The Israeli Air Force has changed its story on how and why the ancient village of Qana was bombed, raising questions about a host of military/civilian issues that demand answers.:
It now appears that the military had no information on rockets launched from the site of the building, or the presence of Hezbollah men at the time.The Israel Defense Forces had said after the deadly air-strike that many rockets had been launched from Qana. However, it changed its version on Monday.
The site was included in an IAF plan to strike at several buildings in proximity to a previous launching site. Similar strikes were carried out in the past. However, there were no rocket launches from Qana on the day of the strike.
To sum up; no Hizbullah rockets launched from the building or in the vicinity, none apparently even launched from Qana that day, it was not in retaliation for a rocket launch but rather part of a “plan” to strike the building, and that “mysterious” 8 hour gap could very well not even exist:
The IDF account and those of survivors present contradictory versions of the Qana deaths. The IDF said that there is an unexplained gap of about seven hours between the IAF strike and the first report that the building had collapsed. Residents’ accounts say only 10 minutes went by between the strike and the collapse.The survivors say rescue teams arrived only in the morning, as night conditions made the rescue mission difficult. The Red Cross in Tyre received a call for help only in the morning, explaining their late arrival.
First and foremost, those who are blogging this story should step back for a while and wait for the IDF report on the tragedy which should be forthcoming in the next couple of days. This appears to be one of those stories where the bloggers got ahead of the curve of information so far that speculation took on a life of its own and ended up making some wish they had held their fire.
The immediacy and impact of blogs makes delving into stories like the Qana bombing a treacherous undertaking. It is one thing to relay media reports like those from Qana that suggested there was an 8 hour lag time in the building’s demolition as well as IAF statements that have now turned out to be false. But it is quite another to engage in the kind of rank speculation that posited the notion that the collapse of the building was due to the enemy bringing down the building on top of those civilians instead of an Israeli bomb.
This in no way should give Hizbullah a free pass for their shameful dog and pony show with the dead bodies of children found in the rubble. Nor does it excuse the AP, Reuters, and other news organizations who always seem to be there to act as Hizbullah’s private PR team.
And while there are still legitimate questions that need to be answered about several issues surrounding the bombing, what the IAF is admitting here does not reflect well on their targeting policies. Based on the best intelligence available to them, it nevertheless appears that the IAF made a tragic and perhaps avoidable mistake.
Given the professionalism and yes, the humanity of the IDF, I fully expect an investigation into the incident to include the decision making process that led to authorizing the mission to bomb the building.
Meanwhile, Hizbullah gets a free pass from most of the world for firing missiles at Israeli cities, probably praying to Allah before launch that the rockets hit a building and kill as many Israeli civilians as possible. The contrast between the two sides should be highlighted at every possible opportunity; when Israel hits a civilian target, it is a mistake, cause for mourning and a re-examination of military protocols. When Hizbullah hits a civilian target, it is a cause for celebration and probably rates a pat on the back to those who launched the rocket.
UPDATE
Confederate Yankee makes two excellent points:
1. That the building was used to store munitions.
2. Evidence for the almost immediate collapse comes via an “eyewitness” who may or may not be telling the truth.
He also links to The Left Coaster who thinks piles on Israel’s supporters for daring to speculate that Hizbullah could have engineered the entire incident. This from a moonbat who wrote this measured, thoughtful piece on the day of the tragedy at Qana:
God damn you Mr. President for what you, yes you have done to this country. You, your satanic Vice President and Secretary of Defense, and your inept Secretary of State have besmirched the integrity and dignity of this country for far too long. I fear that we will all now pay a price for it. With his green light and wink and a nod relationship with Israel, Bush has blood on his hands tonight just as much as the Israelis. ...
Burn in hell Mr. Bush. Your foreign policy team is waiting for you there. No matter how quickly you try and weasel your way away from this and towards a face-saving call for a cease fire, this hangs around your neck, and there is nothing you can do to change that.
This is what passes for rational thought on the left.
6:06 pm
We do indeed need to wait on all the facts, at least Isreal is willing to say they make mistakes as I heard the Ambassdor say on Fox 45 min. ago.
It’s idiots like the left coaster clown that will get us all killed cuz he and his ilks want to pacify the terrorists—don’t gd my President when you loons just don’t get it.
6:16 pm
This is truly a tragic mistake. It was clearly an accident. I hope and pray mercy is shown to the person who ordered the strike. Israel is truly in a fight for its survival, as is the US.
9:13 pm
[...] I’ve been having modem problems all day or else I would have linked this earlier. As it is, I’d be remiss if I didn’t link it now. [...]
12:10 am
The following is a comment published on the Left Coaster web site.
Israel should not appologize nor should the US. We should continue mass bombings. When and only when the radical Arabs and Muslims decide to fight by following the Geneva convention should we begin to even care about who dies. Women and children? So what! Their husband or father was out firing rockets so they are legit targets. TO win a war you destroy the opposition. This means the population. If they don’t want to die then surrender.
All you libs are the same. Just a bunch of crybabies who only want to see the US and Israel punished. Not once in this article was it mentioned that the enemy hides near these houses. They refuse towear uniforms and hide behind a child. And since when should grown woem be spared anyway? They pull triggers and wear suicide bomb vests. When they surrender then we should stop.
And by the way, cut the satan, hell and other religious crap. Since when do you belive in God or religion anyway? You would be the first person to prevent me from saying God in a school yet you bring it up when you want.
If it is the US and Israel against the world then I hope you leave to join the enemy. We are in WW3 and you better realize this or you’ll end up dead.
Posted by John at July 31, 2006 11:07 AM
This is what passes for rational thought on the Right.
BTW John, the best way to beat this enemy is NOT to become them. We will ultimately win because we are better than them.
5:00 am
No md, you are wrong, the best way to win this war is to win it for civilization as we know it so you won’t have to wear a turban to the hospital you work in, but I’m not sure you are a doc as md are probably your initials, kinda like the name mad assed, at Bush and all those on the right side of this issue.
WAKE UP …............
5:29 am
BTW John, the best way to beat this enemy is NOT to become them.
The beat way to beat this enemy is to eliminate them, which admittedly, they’d also like to do to us and to the Israelis. So, beating them to it is crucial.
5:36 am
[...] Rick Moran nonetheless cautions bloggers on the “Hezbollah did it meme”: “First and foremost, those who are blogging this story should step back for a while and wait for the IDF report on the tragedy which should be forthcoming in the next couple of days. This appears to be one of those stories where the bloggers got ahead of the curve of information so far that speculation took on a life of its own and ended up making some wish they had held their fire.” [...]
7:27 am
Rely on bloggers to stray from the point and allow others to distract from an discussion by extension.
The issue at Qana is this, did the bodies shown to the world by the media die in that building? With the repetition of the assertion that the bodies came from the basement, it becomes all the more more suspicious that none of these bodies showed any sign of injury or blood. Bodies pulled from under tons of debris are usually not in a condition for display.
As for irrelevant departures; why the building was hit, the motives of those that hit it, where the men were, when did the building collapse, who is the guy in the green helmet, is Bush a Nazi, was there a gun on the roof, is the Vice President of America really a demon from hell, etc, – all of these are interesting topics for discussion, I just wish people would stick to the important question for now. How, when, and where, did the bodies displayed for the media from the collapsed building in Qana meet their fate? When this has been established, maybe some of the preceding questions will still be interesting. Or maybe not.
7:52 am
[...] Mac Ranger and Rick Moran note changes in the IDF account surrounding Qana and Rick is suggesting caution. I agree, we need to get a clearer picture. But the lack of a rocket attack with in 24 hours of Israeli response is not going to be an indication of a mistake by the IDF. As I noted when the video came out of Hezbollah rocket launchers, that video shows Israeli special forces scouting out and recording Hezbollah sites. The video seems to be taken from a few kilometers away and on a nearby hill. With boots on the ground and evidence of this detail I would posit that the IDF is working on the best intel available, and putting their best soldiers at risk to get the intel and avoid civilians. Wait and see the final report? Sure. Believe Hezbollah over IDF? Doubtful. [...]
8:15 am
“We will ultimately win because we are better than them.”
Platitudes. Empty rhetoric. We will win because we are smarter, stronger and more committed to victory than they are.
Being moral is great. It doesn’t win you victories. Ask the Poles in 1939.
9:44 am
(Excerpted and linked)
11:52 am
There are many contradictions and sloppy statements in the Haaretz article. I wrote to the three reporters to request clarifications on the following:
Does that mean there WERE NONE, or that they just didn’t have the info to give to you?
2. “However, it [IAF] changed its version on Monday.”
How so? No one disputes that over 150 rockets have been launched from Qana in the preceding 20 days.
3. “However, there were no rocket launches from Qana on the day of the strike.”
The strike occured between midnight and 1:00 a.m. Are you trying to say that there were no rocket launches from Qana on the previous day, or as you wrote, the actual “day of the strike” – ie: after midnight? It is quite possible that there were no rocket launches between midnight and the time of the Israeli strike – a matter of minutes. So, technically, your statement is correct, but disingenuous. Either you are being deliberately misleading, or none of you are very precise and accurate writers.
4. Your report is contradictory. First you say “The survivors say rescue teams arrived only in the morning, as night conditions made the rescue mission difficult.” but then you say “...the electricity and phones in the village of Qana were almost entirely cut-off by IAF attacks.” Is that so? Apparently NOT, since they were able to make the call anyways. So which is it? Did the rescue teams get a call at night, but they couldn’t make it because of the dark, or did they get the call in the morning??? You can’t have it both ways. In either case, you are wrong, the phones were working. It only matters when the calls were made.
5. “The IDF provided no explanation for the second explosion…”
What second explosion? Either the building collapsed at midnight due to an IAF strike, and the rescue teams couldn’t make it because it was tragically so dark; OR, the building collapsed in the morning, having nothing to do with the IAF strike.
6. “The IAF admits the village was struck three times between Saturday night and Sunday morning.”
I take issue with your loaded use of the negative word “admits”. A more accurate word would have been “confirms”.
I find this particular article to be a sloppy bit of reporting. One would hope that between the three of you, you could apply a little more logic. You’re not asking the right questions, you’re citing questionable and unnamed sources, and your semantics seem deliberately chosen to paint a highly negative picture of the IDF and IAF.
By the way, did you know that the anti-Israeli left is now using this exact article as their “proof” of evil Israeli intent and a cover-up? Not well played, Yoav, Yuval, and Amos – not well played, at all.
10:41 am
1. Qana in Lebanon is not “the ancient city of Qana” of the New Testament (Cana of Gallilee) which is in Israel.
2. Stop this second guessing. Israel is in a fight for its life which it must win
3. How many civilians did we kill in Germany and Japan during World War II?
4. Israel has nothing to apologize for or to investigate. She is in a war which she did not start against a merciless, cynical enemy.
5. War means fighting, fighting menas killing.