Russia Criticizes Israel for Offensive Jul 20 10:44 AM US/Eastern Email this story By ANTON TROIANOVSKI Associated Press Writer MOSCOW Russia on Thursday sharply criticized Israel for its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, saying it went "far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire. The Foreign Ministry said Russia affirms the need to fight terrorism and called for the immediate release of captive Israeli soldiers, but it added that "the unprecedented scale of the casualties and destruction" in Lebanon indicates that Israel is using too much force. The comment echoed a statement by President Vladimir Putin, who said while hosting a summit of the Group of Eight nations Saturday that Russia had the impression Israel was "pursuing wider goals" than the return of abducted soldiers. While G-8 leaders cobbled together a statement on the Mideast conflict in a bid to display unity, the criticism of Israel and the cease-fire call contrasted with the U.S. stance. Washington has rejected calls for an immediate cease-fire and blamed Hezbollah for the conflict's intensity. Russia's Foreign Ministry said "international humanitarian law" demands that strikes be launched only against military targets, even if there are suspicions that civilian facilities could be used to support military actions. Russia has consistently rejected Western accusations that it has used too much force during its wars against rebels in Chechnya, in which thousands of civilians have been killed. The Kremlin refers to the conflict in Chechnya as an anti-terrorist operation. The statement also echoed Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's calls for an immediate cease-fire, saying it was a "first step that cannot be delayed." The United States has said Israel has the right to defend itself and that what is needed is a "meaningful" cease-fire. A cease-fire would allow civilians to safely leave areas affected by the fighting, the ministry said. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov met Thursday in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who said Syria was prepared to help promote a cease-fire, according to another Foreign Ministry statement. But Israel's ambassador to Russia rejected the notion of an immediate cease-fire, saying it would not end the Hezbollah threat. "Let's say a cease-fire is declared tomorrow _ 8,000 rockets will continue to threaten Israel," Ambassador Arkady Mil-Man told a news conference. "The essence of Hezbollah won't change overnight." Mil-Man also underscored Israel's friendship with Russia, while criticizing Russia for not recognizing Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations. "We believe it's wrong and it's not helping things," Mil-Man said of Russia's position. Russia is prepared to provide Lebanon with urgent humanitarian aid, the Foreign Ministry said. It also said that Russia hoped the U.N. Security Council would take a broad approach to the growing crisis, warning that "it is unlikely to be successfully overcome" if efforts to tackle the problem do not encompass all its aspects.
Do Ya think maybe this is a balance of power issue Z? Soviets er I mean Russians sell alot more stuff to Iran than they do to Israel. As a matter of fact isn't the Hezbollah symbol an AK? I reckon they would be more than glad to lend their customer's some support with a quaint condemnation of this sort.
Now, that's rich. Russia's criticizing Israel for military actions. Does Chechnya, Grozny, carpet bombing, a hundred thousand civilian deaths during the first chechen war alone ring a bell? http://www.hrvc.net/htmls/norbert.htm Next thing you know Sudan will start lecturing Israel on human rights issues. Oh, I forgot, that's already happening in the UN where Sudan is a member of the united nations human rights committee.
Yes, I do think this is about a balance of power. That is one of the problems in the Middle East, there is no balance of power. Those who are oppressed have discovered ways to fight back, i.e. terrorism. Several hundreds of years ago, there was little people could do with a sword, a knife, or just a gun. Now weapons of mass and minor destruction are readily available, and are produced by all the major countries...for sale to highest bidder. To think that these weapons will not find their way into the hands of insurgents is ridiculous. The cat is out of the bag now with the weapons that technology has produced. It will take a new paradigm to solve the problem, the old way just isn't working.
When the Russians attacked the Chechen capital of Grozny during the first weeks of January 1995 about 25,000 civilians died under a week-long air-raid and artillery fire into the sealed-off city. The Russian army is reported to have suffered several thousand casualties during this assault. Quagmire Massive use of artillery and air strikes remained the dominating strategy throughout the Russian campaign. In addition, Russian troops committed numerous, and in part systematic war crimes against civilians, such as severe torture and summary executions, which often were linked to raids affecting entire villages. In the village of Samashki alone about 100 civilians were killed by the Russians and several hundred were beaten or otherwise severely tortured. Chechen fighters in turn resorted to guerrilla tactics, such as setting booby traps and mining roads. As the war went on, they increasingly organized large hostage takings, seeking to exert pressure on the Russian public and the Russian leadership; over 1,500 hostages were taken in the raid on the southern Russian city of Budyonnovsk. ... Chechen losses (mostly civilian) are estimated at up to 100,000 or more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Chechen_War
Strawman of course. Attack the messenger. Classic.... Since you can't attack the truth of what Russia is saying, you attack them. Bravo!
Second Chechen war According to the 2001 annual report by Amnesty International: There were frequent reports that Russian forces indiscriminately bombed and shelled civilian areas. Chechen civilians, including medical personnel, continued to be the target of military attacks by Russian forces. Hundreds of Chechen civilians and prisoners of war were extra judicially executed. Journalists and independent monitors continued to be refused access to Chechnya. According to reports, Chechen fighters frequently threatened, and in some cases killed, members of the Russian-appointed civilian administration and executed Russian captured soldiers. [32] In 2001 the Holocaust Memorial Museum has placed Chechnya on its Genocide Watch List. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Chechen_War
You don't get to lecture on the value of life if you are a convicted serial murderer. Israel's trying 1000 times harder than Russia ever will to spare civilian lives.
Uhhh, what do you think Amensty International says about Israel's treatment of Palestinians and the current war with Lebanon? ROTFLMAO....