According to the Canadian Press Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday that Hess-von Kruedener is missing and presumed dead after an Israeli bomb flattened a clearly marked UN post in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Three other observers were reportedly killed.
“This regrettable event underscores the dangers that our Canadian Forces members face, in all the roles they undertake, to serve our country with distinction and honour and provide assistance to citizens in countries far from our shores,” Harper said in a meaningless statement.
Israeli leaders say the observer station was hit by accident, but a preliminary UN report on the incident released to The Associated Press says the peacekeepers called the Israeli military 10 times in the hours leading up to the fatal strike, asking them to stop nearby bombings. The station had apprently been in its current…make that former…position for years.
Harper called the observers’ deaths a “terrible tragedy,” but said he doubts the bombing was deliberate.
This, after seven Canadians from the same Montreal family, including four young children, were killed in Lebanon on Sunday when Israeli aircraft bombed a house in the south of the country (as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp).
Now, I can understand why Harper, who has in my estimation done a very good job as PM since assuming office (particularly when compared to his two Liberal predecesors), may wish to wait for all the facts to come in before speaking out, but it seems to me that despite the fact that Hezbollah poses a threat to Israel, that they are parked in Lebanon, that Iran may be behind their aggression…killing peacekeepers, and innocent Canadian and Lebonese men women and children (at a rate of about 10 arabs to every Jew killed), and destroying important public infrastructure, based solely on this threat and the fact that Hezbollah is holding two Israeli soldiers hostage, is inexcusable and indefensible, and as such should be condemned in the strongest possible terms by Harper and his government. Our government.
Why is this not happening? Because George has told Stephen to shut up if he knows what’s good for him? That trade agreements will be jeopardized if he says anything? Because the Americans want this war in order to test cluster bombs and use up their military arsenal…and that Canada’s military industries will suffer if Harper complains? Because the Jewish lobby thinks they can win this war, and with it their security…and has threatened to support another political party if Harper squawks?
There may well be pressures being exerted on our leadership that us plebs will never be privvy to. Nonetheless, by remaining silent, Harper et al are condoning acts of bullying and aggression which could, if not thwarted immediately, lead to the lovely photo above. Just as the U.S. invasion of Iraq has spawned a whole new generation of terrorists, so these disproportionate Israeli antics have guaranteed that the anti-American/Jewish club wont be in need of recruitment officers any time soon.
For a more poetic take on this lunacy, please see this post
