by Klaus Rohrich
Friday, July 28, 2006
The death of Major Paeta Hess-von-Kruedener, the Canadian soldier killed in Lebanon while serving with UN Peacekeepers in that country, has become a political bonus for Kofi annan, who it appears, would stoop to any depth just to make Israel look bad. as the father of a Canadian soldier, I am deeply saddened that one of our own has been lost in this incessant conflict, but I am dismayed that annan and Israel's enemies would use this death to garner some political advantage.
While annan and company claim the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) "deliberately targeted" the UN outpost, Major Hess-von-Kruedener disagreed with that assessment shortly before his death. In a series of emails written by the Major and posted to CTV's website, he reported that Hezbollah terrorists occupied "static positions in and around our patrol base." He also called the IDF's shelling of the area surrounding his post a "tactical necessity", rather than a deliberate attempt to destroy the UN position.
For those who do not understand the military term "tactical necessity", retired Major Gen. Lewis McKenzie offered an explanation to the National Post's Stephen Edwards: "What that means is, in plain English, ‘We've got Hezbollah fighters running around in our positions here and then using us for shields [while] engaging the IDF'".
If any blame could be assigned for the death of the UN observers it lies squarely with Hezbollah, whose reckless attacks against Israel launched from inside areas inhabited by innocent civilians constitutes a true "war crime", Louise arbour's opinions notwithstanding. In addition, the death of the over 300 Lebanese civilians killed by IDF military actions can also be laid at the feet of Hezbollah who have fired Iranian-made missiles into Israeli population centers. at last count over 1,500 such missiles have been lobbed into Israel, killing 17 civilians and injuring numerous others.
The missiles that are flying into Israel are Katyusha-style rockets originally designed and used by the former Soviet Union. Interestingly, the missiles' warheads are stuffed with ball bearings and metal shards designed to inflict maximum physical damage against the civilians inhabiting the towns being targeted.
Much of the Western media are attempting to assign blame for this latest round of warfare in the Middle East on Israel, ignoring the fact that Hamas and Hezbollah began the fighting by entering Israel and kidnapping three of its soldiers. While much of the world is calling for a cease-fire in an effort to end the hostilities, this is likely Israel's least favorable course of action. The fighting should not cease until Israel has substantially destroyed Hezbollah's military capabilities and limited the terrorists' access to Southern Lebanon by ensuring the Lebanese army takes control of that region.
If Israel were to agree to a cease-fire now, it would represent a victory for Hezbollah and its Iranian and Syrian sponsors, as their ability to continue to wage similar war at will would not be impeded. Certainly Kofi annan and the majority of the UN's General assembly would be happy if a truce were called with Hezbollah's military capabilities intact, as would the 56 countries of the Organization of the Islamic Councils. But if the world expects an eventual cessation of war in the Middle East, then a massive paradigm shift is in order. UN peacekeepers are not now, nor have they ever been capable of keeping peace in the areas around Israel because the inhabitants of those areas are committed to the utter destruction of that country. So long as "wiping Israel off the map" is a viable option for the likes of Sheik Hassan Nasrallah or Mahmud amedinejad or Bashir assad or Kofi annan history will repeat itself. There will be terrorist attacks on Israel. Israel will defend itself. The conflict will spread to the surrounding areas and we will arrive where we are today with the sob sisters lamenting the innocent loss of life and calling for a cessation of hostilities.
It's sad that Major Hess-von-Kruedener died in that miserable piece of real estate in Southern Lebanon. It would be truly tragic if his death were used as the justification to force Israel into a cease-fire, a development that would guarantee Hezbollah could continue to attack Israel at will at any time in the future.
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