30-Jul-06: The tragedy in Qana

Despite the apparent precision of the news reports, and the drama of the aftermath, of the destruction of a residential building in the South Lebanese town of Qana today, no one knows exactly what happened, or how many people died, or who is ultimately responsible. This is the way war is.

Israelis have been grappling for a very long time with the moral issues that stem from being the objects of a war of terror conducted by a totally immoral enemy with a diabolical willingness to embrace death both for themselves and for anyone else who gets in the way. How do you fight back against an enemy who deliberately places himself behind civilians, women and children?

Others, far from Israel, will be confronting some of those issues now for the first time as the news media, aided by a gleeful Hezbullah, report on the death, destruction and ongoing tragedy in Qana. As you do, please keep in mind the other side of the story, communicated by the IDF Spokesman's office:

Regarding the incident in Qana: This morning, July 30th 2006, the IAF [Israel Air Force] attacked missile launch sites in the area of the village of Qana, an area from which hundreds of missiles were launched towards the city of Nahariya and the communities in the western Galilee. The IDF will defend the citizens of Israel from attacks by the Hezbollah and the responsibility for any civilian casualties rests with the Hezbollah who have turned the suburbs of Lebanon to a war front by firing missiles from within civilian areas. Residents in this region and specifically the residents of Qana were warned several days in advance to leave the village.18 Israeli civilians have been killed and over 400 have been wounded from these rocket attacks which have disrupted the lives of thousands in Israel.