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An international demining expert examining an unexploded IDF cluster bomb in southern Lebanon. (AP)
Last update - 16:14 02/12/2006
UN human rights inquiry: Israel should compensate Lebanon
By Reuters

A United Nations human rights inquiry said on Friday that Israel should be made to pay compensation for damage caused by the month-long Lebanon, especially losses incurred by civilians.

It suggested setting up an international compensation program similar to the one which has paid out billions of dollars to cover losses due to Iraq's 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait.

But the three-member commission of inquiry left any decision to the UN Human Rights Council.
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"It should consider creation of a commission competent to examine individual claims for reparations and compensation...," commission member Joao Clemente Baena Soares told a briefing.

"If the council, the international community, wishes to set up a mechanism, I remind you that the Security Council established a commission on Iraqi reparations for Kuwait. Why not also a commission for Lebanon?" commission member Stelios Perrakis told reporters.

Israel denounced the UN investigation, saying the report ignored Hezbollah militants who fired 4,000 rockets at Israel.

Itzhak Levanon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council that its three-member commission of inquiry had produced a "report rife with imbalances and misrepresentation."

The three legal experts, sent to Lebanon to probe charges of "systematic targeting and killing" of Lebanese civilians by Israel, said in a November 21 report that Israel was guilty of "excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force" in the war.

They said their limited mandate prevented them from probing Hezbollah's actions, and commission members rejected Israeli and U.S. charges the commission was one-sided.

"Of course it (the report) was not one-sided, it was within the limits imposed by the mandate," Perrakis told reporters.

U.S. ambassador Warren Tichenor said: "No report can be credible that attempts to find facts and draw conclusions about an armed conflict without examining the actions of both sides."

Levanon said the UN report was wrong to omit a reference to "Lebanon's obligations to prevent the use of its territory for hostile acts and to disarm and disband Hezbollah."

"The disturbing reality is that the conflict in Lebanon was the direct result of an unprovoked Hezbollah attack, emanating from Lebanon into Israel," he said.

The war broke out after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

Levanon said Israel had been forced to act in self-defense, confronted by "Hezbollah terrorists on one hand, who deliberately made every effort to create civilian casualties on both sides, and its own forces on the other hand, who were committed to making every effort to minimize them."

Around 1,200 Lebanese and more than 150 Israelis were killed in the 34-day confrontation.

The UN commission charged that Israel did not limit assaults to military targets and had made excessive use of cluster bombs which have continued to injure and kill after the war's end. This amounted to collective punishment, it said.

Levanon stressed Israel had no wish to injure Lebanese civilians and had tried to spare their lives by dropping leaflets and giving advance warnings of its military actions.

"Israel did this, knowing full well that it would give Hezbollah time to escape, regroup and set up ambushes, and that Israel would endure casualties at the expense of military surprise," Levanon said.

"Israel's conduct, which far exceeds the requirements of international humanitarian law, proved itself in practice, reducing injury to civilians," he said.

Perrakis said Lebanon's fishing and farm industries had been damaged by Israeli attacks, and oil spills from refineries had reached Cyprus, Turkey and Greece.

The inquiry had established that Israel bore international responsibility for the violations and damage, he said.
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  1.   beyond pathetic 17:42  |  SHIMON 01/12/06
  2.   that UN gets more trustworthy every day! (sarcasm noted) 17:43  |  SHIMON 01/12/06
  3.   military targets?!?!?! 17:48  |  vik 01/12/06
  4.   Israel as usual engaging in double standards 17:52  |  Stephen Murray 01/12/06
  5.   I wonder how the UN explains the discrepancy 18:00  |  Danny - Israeli one 01/12/06
  6.   Israel, for once stop your whining and fess up!! 18:14  |  Yaakov Sullivan 01/12/06
  7.   COMEDY SHOW OF THE YEAR 18:15  |  TOBIA 01/12/06
  8.   Fantastic 18:18  |  Colin Wright 01/12/06
  9.   Unjustifiable 18:19  |  nathan 01/12/06
  10.   DON`T QUESTION ISRAEL`S WAR CRIMES! 18:40  |  Jeremy 01/12/06
  11.   Proof that you pre-planned to attack Lebanon 19:06  |  Guy From NYC 01/12/06
  12.   There we go, Yaacov gets his blood up again 19:10  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/06
  13.   Stephen Murray,Berlin looked pretty smashed up after the WW2 19:13  |  Absolute Sweden 01/12/06
  14.   Go on Israel ! 19:13  |  Trond 01/12/06
  15.   Really Colin? 19:14  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/06
  16.   Paddy Sullivan,even Pope spoke against priests abusing children 19:15  |  Absolute Sweden 01/12/06
  17.   Some clarity Nathan 19:18  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/06
  18.   Why should Israel be treated any differently, Jeremey? 19:20  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/06
  19.   THEY CAN DO NO WRONG 19:26  |  Bert 01/12/06
  20.   UN allegations 19:31  |  Digery Cohen 01/12/06
  21.   Yaakov Sullivan#6 19:36  |  Yariv 01/12/06
  22.   #11, eh? 19:40  |  Danny - Israeli one 01/12/06
  23.   UN allegations. 19:41  |  David Nigel Braham 01/12/06
  24.   Send the bill to Nasralla 19:48  |  alibaba 01/12/06
  25.   US always vetoes anything Israel doesn`t like. 20:00  |  Michael 01/12/06
  26.   Wow, Leb declares war and the UN wants us to pay? 20:03  |  David Teich 01/12/06
  27.   It is about time Israel paid for its crimes - Next in Palestine 20:05  |  Fred Farkelsteinman 01/12/06
  28.   Bert 20:05  |  Yariv 01/12/06
  29.   UN human rights inquiry: Israel should compensate Lebanon 20:08  |  paul 01/12/06
  30.   Unfortunately Digery, if Israel attempted that 20:09  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/06
  31.   israel should tell them to stick it where the sun don`t shine 20:09  |  ralph 01/12/06
  32.   UN Rights Inquiry 20:13  |  Marc 01/12/06
  33.   Israel will never pay a shekel, but I know someone who will... 20:14  |  Natallie Durson 01/12/06
  34.   The whole UN is not relevant anymore..the crazies of taken over t 20:16  |  Richard Shuster, O.D 01/12/06
  35.   Mad dog 20:19  |  Baz Mann 01/12/06
  36.   the islamic propaganda seems to work .. 20:21  |  DAVID KOHEN 01/12/06
  37.   what a joke 20:26  |  shlomo yaros 01/12/06
  38.   send the bill to Iran 20:29  |  Harry 01/12/06
  39.   Compensation issues 20:36  |  Gabriel 01/12/06
  40.   Guy From NYC 20:40  |  Bretware 01/12/06
  41.   Yaakov - what shall we say of your whining? 20:57  |  Ronadinho 01/12/06
  42.   to bert 21:03  |  al 01/12/06
  43.   #27 Fred F. You 21:08  |  David 01/12/06
  44.   The US taxpayers would just wind up paying for it 21:10  |  Rachel 01/12/06
  45.   ISRAEL SPENDS HERE( NATALLIE) 21:11  |  TOBIA 01/12/06
  46.   They let you get out of high school with your math skills Natalie 21:14  |  Jacob Blues 01/12/06
  47.   Natalie Durson 21:16  |  Connie 01/12/06
  48.   Lebanon can get the money from Hezbollah 21:22  |  Mark 01/12/06
  49.   Yariv: Yes 100 condemnations 21:27  |  Guy From NYC 01/12/06
  50.   Who should pay 21:28  |  Philippe 01/12/06
  51.   Then compensate germany for Dresden and Japan hiroshima nagasaki 21:30  |  LK 01/12/06
  52.   UN Human Right Commission is the death knell of the UN 21:32  |  Bob 01/12/06
  53.   the un is a bad bad joke ! it is manifestly anti israel 21:42  |  paul harris 01/12/06
  54.   natallie is ILLITERATE ON FISCAL MATTERS TOO 21:45  |  paul harris 01/12/06
  55.   Guy from NYC 21:46  |  Yariv 01/12/06
  56.   Ronadinho: his/her embarassment 21:49  |  Guy From NYC 01/12/06
  57.   Re:Then compensate germany for Dresden and Japan hiroshima nagasa 21:51  |  Guy From NYC 01/12/06
  58.   UN 22:03  |  lawrence 01/12/06
  59.   War Crimes or Terrorism? 22:03  |  northern neighbor 01/12/06
  60.   Israel`s sense of moral superiority 22:04  |  Shep Fargotstein 01/12/06
  61.   Bob predicting the fall of UN 22:04  |  Guy From NYC 01/12/06
  62.   Iran and Syria should compensate Israel 22:10  |  Michael 01/12/06
  63.   If this UN Commission existed in 1944 22:10  |  Bimmer 01/12/06
  64.   UN, send us the bill and we`ll all have a good laugh 22:17  |  Dave 01/12/06
  65.   Lebanon should compensate Israel 22:19  |  KUTW 01/12/06
  66.   Release the kidnapped Israelis 22:21  |  KUTW 01/12/06
  67.   What a bunch of Bigots 22:21  |  Semsem 01/12/06
  68.   Lebanon can get the money from Iranian Hitler 22:23  |  laila 01/12/06
  69.   Who would really pay 22:27  |  W 01/12/06
  70.   We know what Hizbollah was up to 22:28  |  John 01/12/06
  71.   Blow to the theory of Israeli peaceniks 22:40  |  Gene