The World Monitor
THURSDAY, AUGUST 03, 2006
Lebanese Victims of Israeli Attack on Qana Probably Killed by US Weapons
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation Renews Calls for US Investigation
WASHINGTON – August 2 – The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation released information today that the Lebanese victims of Israel’s attack on Qana were probably killed with US weapons.
On Sunday, July 30, Israel attacked an apartment building, which was being used as bomb shelter, in Qana, Lebanon, killing 57 civilians, including 37 children.
According to the Washington Post, a bomb fragment found at the Qana bombing site read “For use on MK-84, Guided Bomb BSU-37/B”. MK-84’s are free-fall unguided bombs; Boeing-produced Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM’s) are attached to MK-84’s to convert them into GPS-guided “smart” bombs.
Research conducted by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation found that between 2002-2004, the Pentagon notified Congress of impending sales to Israel through its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program of 6,000 JDAM’s and 2,590 MK-84’s valued at $346 million. It is likely that these weapons provided to Israel with US-taxpayer dollars killed the villagers of Qana.
Today the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United for Peace and Justice, the country’s largest anti-war coalition, issued a joint call for a coordinated week of action to protest continued US diplomatic and military support for Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
According to Josh Ruebner, Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, “President Bush is obligated by law to send a report to Congress on Israel’s misuse of US weapons to deliberately target Lebanese and Palestinian civilians and infrastructure, in violation of the US Arms Export Control Act. Israel has repeatedly used US weapons in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip to commit human rights violations. The flow of US weapons to Israel should be shut off because it is our weapons and military aid to Israel that are killing innocent civilians.”
The US Arms Export Control Act limits the use of US-supplied weapons to foreign countries to internal policing and legitimate self-defense. Israel is violating this law by repeatedly and deliberately targeting civilian and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.