog]

19. Good work Mr. Prax.

Unfortunately I myself a while ago disabled (for reasons of security) the ability of Firefox to install extensions, and I'm damned if I can now find the way to (temporarily) un-disable that function...

I must go back and work on it, because this video-grabber, for example is a must-have.

[MrPrax]

21. Under Tools...

go to Options...

Then in Options...go to Content

The second one that says "Warn me when web sites try to install extensions or themes" That should be checked!!!...but go to the button after it that says; 'exceptions'

There should be only two listed (for security reasons)
addons.mozilla.org
update.mozilla.org

If these are not there (which if you update Firefox, it tends to remove them under some updating )...cut and paste them from this reply and ADD them.

Now if you open your extensions under Tools and simply click on the 'Get More Extensions' link at the bottom of the extension listing...you should go right to the main indexing page. Video downloader is a popular choice, so it right on the page.

If you choose 'install', then it should just install the extension. It will of course only be available until the 'next time you use Firefox'

Hope that helps -- essentially Firefox toggles this function off and you have to turn it on...BUT ONLY list those two sites and ONLY grab extensions from Firefox's extension site (unless you really know the site very well

[Ghost Dog]

23. No good.

Following this path (again) I get a pop-up suppression bar at top of page explaining that I have add-on installation disabled, and directing me to this same Options/Content dialog. From where I can not change this situation. Just the same Loop.

I think I recall that a while ago I ran a kind of patch, several Firefox versions ago, to provide extra security in this area. I will have to take time to meditate upon it in order to remember more clearly, and from there work out how to take back control of the situation.

Maybe a decent smoke would be a help. Or else I'll ask my younger, more tuned-in friends. (Doesn't one just hate the encroachment of 'old age'?).

[MrPrax]

24. Save your bookmarks...

and uninstall it and grab a new copy...sounds like it's buggered. Happened to me awhile back with one update -- screwed up everything and the extension and theme thingy stop working.

(Best way to save firefox bookmarks is to do a file search (Start|Search|For files..) with 'bookmarks.html' -- no quotes -- you will see a bunch, but the one file that is the largest in size is most likely the latest one you are using and the one you want to save or save them all)

I would just purged it and and get the latest distro...linux/open source things tend towards this solution in most cases--you can spend a better part of a weekend trying to find some small little thing to 'fix', only to discover, you 'can't' under that kernel build anyway or you didn't compile it from the 'source' or other binaries are not updated or it's fucked itself up coz it's a Linux distro slapped together by geeks who forget the average computer user is really not into playing around with code and just wants their MP3 player to play songs :eyes:

But I disgress...

Might be a problem if your dial-up, but it is only 4.5 megs... avoid Firefox 2.0 for now, until the bugs are shook out of it.