The Ghosts of Qana

In 1996, a hilarious event occurred in southern Lebanon, in which a United Nations post manned by Fijian soldiers was shelled by the IDF resulting in 106 killed and around 116 injured .  It's hilarious if you like Dr. Strangelove on acid, which is not a criticism.

This is not to be confused with the Qana incident of 2006, in which a Canadian major serving with the UN was killed despite the location of their observation post been identified to the IDF, repeatedly.  As it turned out, all procedures were correct, everybody got medals, and the Canadian government protested feebly.

Anyway, in the 1996 IDF investigation that was "prompt, impartial, credible and transparent, conforming to international standards, of exactly what happened," it was determined that everything had been done correctly, but that some units had the wrong maps, or no maps, or the dog ate their homework,and everybody felt good about it.

In the UN investigation, Major Franklin van Kappen was not so dewy-eyed.

Major Franklin posed these questions to the IDF,who said that the dog ate their maps, that everything had been done correctly, and that the UN could fuck itself.

Then there was a press investigation, conducted in Hebrew.

The rest is here.

Israel might have learned less from The Holocaust than Germany.

"Those to whom evil is done...

Reuters

...Do evil in return."

W.H. Auden
September 1, 1939

Iran Air 655

Aaaand, the guy who perpetrated this crime got a decoration.

Fuck up and move up.

London Charter of the International Military Tribunal, August 8, 1945

Article 6.

The Tribunal established by the Agreement referred to in Article 1 hereof for the trial and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis countries shall have the power to try and punish persons who, acting in the interests of the European Axis countries, whether as individuals or as members of organizations, committed any of the following crimes.

The following acts, or any of them, are crimes coming within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal for which there shall be individual responsibility:

(a) CRIMES AGAINST PEACE: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing;

(b) WAR CRIMES: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include, but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;

(c) CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated.

Leaders, organizers, instigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of a common plan or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes are responsible for all acts performed