All-Seeing Eye has a post up at The Jawa Report laying out the facts in Qana, Lebanon as we know them, but I also think he has missed some crucial details. In brief, he lays out the following facts as known now.
- The IDF struck the building between midnight and 1 a.m. The building collapsed just before 8 a.m.
This fact is easily explained as buildings can and do collapse after being struck . . . structural damage and what not that engineers could explain better than I.
- Around 50 people died, or at least 50 corpses were found. In that approximate seven hour window, did no one in Qana go to the building to either find bodies or help any survivors? The building was still standing.
This is almost impossible to believe. While I have never lived in a warzone, and thankfully so, if I lived in an apartment building that was hit by a bomb, I’m getting the hell out of dodge once I try to find other survivors. I’m not going to walk outside, look at the building and go back inside to go to sleep. This should be a survivor instinct that we all have.
Other questions arise that I have. Witnesses claim there were two explosions; one from the bomb and another one or two minutes later due to an unknown reason. Was this an ammo dump by Hezbollah? It doesn’t make any sense for the IAF to strike the same location twice with the power of bomb they have been reportedly using. Furthermore, if the IAF goal was to knock the building down, even if the second explosion was from an IAF bomb the building still stood errect and would have needed to be hit by at least one more bomb. There have been no reports of a third, fourth or fifth explosion.
Within a couple of hours after the news hit, elaborate banners were unfurled in Beruit. I am no artist, but I have quite a bit of experience in ordering banners to be made and getting artwork done for various projects. Two hours is not nearly sufficient enough time to get a banner such as this one processed, made and set up for the protest. Sure, the banner might have been pre-made for other reasons or other protests, but it just happened to be displayed on the date of the Qana strike? On a bit of a side note, the image in that banner looks very much like what Obsession talked about too, eh?
With the estimated 50 dead, they were all women and children. Do men not sleep in the same quarters in Qana? Being as Qana is described as a Hezbollah stronghold, or at least was, it is reasonable to conclude most of the residents are Shia Muslims. It would be strange to have so many unmarried mothers in one building anywhere, but in a region where Islam reigns supreme it would be sacreligious. Are we to conclude that the men were able to flee the building while the women and children were not and no man cared to try to help women and children get out of the building?
Perhaps all men were Hezbollah operatives and trying to find new places to fire rockets? Even so, we’ve all seen the videos of Hezbollah rocket firing within towns and the subsequent fleeing into a building and if there were 50 dead, it’s reasonable to conclude there were at least 12 full families involved. All 12 families have a father who is in Hezbollah’s military wing?
The Associated Press supposedly arrived just minutes after the building collapsed. With the wreckage in infrastructure all over Lebanon, why would a bombed building be newsworthy unless it was demolished and there were 50 civilians? It wouldn’t be, or at least any more so than the countless others. What was the emphasis on traveling to Qana to see this particular bombed building over, say, the 10 or so others that were hit overnight?
Qana was the scene of what has been called an “Israeli massacre” in 1996. Israeli shelled Qana after, what else, rockets were fired from within a refugee camp into Israel. Qana has a special meaning to Hezbollah because they know this one incident in 1996 help push the world more to their side. Out of all of the towns in Southern Lebanon, Qana had to be the one hit where 50 civilians died thus revoking the ever-present memory of 1996? The 1996 Qana strike was a boone for Hezbollah, would they ensure they saw another one with, according to Israeli Prime Minister Ehmud Ohmert, two-thirds of their missile launchers destroyed?
Hezbollah knows full well it cannot defeat the Israeli military in a conventional way, but they can and are winning this in terms of public relations. Iran knows this too. There should not be this many inconsistencies when this story has received front-page treatment accross the globe. The story is bound to overlap and fill in the gap if one were to cull together all reports on the incident, but they don’t. Why not?
In no way am I saying this was a Hezbollah public relations move because I don’t know, but it at least should be considered. There have been a number of convenient factors related to this entire war that it is mentionable that this incident that will likely define the war should be looked at and questioned.
Hyscience linked with Just Wondering...
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gary - 
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Chad - 
Harry F. Langhorne - 
Kenneth Dean ex 1 BFTS -
Hey, i like what I see here. If anyone wants a new blog to look at, and one that gets prettg good conservative vs. liberal debate, come on over
Comment by the game — Monday, July 31, 2006 @ 4:55 pm CDT
The IDF released a video of rockets launched from apartment buildings in Qana, and rocket-launchers being resupplied in residential zones.
view it here
Comment by Jimmy the Dhimmi — Monday, July 31, 2006 @ 5:47 pm CDT
Hi chad,
Lrt me tell u about what really happened, not what u dreamed of:
Qana was hit with 200 airraids in last week destroying buildings and roads.
So families stayed in a building away from the fires and bombs.few men were with them ….most of other men went to other safer villages or fighting israeli army anywhere in lebanon.
after these weeks of raids ..roads were damaged and these poor people cant leave their homes.
The home was hit at 1 am while men where outside home…and when they heared the explosion they found the home transformed to rubbles …do u think these men can remove hundreds of kilograms of rubble to get out their families?
They went on foot to nearest place for red cross and lebanese army to get help
Due to damaged roads…they took hours for help to reach that place.
Now think of these questions…who hit the building and who hit the roads?
isnt it israel…read cross and UN forces didnt find any military personel or rockets.
U talk as if hezballah hit the building with rockets …and that is really crazy.
Rockets israel showed on ideo between buildings…how r u sure there r pictures from lebanon?
Can ur IDF proof that?
If it occurs by fault..then it shows idiocy of israeli intelligence and fighters again and again
If intentional …as they did to UN post then it is criminal
Dont be biased…..that much
Egyptian
Comment by Egyptian — Tuesday, August 1, 2006 @ 5:02 pm CDT
“So families stayed in a building away from the fires and bombs.few men were with them ….most of other men went to other safer villages or fighting israeli army anywhere in lebanon.
Can ur Hizballah proof that?
The home was hit at 1 am while men where outside home…”
Can ur Hizballah proof that?
“If intentional…as they did to UN post…”
Can ur Hizballah proof that?
Dont be biased…..that much
-Dhimmi
Comment by Jimmy the Dhimmi — Tuesday, August 1, 2006 @ 5:14 pm CDT
If the roads out of Qana were so damaged that vehicles could not leave, how did the press enter? Are press agencies now paying for airlifts for reporters? How does Hezbollah get into Qana? Does Allah grant them wings to fly in and out of the town?
You gloss over the fact that the home collapsed around 7 hours after the bombs hit. The collapse isn’t extraordinary as I noted above, but it shatters your concept that the men were all standing outside and then found their homes destroyed.
My IDF? I’m not an Israeli. I am not Jewish. I don’t empathise with causes, but rather people. I’ve told you this before yet you still either won’t read what I’ve written or just assume that since it’s of an opinion other than your own that it’s biased, or in your own words from a previous comment, zionist. I said nothing anywhere near what you implied, “U talk as if hezballah hit the building with rockets.” Rockets couldn’t take an entire building of that size down.
You don’t come here for debate. You come to spread your distorted version of events held by your own bias that all Jews are evil and Israel is the spawn of Satan. You claim all those lands are your lands, but were those very same lands not Jewish long before there was such a thing as Islam?
Comment by Chad Evans — Tuesday, August 1, 2006 @ 5:19 pm CDT
Why u defend israel and jews that much….dont u read what u write
Help forces took hours to go in a road hit by israeli airplanes….do u think that was a picnik.
who told u that home collapsed 7 hours after it was hit by bombs…did the dead children tell u so?
And the man asking me about prooves…dont u have a logic man.Arent red cross and UN forces men enough to tell u the truth.
Why r u pro israeli in an incident that is clear as shining sun….that israeli army did a war crime?
Egyptian
Comment by Egyptian — Tuesday, August 1, 2006 @ 5:31 pm CDT
Did the dead children tell you it didn’t?
I am not pro-Israel in the incident at Qana. I made it perfectly clear in this post that there are inconsistencies with regard to the story that we have been told. All I did was raise those questions and I never once even offered an opinion on what happened. Does it not strike you as odd that there were no men among the dead? No men in a building allegedly filled with women and children? I said nothing in regard that this was not a tragedy no matter how it happened. I said nothing that said Israel did not make a mistake.
You jump to the conclusion though that this is a war crime. A war crime, in this instance, would have been if the attack upon civilians was intentional. You know, kind of like all Hezbollah ever does that you justify, call for and defend by claiming they are on “your lands” so they deserve to die. You can’t condemn one instance of what you say is a war crime when you pray for other legitimate war crimes.
And besides, does Allah as you see him actually listen to the definition of war crimes? Is it not a war crime to take little girls as wives from the people you conquered? Is it not a war crime to rape and pillage a conquered area routinely? Is it not a war crime to go to war against people living in a valley simply because they’re Jewish and slaughter all who will not convert?
Added later:
You claim that it took journalists hours to get to the scene because all roads in and out of Qana were bombed out. Odd. The Associated press just sent out an email giving an award to the photographers who traveled to Qana to take the photos.
The AP didn’t know of the incident until “early Sunday morning.” Shall we say that’s 5 a.m.? And I actually think that’s being generous, but that time will work. They arrived three hours later . . . from Beruit. I had no idea the AP gave Ferraris to their photographers.
Comment by Chad Evans — Tuesday, August 1, 2006 @ 5:40 pm CDT
To Chad
What u said about :
Is it not a war crime to take little girls as wives from the people you conquered? Is it not a war crime to rape and pillage a conquered area routinely? Is it not a war crime to go to war against people living in a valley simply because they’re Jewish and slaughter all who will not convert?
these things r just in ur mind and i am sure u cant proove anything of that and that makes me sure u dont know anything about islam which asked muslims not 2 kill women or children during fights and not 2 break trees or destroy churches or tembles.
Jews in the valley u talk about…stolen a land from a country whose people now live in camps..These inocent jews made 6 wars with their neighbours in 50 years and the own nuclear bombs.
U r biased or brain washed.
Egyptian
Comment by Egyptian — Wednesday, August 2, 2006 @ 1:52 am CDT
You mention that your first instinct would be to leave,
Well look at New Orleans, how many poor people got stuck there and couldn’t leave. Not everyone can and will leave a place even if there lives are threatend, that a sad and sorry truth.
Comment by tony — Wednesday, August 2, 2006 @ 3:20 am CDT
Tony, the levees breaking impacted the entire city of New Orleans. The bomb and building collapse impacted one building. Does poverty now restrict someone from walking out of one’s own home to find a temporary shelter for the night? How many people would turn away a family whose house was just hit by a bomb?
Egyptian, I don’t have any proof but I am more than willing to bet that you do on that exact topic I brought up. If I recall, three of those wars involving Israel were after they were attacked. And on the entire bias or braiswash idea . . . has it every occured to you that you too might be biased or brainwashed? You seem to find this opposing view than your own and assume that opinion has to be formed due to some sort of Jewish plot to control my mind, not just that I see things different than you do. If I were to throw out the same phrases towards you, they could and would stick. Oh my freaking god! That’s incredible! A light is now shined upon the truth!
“. . . islam which asked muslims not 2 kill women or children during fights and not 2 break trees or destroy churches or tembles.”
And yet you support Hezbollah. Do you support Hamas too? Do you support Al Qaida? The Muslim Brotherhood? Jemaah Islamiya? Lakshar-e-Taiba? All have killed women and all have burned religious places of worship. Hamas had bonfires in synagogues in Gaza, but let me guess, you’ll justify it by claiming nothing Jewish should be anywhere near Jerusalem. And look, I agree that a version of Islam is extremely peaceful, but it’s not the version you espouse. You have justified killing. How is that peaceful?
You can’t continue to try to talk about this war or Israel while you have repeatedly said the state of Israel should not exist, all Arabs are one which is one of the biggest lies you’ve told, Allah calls for defense and Hezbollah attacking Israel is defense, you have the right to murder all Israelis because even though they are civilians they have no right to be where they are, etc. You have and I’ve called you out on it yet your comeback is that I am biased. Against you and your arguments, you bet I am. You’re condemning the act in Qana while calling for Hezbollah to murder innocent Israelis. Oh yeah, but I’m the one that’s brainwashed.
Comment by Chad Evans — Wednesday, August 2, 2006 @ 1:13 pm CDT
The European Union does not intend to add Hezbollah to its terrorism list
Hezboallah isnt a terrorist organisation
EU doesnt think hezbollah ia a terrorist organisation , Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said Aug. 1.
this is a slap to the biased american view.Only 2 countries see hezbollah as terrorist organisation …the biased America and the enemy Israel.
His comments came in response to a letter signed by 213 members of the U.S. Congress to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana asking the European Union to add Hezbollah to its list. Finland is the current holder of the EU presidency.
Hey chad…….u r blind
900 civilian people were killed in lebanon and 1/3 were children
while 18 people killed in israel
how would u compare 900 to 18 unless u r biased, wake up
Egyptian
Comment by Egyptian — Thursday, August 3, 2006 @ 3:57 am CDT