"One cannot justify the continued destruction by Israel of the civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and in Palestinian territory, involving the disproportionate use of force in which the civilian population suffers," the Russian foreign ministry said.
The Russian foreign minister has somehow forgotten how they have been handling their own
war to hold on to foreign oil rich regions "war against terrorism" in Chechnya. Here are a couple of highlights to jog his memory:
1) On February 5, 2000, Russian forces engaged in widespread killing, arson, rape and looting in Aldi. The victims included an eighty-two-year-old woman, and a one-year-old-boy with his twenty-nine-year-old mother, who was eight months pregnant.
2) Russian and pro-Russian Chechen forces continued to be responsible for numerous arbitrary detentions during raids, looting, physical abuse of villagers, and extrajudicial executions. Those detained face beatings and other forms of torture, aimed at coercing confessions or information about Chechen rebel forces. The forces routinely extort money from detainees’ relatives as a condition for release.
3) The bodies of nine men bearing the marks of extrajudicial execution were found in Chechnya on Friday, Human Rights Watch said today. Eight of the men had been forcibly disappeared two weeks ago after armed men, presumed to be Russian forces, took them from their homes.
I could go on, unfortunately, but I won't. Instead I'll leave you with some before and after pictures of
Grozny - the capital of Chechnya.
7 Comments:
I totally agree.
So true!
So if the Russians instead said "The Israeli reaction is no worse than what we did in pursuit of ending terrorism in Chechneya, but no better" would you applaud their truthfulness? And are you content that the actions of the Jewish state towards its enemies may be fairly compared with the attitude of Russia towards its?
Larry,
I guess the answer to your first question would be 'Yes'. As far as I know, there is no obligation on Russia to make any kind of statement, but if it feels like it has to, I'd rather they not be blatantly hypocritical.
I am not sure how to answer the second question. In an idealistic sense, I am a pacifist because war and violence are truly terrible. I feel horrible that people are suffering in that part of the world right now. The problem is that so far no one has figured out how to deal with this type of terrorism in any effective way. Russia hasn't and neither has the US. If someone had a clear solution that made sense and Israel was instead choosing a terrible alternative, then it would bother me a lot more.
What bothers me most about this conflict, is the same issue that has been going on forever. There is no end game. So, this is really just a big game of blowing off steam (unless it is a prelude to WWIII, in which case I shudder to think of the end game)
I am sorry, but there is no comparison between Chechnya and Lebanon. 70,000 civilians are believed to have been killed in the second Chechen war.
Also I do not remember Chechen attacks on Russia prior to that war.
08/01/06
Still less than five hundred dead Lebanese. Less. Than. Five. Hundred.
In twenty days of war.
That's percentage wise far less on a daily basis than got killed when Iraq and Iran were going at it.
Twenty days, less than five hundred, and the entire world is screaming bloody murder.
Myeh, I've not got such a good attitude towards the rest of the world right now. To put it mildly.
Back of the Hill,
What is there left to be said...
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