Utopia Talk / Politics / UN "peacekeepers" prepared to die ...

murder Member	Tue Oct 15 07:30:47 To save Hezbollah. ====================== U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon pledge not to give in to Israeli demands to 'get out of harm's way' Four UNIFIL soldiers in Lebanon were injured last week after Israel fired on their position. A fifth was hurt by gunfire although it is unclear who fired the shot. The United Nations said it wouldn't bow to pressure to withdraw its peacekeepers from southern Lebanon despite its forces coming under fire and repeated demands from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they move out of the area. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, will stay in “all its positions,” including those near the border with where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah, the head of peacekeeping operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters in New York on Monday. He added that the decision to keep them in place had the full backing of both the U.N. Security Council and the member states contributing troops to the force, which Israel says has failed in its mission to stabilize the area as Hezbollah’s presence has grown. Adversaries for decades, the sides have been clashing since the Iran-backed group started firing rockets over a year ago in solidarity with ally Hamas after the Palestinian group's terror attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. More than 42,000 have been killed in Gaza in the ensuing war, according to local health officials. The fighting near the Israel-Lebanon border has prompted hundreds of thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes. In recent weeks Israel doubled down on its offensive after widespread bombing of Lebanon began on Sept. 17 when pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah, long Iran's most powerful proxy force, exploded across the country. On Oct. 1, Israeli troops crossed the border after the country's military leaders declared a new phase in the war. Lecroix’s comments came after the U.N. Security Council expressed “strong concern” at a meeting held to discuss the four UNIFIL soldiers who were injured after Israel fired on their positions last week. A fifth was injured by gunfire during military activity although it was unclear who fired the shot. The series of events drew international criticism, as Spain, France and Italy condemned the incidents. President Joe Biden’s assertion that he is “absolutely, positively” asking Israel to stop hitting peacekeepers underscored just how far the situation has spiraled. UNIFIL, which was established by the U.N. Security Council in 1978 after Israel's first invasion of Lebanon, also accused the Israel Defense Forces of shooting its cameras, destroying its main gate, and forcing entry into one of its positions. The Israeli military has promised to investigate some of the incidents, which came as it continues to fight Hezbollah forces in the region. In a video address on Sunday, Netanyahu said UNIFIL was providing “a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” and appealed directly to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to get U.N. peacekeepers “out of harm's way.” Ahmed Benchemsi, Human Rights Watch spokesperson for the Middle East, told NBC News that there is “absolutely no justification” to fire upon U.N. forces. “Peacekeeping operators are considered civilians, even if they’re armed,” he said, adding that it was vital UNIFIL remained on the ground. Shortly after Netanyahu's video was released, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti disputed IDF claims that UNIFIL forces are in effect, providing cover for Hezbollah. Israel has long had a tense relationship with the United Nations, which has deteriorated significantly since Oct. 7, most notably when Israel accused staff from UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, of collaborating with Hamas. UNRWA fired nine staff members after an internal investigation, but the U.N. also not shied away from criticizing Israel’s military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon. Netanyahu accused the U.N. of being an “anti-Semitic swamp” during his address at the organization’s General Assembly in September, and Israel’s foreign minister Israel Katz has declared general secretary Guterres “persona non grata,” banning him from entering Israel. In the backdrop of its invasion of Lebanon, Israel is also weighing up its response to the missile barrage launched by Iran earlier this month, sparking fears that a massive retaliation could stoke a wider regional conflict. But Netanyahu has told the U.S. that it is prepared to launch a more limited counter-strike aimed at preventing a full-scale war, and will target the nation's military infrastructure and not its nuclear or oil facilities, according to a report in The Washington Post. Biden has said publicly that he would not support an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites, while reaffirming the country's "right to respond" to the October attack. In a statement to the Post, Netanyahu's office said, “We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest.” http://www...l-peacekeepers-gaza-rcna175434
Rugian Member	Tue Oct 15 07:32:43 I can't wait for the day when President Trump withdraws all funding for the UN once and for all.
murder Member	Tue Oct 15 07:40:20 Congress appropriates funds.
Rugian Member	Tue Oct 15 08:01:59 Murder There are executive orders that prohibit the transfer of funds to organizations that support terrorism.
jergul large member	Tue Oct 15 10:47:08 You know, it is the "rules for thee, not for me" approach to international order that does more to undermine Western moral authority than anything else, right? Developing countries must find the blatant hypocracy infuriating. UN forces are there under a UNSC mandate the US firmly supported. Get the votes and non-vetoes to pull the mandate if you dont like it any more. Russia and Israel are great buddies. It should go fine.
jergul large member	Tue Oct 15 10:49:31 Putin is not entirely wrong to think of Israel as an extention of the Russian world. A shiton of Israeli cultural baggage comes from the Russian empire.
murder Member	Tue Oct 15 12:09:18 "You know, it is the "rules for thee, not for me" approach to international order that does more to undermine Western moral authority than anything else, right? Developing countries must find the blatant hypocracy infuriating." You don't need moral authority. That isn't good for anything. You need power. Hence the vetoes on the security council.
jergul large member	Tue Oct 15 13:04:47 Murder That is becoming more true by the day as Western soft power erodes under waves of hypocracy. However, soft power worked great for most of the post war period. But maybe Israel should just ask Hezbollah to tear down its walls? It worked for Reagan against a much more grandiose adversary.
Forwyn Member	Tue Oct 15 13:33:24 Is there an Islamic power in existence that does not sustain itself through hypocrisy?
jergul large member	Tue Oct 15 14:06:39 Forwyn Well, they mostly sustain themselves with petrobucks. But hypocrisy is part and parcel to any religious messaging by anyone.
Rugian Member	Tue Oct 15 14:21:37 Jergul Might makes right and we have the might. (We also have the moral authority that comes with being the good guys - something your pals in Russia and China will never be) The kumbiyah collaborative approach to global security fell apart years ago. We now need the world's last superpower to be the clear and umbiguous leader on keeping the peace. Think of it as the world transitioning from the Delian League to the Athenian Empire. The state with the ability to call the shots should be the one actually calling the shots.
Sam Adams Member	Tue Oct 15 14:42:41 Why does the world hate jews/israel so much? Jealousy?
jergul large member	Tue Oct 15 15:18:27 Ruggy That is actually what you have been pissing away for the last couple of decades. Something way truer in 1989 is something that is fading away.
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