US admits Israel 'likely' broke rules on cluster bombs
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: The United States said on Monday that Israel "likely" violated an agreement with Washington in its use of US-made cluster bombs during the 2006 war against Lebanon. "There were likely violations," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday as the department sent Congress a preliminary report on its investigation of Israel's use of cluster-bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon during the summer war. It is up the Congress to decide whether the issue will be investigated further, he said. Under the US Arms Export Control Act, if the US government believes a foreign country violated agreements over how US-made weapons were used, the administration must draw up a report and send its findings to Congress. The State Department spokesperson declined to say how Israel had violated US rules in its use of US-made bombs, rockets or shells armed with cluster bombs in Lebanon. A probe was opened last year, after reports emerged that three types of American cluster bombs were found in South Lebanon and were responsible for civilian deaths. The report was handed over to Congress as two Belgian de-miners serving with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon were wounded on Monday by shrapnel in a cluster-bomb explosion during a mine-clearance operation in the vicinity of Kunin, near the town of Bint Jbeil. When contacted by The Daily Star,UNIFIL spokesperson Liam McDowall said that "one of the de-miners sustained shrapnel in the right foot and the other in his right arm." "Both received medical care and are in fair condition,"he said, adding that they will return to Belgium as soon as they can.When asked about the report handed over to Congress, McDowall said: "There is no comment on that at this time." On December 29, two other Belgian de-miners were wounded in a similar incident.
Unexploded ordnance has killed or wounded 218 people in Lebanon since the cease-fire in August. Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container. The bomblets often do not explode on impact but can do so later at the slightest touch, making them as lethal as anti-personnel land mines. Israel has defended its right to use cluster bombs and says it only deploys them in accordance with international law. In Jerusalem, Israel Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev said: "Israel takes the concerns raised by the US very seriously. In our response, we have been as detailed, as forthcoming and transparent as possible." An Israeli Army spokesman said the military had begun its own investigation two months ago on its use of cluster bombs and declined comment until after that was complete. Israel could be fined, but that is unlikely because of the close ties between the two nations. The US is the biggest military donor to Israel, providing more than $2 billion in military aid each year. - Agencies, with additional reporting by Rym Ghazal
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: The United States said on Monday that Israel "likely" violated an agreement with Washington in its use of US-made cluster bombs during the 2006 war against Lebanon. "There were likely violations," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday as the department sent Congress a preliminary report on its investigation of Israel's use of cluster-bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon during the summer war. It is up the Congress to decide whether the issue will be investigated further, he said. Under the US Arms Export Control Act, if the US government believes a foreign country violated agreements over how US-made weapons were used, the administration must draw up a report and send its findings to Congress. The State Department spokesperson declined to say how Israel had violated US rules in its use of US-made bombs, rockets or shells armed with cluster bombs in Lebanon. A probe was opened last year, after reports emerged that three types of American cluster bombs were found in South Lebanon and were responsible for civilian deaths. The report was handed over to Congress as two Belgian de-miners serving with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon were wounded on Monday by shrapnel in a cluster-bomb explosion during a mine-clearance operation in the vicinity of Kunin, near the town of Bint Jbeil. When contacted by The Daily Star,UNIFIL spokesperson Liam McDowall said that "one of the de-miners sustained shrapnel in the right foot and the other in his right arm." "Both received medical care and are in fair condition,"he said, adding that they will return to Belgium as soon as they can.When asked about the report handed over to Congress, McDowall said: "There is no comment on that at this time." On December 29, two other Belgian de-miners were wounded in a similar incident.
Unexploded ordnance has killed or wounded 218 people in Lebanon since the cease-fire in August. Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container. The bomblets often do not explode on impact but can do so later at the slightest touch, making them as lethal as anti-personnel land mines. Israel has defended its right to use cluster bombs and says it only deploys them in accordance with international law. In Jerusalem, Israel Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mark Regev said: "Israel takes the concerns raised by the US very seriously. In our response, we have been as detailed, as forthcoming and transparent as possible." An Israeli Army spokesman said the military had begun its own investigation two months ago on its use of cluster bombs and declined comment until after that was complete. Israel could be fined, but that is unlikely because of the close ties between the two nations. The US is the biggest military donor to Israel, providing more than $2 billion in military aid each year. - Agencies, with additional reporting by Rym Ghazal
From the horse's mouth:
ReplyDeleteQUESTION: The State Department report to Congress about use of cluster bombs by Israel and Lebanon, could you tell us -- you were quoted this morning saying on the wires there likely were violations.
MR. MCCORMACK: Okay, let me -- we'll back up, give you the long form explanation here. We can answer questions about it. Don't believe everything you read in the wires. (Laughter.) Just kidding. Just kidding, guys. Wanted to make sure you guys were still awake up front here.
Under the Arms Export Control Act there's language in there that says that if a country has -- likely has violated the terms of its agreements with the United States, then you -- then that triggers a report to the Congress. Now, the question then becomes what kind of agreements are you talking about. Well, anytime throughout the licensing process of selling armaments and weapons to foreign countries, the United States typically will negotiate along with the licenses various end use agreements and in some cases agreements that specify under what kinds of conditions those armaments and munitions can be used.
In the case of cluster munitions with Israel, we have in place one of those such agreements. And so the question then arises, which the Israelis themselves are investigating right now, as to in what way the munitions were employed and in the manner of their use, did that in some way contravene the agreement between the United States and Israel. So after looking into the matter in the wake of the Hezbollah-Israel war, we work cooperatively with the Israeli Government, take a look at the facts, take a look at the agreement that was in place and then take a look at the legal requirements as specified in the law. And it was the determination based on the facts that we in a preliminary finding -- I have to emphasize preliminary, it's not a final judgment -- that there may likely could have been [emphasis added] some violations of that agreement....
"likely could have been" doesn't mean "likely".
QUESTION: (Inaudible) you refuse to comment on whether it would be hard to imagine if the United States Government would be -- would allow an agreement with anybody to allow cluster bombs against civilians.
MR. MCCORMACK: Look, obviously the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was one between Hezbollah and Hezbollah fighters which engaged in an act of aggression against Israel. They crossed an international border. They started a war. So clearly the conflict was between those two parties.
Now, you and your editors will decide exactly how it is you describe my comments. I can't write your copy for you. Sometimes I wish I could. It's just an area that I can't get into. It gets into the realm of classified information. We are trying to be as forthright and open as we possibly can with regard to this matter. I know it's of interest to you, but there are certain lines that I can't cross.
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Then why is the U.S. investigating Israel's use of cluster bombs at all? To tantalize and appease the Arabs? Perhaps, but the September 2006 Library of Congress report contains this oddity: the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade
Controls also reportedly is conducting an investigation focused on whether Israel violated confidential agreements with the United States that restrict Israel’s use of
U.S.-supplied cluster munitions to certain military targets in non-civilian areas.
A very strange twist, I think: Israel may have violated U.S. "confidential agreements" by going after some military targets the U.S. wanted left alone. That could be the "real" purpose of the State Department's investigation into Israel's use of cluster bombs.