Their duty was to report on all they saw. Is this why they had to die?

[bigtree]

July 27, 2006

Is Israel Losing Its War In Lebanon?

by Robert Fisk
The Independent

{snip}

To my left smoke rises, over the town of Khiam, where a smashed United Nations outpost remains the only memorial to the four UN soldiers - most of them decapitated by an American-made missile on Tuesday - killed by the Israeli air force.

Indian soldiers of the UN army in southern Lebanon, visibly moved by the horror of bringing their Canadian, Fijian, Chinese and Austrian comrades back in at least 20 pieces from the clearly marked UN post next to Khiam prison, left their remains at Marjayoun hospital yesterday.

In past years, I have spent hours with their comrades in this UN position, which is clearly marked in white and blue paint, with the UN's pale blue flag opposite the Israeli frontier. Their duty was to report on all they saw: the ruthless Hizbollah missile fire out of Khiam and the brutal Israeli response against the civilians of Lebanon.

Is this why they had to die, after being targeted by the Israelis for eight hours, their officers pleading to the Israeli Defence Forces that they cease fire? An American-made Israeli helicopter saw to that.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&ItemID=10655

[QuestionAll...]

1. Khiam prison.

just quick googling shows (allegedly) some pretty nasty stuff has been done there by the IDF.
can't provide a link as I'm not sure whether the sites are acceptable sources here, but a quick google can find easily.

anyone know what it's function has been since 2000? is it still a prison?

[frylock]

2. the beeb is an accepted source..

Khiam prison was a detention and interrogation centre during the years of the Israeli occupation in Southern Lebanon. From 1985 until the Israeli withdrawal this May, thousands of Lebanese were held in Khiam without trial. Most of them were brutally tortured - some of them died.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/1002463.stm

[smacky44]

3. Now some in our own Congress are trying to blame the victims for being

there. "Why were they even there?" "Why was that post manned?" Like blaming Rachel Corrie for her death by bulldozzer. It's the classic way of changing the debate to divert from honest debate and guilt.

[mom cat]

6. Very well put!This action is a war crime and brings shame to Israel.

[Ms. Clio]

4. yes

that's exactly why.

[Igel]

5. Next to Khiyam prison?

Call me cynical, but I wonder if there wouldn't be some perverse irony in a Shi'ite militia's setting up shop there, esp. since it's a Sunni-majority area (or at least was in '83).