P R E S S R E L E A S E:
THE MASSACRE AND COVER-UP AT THE U.N. BASE IN QANA
Press Contact: 202 362-5266, Ext 777 (24-hours)
Email: COME@MiddleEast.Org / Fax 202 362-6965
For additional information: http://WWW.MiddleEast.Org
THE COMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST
16 April 1997
The "Qana Massacre" took place on 18 April of last year, this Friday.
The absolutely grizly scenes of tremendous carnage were broadcast
throughout the world. But that in itself has happened before in
various ways, in various places, with various perpetrators.
In the case of Qana, however, there are some unprecedented aspects
which make this particular massacre stand out differently from others.
For the first time in the Middle East a large number of civilians
specifically under United Nations protection were specifically
targeted.
For the first time investigations by the United Nations, as well
as independent organizations such as Amnesty International, uncovered
not only that the attack was on purpose, but that a massive
international cover-up then resulted, one in which the government of
the United States participated.
For the first time well-established journalists were able to document
the details of the massacre cover-up including that the shelling
followed a specific pattern that could not have been accidential and
that an Israeli drone spotter plane was actually overflying Qana at the
time!
And for the first time a Secretary-General of the U.N. was threatened
that he must not endorse or release the U.N. report about Qana or he
would not be supported for a second term in office -- which in fact did
come to pass.
What the Israelis did at Qana, and how they then attempted to lie and
deceive in front of the entire world, is a particular gruesome example
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Article-ID: 04_1997&3022238
Score: 78
Subject: Re: Spine