JCOME Press Release

By the Jewish Committee on the Middle East, 9 May 1996

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The evidence is now overwhelming that Israel's unprecedented attack on the U.N. base at Qana in southern Lebanon last month was almost certainly a deliberate act as the U.N. itself has recently concluded. There is also mounting evidence that the highest officials in Israel have purposefully tried to deceive the U.N. and purposefully lied to the world about what happened at Qana and why.

Consequently JCOME joins the growing chorus for a full United Nations Security Council investigation. Should that investigation or other legal proceedings find Israel culpable, as seems likely, then not only should a means be found to force Israel to pay compensation to the victims but sanctions of some appropriate kind should be taken in this case.

It should be noted that this is not the first time Israel has acted in outrageous ways violating basic standards of international law and conduct and then following a clear pattern of deception and cover-up when unexpected evidence was forthcoming. Indeed, just in recent years the Security Council has condemned Israel for the Dome of the Rock massacre in 1990 and the massive attack on Tunis in 1985. Indeed, in just a quick review of recent history we find numerous instances of unconscionable Israeli actions usually followed by major deceptions on the part of the highest- ranking Israeli political and military leaders. Just a few of the more known instances are listed below, followed by date and numbers of killed when reliably known.

• Deir Yassein Massacre (1948—hundreds)
• Kibya Massacre (1953 - 75)
• Lavon Affair (1955)
• Kfar Qasem Massacre (1956 - 43)
• U.S.S. Liberty Ship Massacre (1967 - 30+)
• Killing of unarmed Egyptian Prisoners of War (1967 - unknown)
• Invasion of Lebanon (1982 - over ten thousand)
• Sabra and Shatilla Massacre (1982 - thousands)
• Shinbet Torture Scandal (1984)
• Tunis Massacre (1985 - 75+)
• Mordechai Vanunu Kidnapping and secret trial (1986)
• Abu Jihad assassination in Tunis (1988)
• Dome of the Rock Massacre (1990 - 22)
• Qana Massacre (1996 - 100+)

If the United Nations is to be taken seriously, and if future Israeli lawlessness and deception are to be prevented, it is imperative that the Security Council take firm and decisive action in regard to Qana.

We find ourselves in agreement with an editorial in THE INDEPENDENT newspaper earlier this week headlined - Qana - The Guilty Must Be Punished. If that is not done in this case then THE INDEPENDENT's conclusion—one which unfortunately results from considerable U.N. inaction in the past—that The United Nations is being taken for a fool again, treated as a dupe, will be sadly validated.

We wish we could seriously appeal to the Clinton Administration and the U.S. Congress for honest and forthright action regarding Qana—especially since American arms, money and green lights are used by the Israelis. But the entire world is well aware that when it comes to Israel the U.S. applies a grossly hypocritical double-standard that seems to have no limits and relates only to domestic American political considerations. U.S. complicity in what happened at Qana and the subsequent cover-up should also be a matter of the utmost concern.

JCOME Advisory Committee: Prof. Jane Adas, Rutgers Univ.; Prof. Alex Alland, Columbia University; Prof. Michael Astour, Univ. of Southern Il.; Prof. Howard Baumgartel, Emeritus Univ of Kansas; Prof. Charles Black, Emeritus Yale Univ Law School; Jeffrey Blankfort, Labor Committee On the Middle East, San Francisco; Prof. Francis Boyle, Univ of IL Law School; Mark Bruzonsky; Chairperson and Former Washington Representative, World Jewish Congress; Prof. Noam Chomsky, M.I.T.; Mark Dow, Miami; Prof. Richard Falk, Princeton Univ.; Prof. Sherna Gluck, Calif State Univ (Long Beach); Prof. Clement Henry, Univ. of Tx; Prof. Herbert Hill, Univ of WI (Madison); Prof. Elie Katz, Sonoma State Univ; Prof. George Kent, Univ. of Hawaii; Jeremy Levin, Former CNN Beirut Bureau Chief and hostage; Prof. Seymour Melman, Columbia Univ; Henry Schwarzschild, New York; Prof. Herbert Schiller, Univ of CA (San Diego); Prof. J. David Singer, Univ of MI (Ann Arbor); Ms. Shifra Stern, New York.

With Jewish Professors at over 175 Universities and thousands of supporters of all backgrounds nationwide.

JCOME is the only national organization led by American Jews advocating a sovereign, independent and truly democratic Palestinian State in all of the occupied territories with capital in Jerusalem and in full compliance with U.N. resolutions.