Civilian deaths in Lebanon - Double Standard

During the recent Lebanon war, Israel was roundly condemned by the United Nations, by Amnesty International and by Human Rights Watch, for killing civilians in Lebanon. Of the approximately 1200 civilians killed, nearly 700 were almost certainly members of the Hezbollah. It is impossible to know how many others were collaborators and helpers, like the men who operated rockets based on orders received by cellphone. Israel protested in vain that it took every precaution to avoid civilian casualties, risking the lives of its own soldiers and conceding strategic advantages by leafleting areas and announcing bombings in advance. The condemnations kept pouring in, regardless of the facts.

From Al-Jazeera, we learn the following, regarding the recent fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam, in the Nahr-el-Bared refugee camp:

More than 400 people have died in the fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam, including at least 222 fighters.

In other words, according to Al-Jazeera, the proportion of civilians killed in the fighting was about the same as, or higher than, the proportion of civilians killed by Israel in the 2006 Lebanon war. Quite strangely, no human rights groups condemned the Lebanese army, and the UN HRC and Security Council are silent as well.

Ami Isseroff