Ceasefire Gives Humanitarian Effort a Chance to breath
In a strange and tragic case of what is hopefully history repeating itself Israeli State Department spokesman Adam Ereli announced a 48 hour cessation to the aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon. The ceasefire was called to investigate the deaths of at least 60 civilians, more than half of them children in an in an Israeli attack on the town of Qana. It was the international out cry over a similar event in the very same town killing over 100 people which helped end the "grapes of wrath" campaign in 1996.
Israel has implied, with its 48 hour time and specific statements about a 24 hour period in which it will coordinate with the UN to allow those in the south who wish to leave to do so, that the bombing will recommence. It has also specifically stated that it reserves the right to attack any targets it deems to be preparing a strike against Israel. It is possible however that Olmert and perhaps even Nezrallah will take this period as an opportunity to back quietly away from a conflict it seems neither of them can win, and move directly from this temporary ceasefire to negotiations about a more final agreement. However, if that is the case, there is no doubt that Hezbollah will at the very least claim it as a moral if not military victory.
If however, as is more than possible, nothing of the sort occurs and the bombing recommences Tuesday night, this announcement will nonetheless provide a much needed breathing space for the so far strangled humanitarian effort in southern Lebanon. Israel Had previously dismissed repeated calls for even a seventy two hour ceasefire for the purposes of distributing humanitarian aid saying it is unnecessary because there is already a "humanitarian corridor" available for this purpose. There simply was no such thing.
While the first UN aid convoy reached the southern port city of Tyre on Wednesday two more planned for Sunday were cancelled as no agreement could be reached with Israel. Beyond this there was the problem that moving the aid on the seven hour drive to Tyre, which was accessible a few weeks ago in around an hour depending on traffic, is only the first step.
From here the aid must be distributed to suddenly isolated communities across the south where not only are the roads in appalling condition, but where Israeli bombardment had been continuous and came without warning. This was testified to by Robin Lodge, of the World Food Programme, who said the organisation's supplies, trucked to Tyre, were unable to be distributed. The truth of his statement was demonstrated by the shelling of an aid convoy, including ambulances and organised by Lebanese civil defence workers. It was returning to Tyre from the border village of Rmeish carrying, along with press and other refugees, Australian citizens seeking evacuation from the southern port. While no Australians were hurt some, including a German cameraman, were injured.
The flow of food, which has been a trickle to tyre and all but non existent beyond, was not the only humanitarian work being crippled by Israel's continued refusal to cease fire. The transfer of injured from their villages to hospitals and from the overcrowded hospitals in the south to Beirut where excess capacity remains was also hampered. The Lebanese government also estimates that at least two hundred bodies remain uncollected among the debris of houses and by the sides of roads.
In the next 48 hours we will no doubt see a flurry of activity on all these fronts, and a fresh wave of refugees taking this opportunity to flee the south fro the relative safety of Beirut. It is in a way hypocritical that these 60 civilian deaths, occurring in a place which haunts the Israeli military are somehow significant enough to halt a bloody campaign that had already claimed more than 600 civilian lives, it is perhaps best at this point however not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Israel has implied, with its 48 hour time and specific statements about a 24 hour period in which it will coordinate with the UN to allow those in the south who wish to leave to do so, that the bombing will recommence. It has also specifically stated that it reserves the right to attack any targets it deems to be preparing a strike against Israel. It is possible however that Olmert and perhaps even Nezrallah will take this period as an opportunity to back quietly away from a conflict it seems neither of them can win, and move directly from this temporary ceasefire to negotiations about a more final agreement. However, if that is the case, there is no doubt that Hezbollah will at the very least claim it as a moral if not military victory.
If however, as is more than possible, nothing of the sort occurs and the bombing recommences Tuesday night, this announcement will nonetheless provide a much needed breathing space for the so far strangled humanitarian effort in southern Lebanon. Israel Had previously dismissed repeated calls for even a seventy two hour ceasefire for the purposes of distributing humanitarian aid saying it is unnecessary because there is already a "humanitarian corridor" available for this purpose. There simply was no such thing.
While the first UN aid convoy reached the southern port city of Tyre on Wednesday two more planned for Sunday were cancelled as no agreement could be reached with Israel. Beyond this there was the problem that moving the aid on the seven hour drive to Tyre, which was accessible a few weeks ago in around an hour depending on traffic, is only the first step.
From here the aid must be distributed to suddenly isolated communities across the south where not only are the roads in appalling condition, but where Israeli bombardment had been continuous and came without warning. This was testified to by Robin Lodge, of the World Food Programme, who said the organisation's supplies, trucked to Tyre, were unable to be distributed. The truth of his statement was demonstrated by the shelling of an aid convoy, including ambulances and organised by Lebanese civil defence workers. It was returning to Tyre from the border village of Rmeish carrying, along with press and other refugees, Australian citizens seeking evacuation from the southern port. While no Australians were hurt some, including a German cameraman, were injured.
The flow of food, which has been a trickle to tyre and all but non existent beyond, was not the only humanitarian work being crippled by Israel's continued refusal to cease fire. The transfer of injured from their villages to hospitals and from the overcrowded hospitals in the south to Beirut where excess capacity remains was also hampered. The Lebanese government also estimates that at least two hundred bodies remain uncollected among the debris of houses and by the sides of roads.
In the next 48 hours we will no doubt see a flurry of activity on all these fronts, and a fresh wave of refugees taking this opportunity to flee the south fro the relative safety of Beirut. It is in a way hypocritical that these 60 civilian deaths, occurring in a place which haunts the Israeli military are somehow significant enough to halt a bloody campaign that had already claimed more than 600 civilian lives, it is perhaps best at this point however not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
posted by Austin Gerassimos Mackell at 9:35 AM
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