Beirut –www.samidoun.org– On Saturday November 4, 2006, the National Demining Office, and the National Steering Committees for Mine Risk Education and Victim Assistance will call upon Lebanese civil society to participate and mobilize in a national day against cluster munitions.

This event is intended to send a message to the international community prior to the Review Conference of the COnvention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva, taking place from November 7-17. This message presents an important opportunity for states to seriously review the devastating humanitarian impact attributed to cluster munitions.

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Canada: Peacekeeper. Humanitarian. Election monitor. Really?

The Dominion’s special issue on Foreign Policy takes a look beyond the official mythology to research and examine the actual role of Canadian mining companies, military operations, development agencies, NGOs, and diplomats. Articles look at Canada’s involvement in Guatemala, Venezuela, Somalia, South Asia, Afghanistan, Palestine, First Nations and others. It includes:

Selectively Terrified: How Hezbollah became a terrorist organization in Canada.

The United Nations Environment Programme is investigating allegations, first published in The Independent, that Israel may have used uranium-based weapons during this summer’s war in Lebanon. Twenty UN experts, working with Lebanese environmentalists, have spent two weeks assessing various samples. They are planning to report their findings in December. (more…)

From: Heinrich Böll Foundation

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon between July 12 and August 14 caused almost 1,200 fatalities and the destruction of infrastructure and property to the cost of at least US $ 2.5 billion. But in addition to the loss of life and damage, the war caused several environmental problems that will have long-term consequences. This report will examine the following issues:

• The 15,000 ton oil spill caused by the Israeli air strikes on the fuel tanks of Jiyeh power station;
• The dust and smoke pollution caused by the bombardment;
• Unexploded ordinance, primarily the estimated one million cluster bombs in south Lebanon;
• Impact on farming communities; and
• Long-term implications for the environment and environmental policy.

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Aljazeera Online: Thursday 26 October 2006, 1:12 Makka Time, 22:12 GMT

Israel has denied that two of its air force fighter jets fired over a German naval ship patrolling the Lebanese coast.

A report in the Der Tagesspiegel newspaper quoted a German junior defence minister as telling a parliamentary committee that two Israeli F-16 fighters flew low over the ship, firing twice.

The jets also activated infrared countermeasures to ward off any rocket attack, the paper said, in an advance release ahead of Thursday’s edition.
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Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW): First Look at Israel’s Use of Cluster Munitions in Lebanon in July-August 2006

Briefing Delivered by Steve Goose, Director of Human Rights Watch Arms Division, at the Fifteenth Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts

Geneva, Switzerland, 30 August 2006  
 
(Full report available here.)

Human Rights Watch had researchers in Lebanon and Israel throughout the recent conflict. They were the first to confirm Israel’s use of cluster munitions when they documented an attack on Blida on July 19. Immediately after the cease-fire, they spent six days in south Lebanon, primarily looking at the cluster munition situation.  (more…)

The guns may be more silent, but hundreds of
thousands of cluster bomblets sprayed over south Lebanon in at least 770 Israeli strikes still pose a deadly danger to humans and animals. Since the ceasefire on August 14, 156 persons (as of October   27, 2006) have become victims of cluster munitions,  90% of which were civilians, one third of which are   under the age of 18 years.

Recent incidents:

November 17, 2006 – A Lebanese citizen was wounded in an explosion of a cluster bomb in the village of Yanouh.This evening, a cluster bomb exploded in the village of Yanouh, which led to the amputation of the fingers of Adel Haider (28 years). (more…)

Despite the very minimal demands laid upon Israel under UN resolution 1701, Israel has been constantly violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Some of the more important violations:

Saturday January 27 2007
Eight people were hospitalized Saturday after inhaling toxic gases from poisonous balloons dropped by Israeli warplanes over Upper Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. NNA said among those who were rushed to hospital suffering from nausea and fatigue were a Lebanese staff sergeant, a recruit and An Nahar reporter Rana Jouni. The agency said Israeli warplanes dropped at least 10 poisonous balloons with Hebrew markings over Upper Nabatiyeh at about 9 am Saturday.
NNA said contacts have been made between the Lebanese army command and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which has instructed an Italian peacekeeping unit to take samples from the balloons for examination. The agency said the results are likely to come out on Sunday. NNA had earlier said that the Lebanese army’s engineering unit headed to the area and destroyed the balloons by explosives. The army, in a communiqué issued Friday, warned civilians against messing with the balloons and urged them to report finding them to the closest army unit. (Naharnet)

Thursday December 14, 2006
The Israeli Army carried out a brief violation of the UN-demarcated Blue Line, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said. The NNA said two Israeli tanks and about 60 soldiers penetrated 3 kilometers inside South Lebanon and “opened fire” at two shepherds herding sheep near the disputed Shebaa Farms. The shepherds, identified as Omar and Hicham Abdul Al, took cover at Halta Farm, while some of their livestock were hit by Israeli gunfire.

Monday December 11, 2006
Israeli jets violated airspace in southern Lebanon Monday by flying at low altitude over areas where UN peacekeepers are stationed. The jets also flew over the cities of Tyre, Marjayun and Nabatiyeh. (DPA) (more…)

Haaretz 

By Meron Rappaport

Israel has acknowledged for the first time that it attacked Hezbollah targets during the second Lebanon war with phosphorus shells. White phosphorus causes very painful and often lethal chemical burns to those hit by it, and until recently Israel maintained that it only uses such bombs to mark targets or territory.

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Pan-Canadian Day of Action: CANADIAN TROOPS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN !

Saturday, October 28, 2006

MONTREAL DEMONSTRATION
Dorchester Square (corner of Peel and René-Lévesque)
Departure: 13h00. Gathering time : 12h30

Canadian Troops, Out of Afghanistan!

No to Canada’s military partnership with the USA!

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