Statement (in Arabic) of “NORD SUD 21” delivered by the Secretary General of the
Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture
Mohammed Safa
in the 2nd Session of Human Rights Council
Geneva (September 18 – October 6)
 

Hereby is the text of the Statement delivered by Safa infront of the Human Rights Council in the UN (Geneva) in the name of the Arab Organizations and the Lebanese Network For Documenting the Israeli War Crimes.
Yesterday Wednesday was Lebanon’s Day in the Human Rights Council where most of the participants objected on the reports –scandals- of the Special Rapporteurs, who equated the executioner with the victim, and saluted the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Mr. John Ziegler.
05/10/2006

Mr. President,

I am standing here to give a life testimony before your Council regarding the Barbarian war launched by Israel on Lebanon under the auspices of the USA in order to bring back home 2 of its kidnapped soldiers!

In order to bring 2 soldiers, Israel comprehensively destroyed Lebanon with its social structure and infrastructure. 1283 victims 1/3 of which were children, 4055 casualties and 1 million displaced were recorded.

Notwithstanding the cease-fire and the deployment of the international forces, we report daily one martyr or wounded due to the fragmentation bombs left by Israel everywhere. According to the Commander in Chief of the air forces Dr. Samuel Gordon we quote: “Israel threw more than 2.200.000 fragmentation bombs”. Israel refuses to submit until nowadays to the UN the maps of the lands shelled with these bombs. The number of casualties due to the fragmentation bombs has reached 17 martyrs and 72 wounded persons.

Israel committed more than 60 bloodbaths against civilians hiding in the shelters or fleeing the war most of them were children and bare civilians.

Israel destroyed cultural and pedagogical institutions, roads, outskirts, link arteries, worship places, water stations, electric centrals, fuel station, the IAB (Rafic Hariri), ports and the list is non exhaustive. Israel turned into stones 15 thousand home and removed from the maps villages integrally Bint Jbeil, Aita El Chaeb, Zebkin, Aitaroun, Siddikin and Khiam.

Israeli aircrafts destroyed entire neighborhoods in the southern suburbs.

Israel bombed 450 transportation trucks and dairy products factories. It has set into ashes agricultural (recolte) and fields of olive, banana, tobacco, and wheat.

Israel carried out military operations against hospitals, ICRC vehicles and para-medicals, and ambulances. Many victims martyrs and wounded were reported.

Israel attacked press crews and media and many victims were also reported.

Israel kidnapped many citizens as hostages.

Israel set into wreckage the HQ of the UNIFEL in khiam. 4 multinational soldiers were killed.
Israel polluted the ground water by using excessively phosphoric and chemical bombs.

The international community stood still and watched 33 days of bloodbaths, bombing and air, maritime and land embargo. It even gave to Israel a green light to pursue its bloody operations and witnessed the horrendous birth of a new middle east written with the blood of the children of Qana and other villages.

Democratic countries justified the barbarian assault of Israel during 33 days and blessed its violations to the human rights principles alleging that it is a legitimate right for self-defense. Some of these countries regrettably voted against the resolution of the HR Council adopted on August 11, 2006 that has convicted Israel.

Is killing innocent children in Marwahin, Aitaroun, Chiyah and Rwiss deemed as self-defense?

This war was a terrorist destroying war against Lebanon and no reasonable person shall be convinced that it is a war in order to free two held soldiers?

The Commander in Chief of the Israeli army Halotz declared in public the first hours, we quote: “we shall return Lebanon 20 years back in time”. Even the Israeli press was more objective than members in the Security Council when describing the military actions. An Israeli journalist wrote: “our soldiers are bombing everything in Lebanon except Hezbollah. Another said: “It is a pure incarnation of madness, our soldiers are destroying a country in which more than 52 newspapers appear and where 36 universities operate.”

Mr. President,

I did not come into this Council in order to depict the sequels of this horrendous war nor its economical, social or humanitarian aftermaths. The reporters of the HR Council have visited Lebanon and South Lebanon recently. They have met with the officials and Heads of civil society institutions and I presume that they have submitted to your kind attention a detailed and clear report on the barbarian Israeli American war carried out against Lebanon.

I am standing here to transmit the weeping of children and mourning of grieved mothers of martyrs, wounded, invalid and detained. I am standing here to tell the whole world that my nation is stronger than death and bloodbaths. I am here to tell the whole world about a nation whose children of Aita El Chaeb, Maroun El Rass, Aitaroun and Bint Jbeil have “embroidered” with their blood the Universal declaration of the HR.

I am here to condemn the double facets HR standards.

Israel detains more than 10000 Lebanese, Palestinians and Arab nationals. Some of them have been incarcerated for 30 years. Women are delivering in detention camps and the international community watching silently. When the resistance detained two Israeli soldiers the nations worldwide were choked and no effort was spared to free them. Israel savagely attacked civilians, destroyed inexorably the infrastructure and committed barbarian bloodbaths in the southern villages alike Qana. The detention of thousands of Arab and Palestinian citizens is an ordinary action but detaining two Israeli soldiers is an unforgivable crime!

Israel has committed as from the first day of its establishment inhuman bloodbaths: Deir Yassim in 1948, Sabra and Chatila, Gaza, Qana, Rmeileh, Aitaroun, Ainata and Bint Jbeil and the list is non exhaustive.

When shall Israel stop its violations to the international laws under the coverage of the international community and against all the principles of Human Rights?

When shall Israel be condemned and when shall it be subject to the Laws and penalties?

Mr. President,

The international community is calling and urging the re-construction of Lebanon. Even the USA shall participate in this reconstruction. Wasn’t it more feasible should we have hindered Israel from carrying out its horrendous destructions instead of rushing to re-construct Lebanon? Or is it a result of the fake international relations?

The Israeli war has brought back Lebanon 20 years back and increased the escalations in Palestine, Lebanon and the Middle East. Let us not forget the audile of the Palestinians and their cause. Israel shall withdraw from the 1967 occupied territories and abide by the UN resolutions.

We are urging the following:

a) Establish an International court, which shall condemns Israeli politicians, and soldiers of crimes of war committed against humanity.
b) Condemn Israel to pay indemnities for the destruction of July 2006 war.
c) Release all the Lebanese and Arab detainees from Israeli detention camps and prisons; to unveil the whereabouts of the missing persons and to return their bodies.
d) To condemn the countries that had delivered weapons and bombs to Israel in order to destroy Lebanon, to provide in equivalent price aids to re-construct Lebanon: Re-construction = destruction. We must all learn to construct instead of destroying it is only then that we shall be able to preserve an international peace and protect the human rights.
e) We thank the Commissioners and the Rapporteurs that the Human Rights Council sent them to Lebanon for the efforts they have exerted but we do believe that the Report that they had issued was not subjective, not balanced and biased to Israel! We were disappointed from this report that equalized between Lebanon; the victim, and Israel, the attacking state that violated the International Law and all the International Conventions. The Report disappointed the families of the victims of the Israeli War and it caused abuse to the Human Rights Council itself as well.
Thank you Mr. President