"Only in Palestine is it still possible for liberals to cheer cowboys gunning down the Indians or pushing them back into the badlands."
"Only in Palestine is it still possible for liberals to cheer cowboys gunning down the Indians or pushing them back into the badlands." Those were the words of Abdullah Schleifer in his book, The Fall of Jerusalem. Over a decade ago, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) under the command of Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon did gun down the proverbial Indians, shelling a designated United Nations compound in Qana, Lebanon killing over 100 of the 800 civilian refugees being housed there. Though the shelling was part of an official IDF operation, codenamed: "Grapes of Wrath," no proper warning was given before the attack which was subsequently found to have violated international law by the UN. Even after being notified by UN officials that the compound housed internally displaced civilians the IDF cruelly continued the shelling.
Some legal activist groups have taken action on the matter, in regards to which Israel was found liable for compensation. A statement from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) states: "In 2005, the CCR brought a class action law suit on behalf of the victims of the attack against retired Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya´alon, who had participated in the decision to shell the UN compound when he was head of the Intelligence Branch of the IDF. Belhas v. Ya´alon was dismissed in December 2006 by Judge Friedman of the U.S. District Court, who found that Ya´alon had acted in his official capacity and was, therefore, immune from the suit. Plaintiffs, including Saadallah Ali Belhas who lost more than 30 family members in the attack, appealed the dismissal."
Ya'alon knowingly and willingly ordered the shelling of Lebanese civilians which was the proximate cause of the death of over 100 human beings and a clear violation of international law. Ya'alon should be held accountable for his egregious crimes, and I would like to state my support for the CCR on this matter.
-Nathan Jaco