Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch report on the first Friday in Ramadan

Here is the report by Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch on the passage of Palestinians from the West Bank through the major Qalandia checkpoint to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan:

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Qalandia, 5.9.08 – Hours: 9:30-13:00

Women trying to get into Qalandia Checkpoint - first Friday in Ramadan - 5 Sept 08

“JERUSALEM IS CLOSED ON THE POLITICAL ASPECT AND OPEN ON THE RELIGIOUS ONE. WE DON’T INTEND ON BUILDING A BERLIN WALL IN THE HEART OF JERUSALEM, AND WE DON’T INTEND ON DENYING THE FREEDOM OF PRAYER… ” From an interview with Shimon Peres on July 1994.

“The orders concerning the passage were strictly kept:
Only women over 45 years all and men over 50 that aren’t refused passage by the GSS were permitted to pass for the prayers.

“As the media had published and as Ruti reported, military forces were at every junction around the ancient city.

“By the checkpoint were police forces, BP [Border Police] and soldiers from the special patrol unit (YASAM) and vehicles weren’t allowed to come near the checkpoint.
At Qalandia checkpoint there were two separate lanes: women were on the eastern side and men at the usual cage-like corridors. There were many police men who spoke Arabic and guided the passers.
It was evident all around the place that there were more women then men.
The first screening of those permitted passage was preformed at the northern square and the parking lot was used as a sterile zone.

“11:00 – The soldiers moved back and stood behind the police checkpoint, by the new walls that separate the parking lot. Snipers were at their positions with their rifles aimed ready to fire. There was a notification that no one would pass any more. In spite of that they still allowed some people with blue IDs who fit the age barrier to pass to Jerusalem.
On the other side of the fences were a couple of hundred people who weren’t permitted to pass. The soldiers got ready for the ‘riots’ to begin, smoke and stun grenades were handed out as well as rubber bullets and tear gas. It was apparent that the soldiers were more then happy to start their fire.

Israeli forces ready to fire - Qalandia on the first Friday in Ramadan - 5 Sept 08

“11:15 – The passage was closed.

– A surgeon from Nablus who was in his fifties asked an officer to allow him to get to the prayer, he received a rude replay: ‘No one is allowed to pass now, wait patiently two or three hours, don’t you have any patience at all?’ – the doctor was patient, he had been so for over forty one years. He kept standing their under the blazing sun hoping that the gates of prayer might just open.

– Someone who worked at Hevree Kadish and had papers to prove it said that he had to go to a funeral at the cemetery at Givat Shaul. The answer he got was: ‘No one dies today and there are no funerals!…’

– A group of women were waving their green IDs and got one of the officers extremely mad, he spotted one of them and screamed at her: ‘Shut up!’

– A BP officer was tiered of telling people that they can’t pass so he started cursing, and while he was pointing at his own head he asked: ‘What the hell do you have in their instead of brains?’

“12:00 – Stones were beginning to be thrown towards the soldiers, who for starters began by throwing stun grenades and after that kept throwing and firing what ever was in their reach. Smoke rose above the checkpoint.
One of the soldiers made his hands into fists and like a child he demanded that he get what he wanted, he was yelling to his mates: ‘Give me the grenades, give me the grenades…’ – so they gave them to him. He threw them and relaxed. It was as Celine wrote in Journey to the End of the Night, that is the nature of all soldiers, when they aren’t busy killing they behave like children…
The dense smell of tear gas filled the air and burned the throat and eyes. A Palestinian got hit in his head and was taken to an ambulance that was waiting by the wall, he got treatment.
A fifteen year old boy got wounded in his neck and his shirt was scorched, he too was treated by the medical crew from Ramallah.

Palestinian injured by tear gas grenade gets medical treatment at Qalandia

“A young frustrated man who had just been released from the Israeli prison after 13 years, got his anger out on us, he yelled that he was once a great believer in co-existence and in ending the conflict peacefully but now doesn’t believe these slogans and he doesn’t see how there could be any other option for him but to become a Shahid. Finally he pointed at me and side: ‘Anyway, you are from the GSS’.

“On the way back we heard on the 14:00 new flash that ‘military forces in Qalandia had scattered a demonstration of 300 Palestinians, no one was injured’.

“When the IDF spokesman reports that no one was injured, is it to say that none of his men were injured? Don’t they count the injured Palestinians as well?”

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Report compiled by Tamar Fleishman of Machsom Watch – Photos by Tamar Fleishman

Festival of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank – Jenin

You could get the impression, from some of the statements made by the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Defense Forces, that Israel’s checkpoints in the West Bank are monitored by attractive and polite young people in crisp uniforms and maybe even wearing white gloves, holding baskets of hard candies (it is too hot for chocolates), and aiming to please their Palestinian “customers” with their impeccable polite, friendly and efficient customer-oriented service.

So, we took our cameras out into the West Bank to investigate this story, and see the actual situation on the ground.

Here are Rajai’s photos of the Jenin Checkpoint:

Jenin checkpoint - Photo by Raja'i Mukahal

Jenin Checkpoint - Raja'i Mukahal

The Wall — and my neighbors being immured

The Associated Press has just posted this photo of the present situation in my neighborhood:

The Wall in Dahiet al-Bariid - AP Photo by Muhammed Muheisen

This photo is interesting for several reasons:
(1) the main intrigue is that the woman is rather exposed. My next door neighbor puts on her scarf and robe to hang out her laundry. It is rare to see this state of undress, no matter how hot the weather, and no matter how messy the chore…

(2) the photo shows some of the razor barbed wire that is being placed on the top of The Wall in our area — I have not seen it anywhere else — apparently in preparation for the onslaught of hoards of barbarians once the last two giant slabs are put in place to immure my neighbors. There is, in fact, a double row of razor barbed-wire.

(3) the photo is taken from the West Bank side (the razor barbed wire is only on the Jerusalem side of The Wall in our area.

(4) the photo shows that this house has all new glass windows — evidence of the construction boom on the Jerusalem side in our area, where ruthless market forces are at work. (Everybody here is building, thinking they will cash in soon on their new status, with great demand for housing in Jerusalem from both Palestinians and righteous internationals. On the West Bank side, by contrast, the market forces have caused the value of property to plummet, and many dwellings are simply being abandoned.

(5) But, this building boom is all being done in a political and legal vacuum — because the Israelis say they have no responsibility, this is area B and area C. The building permits are being issued by Ar-Ram municipality — which is notoriously sensitive to, um, there is no good way to say this, financial incentives. Yet, once the two giant slabs are in place, Ar-Ram will not have any further control of the area on the Jerusalem side of The Wall. As the Israelis are fully aware of this, yet say they can do nothing, one has to ask what their considerations are? What will they do, exactly, when The Wall is finally closed (according to rumor, in the next two weeks)? Will they demolish a few buildings? Or….what???

Here is a photo, taken by myself in June, of a skyscraper being built on a lot that was previously (until very recently) zoned as a “green area” — not permitted for building — just a few meters from my windows.

The lot was rezoned quite recently. The construction is proceeding apace — despite the fact that a twin tower built beside it has been deemed (by Ar-Ram municipality) to be illegal, and its nine stories should be reduced to four. Of course, this has not happened, because Ar-Ram will soon have no authority here. Everybody knows what is happening, and nobody is doing anything.

These new buildings are a great hazard to the area, and to their possible future inhabitants. There is no access, except through a very narrow street running perpendicular to The Wall. All the neighbors protested a few months ago, but they have all dropped out now. There are clearly powerful financial interests behind this construction, and the people said they were afraid. They have also reportedly been offered major incentives. One house next to the narrow access road will give a few feet from its garden, in exchange for the construction of a second story (for family expansion, or for renting), for example …
Another photo of big machine lifting concrete blocks - 25 June 08

Israeli revised plan for rebuilding Mughrabi Gate ramp may be approved soon

Green door of Mughrabi Gate to Haram as-Sharif - 12 June 2008

“Tensions may be heating up again about Israeli reconstruction plans for a damaged ramp leading from the Western Wall Plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem, where Jewish worshippers pray at Judaism’s most sacred and revered site, up to the Mughrabi Gate entrance to the Haram as-Sharif mosque esplanade, the third holiest site of Islam. A revised Israeli design to rebuild the ramp is expected to receive Israeli government approval imminently…”

Ramp under repair leading from Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem up to Mughrabi Gate entrance to Haram as-Sharif - 12 June 2008

Read the full post here .

Journalists at work – covering the Olmert-Mubarak summit in Sharm as-Sheikh

Here are glimpses of the press at work — covering the summit meeting today in Sharm as-Sheikh between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Husni Mubarak:

Amira Oron of Israeli Foreign Ministry - photo by Marian Houk

Amira Oron being interviewed for tv - photo by Marian Houk

Mark Regev photo by Marian Houk

Ahmad Fayed photo by Marian Houk

Live shot - Egyptian TV - photo by Marian Houk

Gazan students – cont'd – Hit the Reset Button

Nothing better than the full text…

Here is an extended excerpt from Monday’s U.S. State Department briefing, with an extended exchange between the spokesman and several journalists, on what happened, exactly, concerning the Gazan students and their possible Fulbright scholarship study in the coming academic year:

“QUESTION: Just on the Fulbright matter.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yes.

QUESTION: What did the Israeli – two questions, which I raised this morning. One, what did the Israeli Government say to you about what they intend to do regarding these seven people? And then secondly – well, let me just ask that and then we can —

MR. MCCORMACK: Okay. A two-step process. We’re working now to get the exit visas, or exit permits, visas, whatever you want – however we – you want to refer to them as, to go to Jerusalem for their interview so they can be interviewed for a visa so that, you know, should they have a successful visa
interview – and by law, I can’t prejudge an outcome of a visa interview — then they would be able to come to the United States to pursue their program. So we’re working through that with the Israeli Government right now. One additional fact you guys asked me this morning, when was the first time
for these seven cases that we approached the Israeli Government, the answer to that is Friday – this past Friday. Now – so clearly, on our part, there was a decision-making process on this particular issue that is not what we would have hoped it would have been. The Secretary heard about these cases, immediately and acted to have people reconsider the decision-making process here. We then went to the Israeli Government and said we want to work with you on these seven cases – very important to us. All that said, it’s not the – not to say that in the past we haven’t had some issues working with the Israeli Government on these kind of educational exchange visas. There have been some issues in the past. We want to move beyond those. I think we can look at this particular set of cases as a fresh start.

QUESTION: You’re saying that the first time that anyone – the Israelis came and —

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah.

QUESTION: The Israelis said that these students couldn’t get exit visas.

MR. MCCORMACK: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: And you’re saying that the State Department just took that at face value and never approached the Israelis to ask, until after the Secretary found out about this?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, like I said, Matt, you – look –

QUESTION: I just want to make sure.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, let me put it – restate it the way that I have put it. And that is: Was there a faulty decision-making process internal to the State Department in this particular case? Yes, there was. The Secretary saw it when it got to her level. She said fix it. We hope that it has been fixed and that we are working with the Israelis to get these exit permits so they – these individuals, again, can have a visa interview. That’s part of the process. And I can’t prejudge the outcome of a visa interview. And if they’re successful, these individuals would be able to pursue their Fulbright program here in the
United States as originally envisioned.

QUESTION: Well, when did it first become clear that there was a problem with these applicants?

MR. MCCORMACK: It – what do you mean?

QUESTION: When did the State Department become aware there was a problem with them getting the – getting exit visas?

MR. MCCORMACK: I don’t know, Matt. I haven’t gone through – frankly, I haven’t gone through and done all the tick-tock on this, and I’m not going to get into the full explication of this entire thing with you, other than to say that: Was there a faulty decision-making process here? Yeah, there was.

QUESTION: Well, I mean, it seems like several days at least went by and no one —

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, you know, that — you know, frankly, that’s – you know, it’s – if we have a good outcome here, which we all hope, have these people studying here under the Fulbright program — we believe they’re qualified to do so — again, pending the visa matter, that that will have been a good
outcome and that everybody will have learned a lesson here in terms of internally.

QUESTION: Who made – I mean, you know, that’s a very passive —

MR. MCCORMACK: I’m not going —

QUESTION: No, no, but it’s a very passive construction: There was a faulty decision-making process here. I mean, what happened? Did the consulate not – did it not occur to them that maybe if we’re going to try to – if the U.S. Government is going to try to give fellowships to people, it should try to
help them get to this country. I mean – or is it —

MR. MCCORMACK: No, I’m not going to – you know, I’m not going to do the ‘who shot John?’ here. You know, people in the State Department are trying to do their jobs. Do we, every single time we make, you know – do we have a good decision-making process? No, we don’t. But a real test of management is, if there is in fact a bad process and a bad outcome, do you go back and fix it? And that’s what we’ve done, we hope, in this —

QUESTION: Well, there’s one thing I don’t understand, which is the Times ran the story on Friday.

MR. MCCORMACK: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: The Times is, I think, generally rigorous about contacting people to comment on stories. Did they not approach you, presumably Thursday, and say, hey, we’re going to run this story? These guys have gotten their notes, you know —

MR. MCCORMACK: Arshad, I would no sooner comment on my interactions with a news organization than I would —

QUESTION: No, but it just makes me wonder why you didn’t try to fix this on Thursday. I mean, that would seem like a rational thing and I mean you could have saved yourself a lot of grief.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, Matt – (laughter) – Matt? (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I am honored. (Laughter.)

MR. MCCORMACK: What happened, Arshad, is that I associated — I heard the word ‘grief’ and I immediately defaulted to Matt. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I think it’s the resemblance. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Why didn’t you – why not do something on Thursday? I mean, it’s a reasonable question.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, it is a reasonable question, Arshad. And all I can say is that we – on Friday we worked immediately to try to fix it.

QUESTION: Well, surely, you must be a little bit disappointed, though, that it did come to this, that it happened –

MR. MCCORMACK: Sure.

QUESTION: That it’s clearly become a –

MR. MCCORMACK: Surely, sure. So I was disappointed, as I’ve already said, and I will answer questions about this sort of thing. Absolutely. But the fact of the matter is, we got back and we’re working to fix it.

QUESTION: When do you expect these people to have their – sorry – their —

MR. MCCORMACK: Don’t have a – don’t have a date for you. We’re working diligently, I guess, is the best way to put it, to try to get them from Gaza so they can have the visa interview and then, if successful –

QUESTION: And they will not be —

QUESTION: So they’ll go back to Gaza after the interview and then they’ll need another visa to get out to potentially fly to the States?

MR. MCCORMACK: I don’t know the exact mechanics here. But basically, we’ll want to make sure that everybody who has a chance for the interview and then, if successful, move on to the —

QUESTION: I think Arshad asked this, but did — and the Israelis have told you all that they will give them the —

MR. MCCORMACK: We’re working with them.

QUESTION: So not yet?

MR. MCCORMACK: We’re continuing to work on it.

QUESTION: So, you don’t — you didn’t get any assurance from the Israelis they will have the right to leave the Israeli —

MR. MCCORMACK: They know this is an important issue for us and I’m sure that they will give due consideration.

QUESTION: But presumably they can’t promise they’ll get an exit permit any more than you guys will promise that they’re going to get a visa to the United States, right?

MR. MCCORMACK: Again, I’m not going to try to speak on their behalf, but I think they know this is an important issue for us.

QUESTION: Well, you’ve – the story of the Fulbrights themselves, yes? I mean —

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, meaning here as Fulbright scholars.

QUESTION: That’s –

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, again, presuming everything works out the way we hope it does.

QUESTION: Sean, why was it characterized at first as hoping the Israelis would reverse the decision there? Did you guys not have enough information at that point? I know Friday at the podium it was, we hope the Israelis will fall off a log to do this and reverse the decision-making. So I’m assuming that there were —

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, you know, look, this – none of this is to say we haven’t had some issues in the past. I’m here to tell you today we have – we had some of our own internal decision-making issues. But — and let’s just hope that this hits the reset button on this particular kind of issue where we can work well on both sides, the Israeli and the American side, on these issues.

QUESTION: Sean, can I – can you give me just one more, because it’s kind of a process issue, but I think it’s a significant process issue. I mean, it’s my understanding, Sylvie mentioned on Friday morning that a Fulbrighter, a Palestinian Fulbrighter, had difficulty with the same issue last year. I don’t know about that specifically, but I have been told that there have been similar problems in the past with Palestinian Fulbrighters to get – to be able to leave, you know, to get permission from the Israelis to be able to leave to take up their fellowships in the United States.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yes, and —

QUESTION: And I’ve been – it’s my understanding of the Israeli process that they, at least post the Hamas takeover of Gaza, they don’t approve any of these things unless they’re specially asked. Now, maybe I misunderstood that, but that’s how I’ve – it’s been explained to me.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah.

QUESTION: And so the question is, and it’s an American process question – given that you’ve had a problem with these in the past, are you going to try to set up some kind of a new system or protocol for this so that, you know, it doesn’t just languish and that actually you make formal requests each time you decide to award somebody a Fulbright in Gaza so that they can actually go? Are you changing the process –

MR. MCCORMACK: Right.

QUESTION: — you know, or is it going to be a sort Ethan Bronner writes a story and then we do it process? (Laughter.)

MR. MCCORMACK: You know, I don’t know if there is going to be a change in the process. But I think as long as this current Secretary is Secretary of State, I think the – everybody, you know, who had put their hands on this particular issue understands the importance of these kinds of educational exchanges for the Secretary and how she views them as important in our public diplomacy and foreign policy.

QUESTION: So do they have to go through the Consulate in Jerusalem for the interview or are they – if they’ve somehow managed to find their way to Cairo or something in –

MR. MCCORMACK: You know, Matt, I think the tradition has been for them to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know in theory whether or not it is possible for them to go elsewhere. I believe that they’re going to go to Jerusalem.

QUESTION: The Palestinian groups say that there are hundreds of these, something like 600 Palestinians who want to study abroad, also in Britain and Germany —

MR. MCCORMACK: Right.

QUESTION: — and are not allowed out. What is – you know, what does this incident say about the broader Israeli policy of not letting people leave

Gaza?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, look, they – you know, since the Hamas has taken over Gaza in a coup, the Israelis have absolutely legitimate security issues with respect to the movement of goods and people across those borders with Gaza. Nobody is second-guessing that. And I can’t speak for any other people who may desire to participate in educational exchanges and other countries who desire Gazans to participate in those exchanges. They will have to speak for their own cases. I can only speak –

QUESTION: (Off-mike)

MR. MCCORMACK: — It’s very difficult.

QUESTION: At least suggest that, you know, maybe the restrictions are a little bit too blanket? You know, you’re saying – you’re supporting that at least these Fulbrights should be let out. Well, what about the ones who want to study in Britain, for example?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, I’ll let the UK Foreign Office spokesman speak to that issue. Not for me to do so”.

Daily Press Briefing # 97 – Released on June 2, 2008

Israel Deputy Defense Minister: Israel trying to avoid humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The Jerusalem Post has reported that in today’s meeting of Israel’s Security Cabinet — at which Defense Minister Ehud Barak was not present, to the great annoyance of Prime Minister Ehud Barak, thus apparently preventing the taking of any decisions — “Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna’i reported that Israel was transferring fuel to the Gaza Strip but that the Palestinians were not picking it up at the Nahal Oz fuel terminal. ‘Israel is transferring goods to the Gaza Strip to avoid a humanitarian crisis there’, he said”.
here .

IDF says it will conduct "field investigation" into Gaza killing of Reuters cameraman

The IDF has announced it will conduct a “field investigation” into the killing by an IDF tank shell filled with “flechettes” of a Reuters cameraman working in Gaza on 9 April.

Actually, what the announcement says is that it will “look into the claims regarding the circumstances“.

Here’s the full text:
Following the fighting in the Gaza Strip on April 16th, 2008, the IDF is conducting a field investigation to look into the claims regarding the circumstances of the death of a Reuters cameraman. The IDF similarly investigates every claim regarding uninvolved civilians hurt in fighting areas. In accordance with IDF policy, the field investigation will be reviewed by the Military Advocate General. The IDF wishes to emphasize that unlike terrorist organizations, not only does not it deliberately target uninvolved civilians, it also uses means to avoid such incidents. Reports claiming the opposite are false and misleading“.

UPDATE: AP reported on 21 April that “The announcement comes after New York-based group Human Rights Watch said its own investigation found evidence that the tank crew fired either recklessly or deliberately. ‘Israeli soldiers did not make sure they were aiming at a military target before firing, and there is evidence suggesting they actually targeted the journalists’, said Joe Stork, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch … Cameraman Fadel Shana, 23, was killed in Gaza on Wednesday, the bloodiest day of fighting between Israeli troops and Gaza militants in a month. J ust before his death, Shana was filming an Israeli tank in the distance, and his final footage shows the tank firing a shell in his direction. Palestinian medics said two teens wounded in Wednesday’s shelling died of their wounds Sunday, bring the total number of Palestinians killed in the shelling to six. In all, 23 Palestinians were killed that day”. The full AP report can be read here .

No indication on deal to re-open Rafah crossing

With all these intensive talks in recent days, there is still no indication of any deal near on the important issue of reopening the Gaza-Egyptian border at Rafah.

No question has been asked in any of the press conferences given over the past few days by any of the principals involved.

There are only two hints that something may be up:

1) reports that David Welch is being sent back to Cairo. Haaretz reported that “Abbas said Wednesday that Rice told him she would send an envoy to Egypt, which often mediates between Israel and Hamas. [Rice briefly visited Egypt for talks on Tuesday morning, and Welch was in her entourage, before she arrived in Israel and headed straight to Ramallah] ‘There are real efforts being exerted by Egypt for the truce’, Abbas said”.

2) the statement issued this moring by Israel’s Security Cabinet saying they would work “To reduce the strengthening of Hamas, including in coordination with – and by – Egypt“.

Reuters has reported that “Israeli and European officials said one proposal under consideration would seek to open the Rafah border crossing to cargo, expanding on its former role for travellers only. Israeli defence officials said that could be acceptable to the Jewish state as a way of limiting its responsibility for supplying Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. But Egypt opposes any attempt by Israel to shift the burden, Western diplomats said … Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, told reporters in Jerusalem his bloc’s border monitors were ready to return to Rafah after a nearly nine-month absence provided any agreement includes Egypt … Solana declined to say whether Rafah’s role could be expanded beyond passengers. ‘We are working on that, and working on that with intensity’, he told reporters … Abbas’s foreign minister said last week that having Palestinian Authority personnel at Rafah would give Abbas’s administration a ‘foothold’ again in Gaza … Israeli officials said the government would be willing to see Rafah open to both goods and people because it would further Israel’s goal of disconnecting from Gaza. Palestinians also have concerns, however, that linking Gaza closer to Egypt could hamper efforts to found a state in both Gaza and the West Bank … Israel has resisted international pressure to reopen the main Karni commercial crossing between Israel and Gaza, citing security concerns. Israeli officials said opening Rafah to passengers and goods could reduce the pressure to open Karni. To ensure Rafah would function more regularly, Washington supports stationing EU monitors both in Israel and in Egypt, Western diplomats said. The unarmed monitors, who withdrew from Rafah after Hamas’s takeover, have been based in Israel”. This Reuters report is posted here .

Winograd Report gingerly nibbles at Israel's cluster bomb use in Lebanon

Haaretz reported that the Winograd Report (the full report was published only in Hebrew) recommended that “Israel must consider whether it wants to consider using cluster bombs in the future, because its current manner of employing them does not conform to international law. The Winograd Committee made this recommendation in the chapter of its report dealing with Israel’s conduct in the Second Lebanon War as it relates to international law … The committee ruled that Israel generally complied with war directives laws, which are part of international law, both with regard to the justification for initiating the war and with regard to combat operations themselves. [But] The committee decided not to examine in depth individual complaints about violations of international law committed by Israel in the course of the war, which included claims about the selection of illegitimate targets, the use of cluster bombs, the disproportionate harming of civilians and infrastructure in Lebanon and the use of civilians as ‘human shields’. Instead, the committee made do with general conclusions, in part because, ‘We did not find it appropriate to deal with issues that are part of a political and propaganda war against the state’ … In a special appendix dedicated to the use of cluster bombs, the committee determined that, ‘The cluster bomb is inaccurate, it consists of bomblets that are dispersed over a large area, and some of the bomblets do not explode [on impact] and can cause damage for a long period afterward’. The committee thus recommended that non-military elements be involved in assessing their future use in light of international law”… This Haaretz article can be read in full here.

In December 2006, a few months after the end of what Israel has decided to call “The Second Lebanon War”, Meron Rappaport reported in Haaretz that an IDF commander said Israel fired more than a million cluster bombs in Lebanon:
” ‘What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs’, the head of an IDF rocket unit in Lebanon said regarding the use of cluster bombs and phosphorous shells during the war. Quoting his battalion commander, the rocket unit head stated that the IDF fired around 1,800 cluster bombs, containing over 1.2 million cluster bomblets. In addition, soldiers in IDF artillery units testified that the army used phosphorous shells during the war, widely forbidden by international law. [n.b., the Israeli government spokesman latermargued that the way these weapons was used was legal…] According to their claims, the vast majority of said explosive ordinance was fired in the final 10 days of the war. The rocket unit commander stated that Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platforms were heavily used in spite of the fact that they were known to be highly inaccurate. MLRS is a track or tire carried mobile rocket launching platform, capable of firing a very high volume of mostly unguided munitions. The basic rocket fired by the platform is unguided and imprecise, with a range of about 32 kilometers. The rockets are designed to burst into sub-munitions at a planned altitude in order to blanket enemy army and personnel on the ground with smaller explosive rounds. The use of such weaponry is controversial mainly due to its inaccuracy and ability to wreak great havoc against indeterminate targets over large areas of territory, with a margin of error of as much as 1,200 meters from the intended target to the area hit. The cluster rounds which don’t detonate on impact, believed by the United Nations to be around 40% of those fired by the IDF in Lebanon, remain on the ground as unexploded munitions, effectively littering the landscape with thousands of land mines which will continue to claim victims long after the war has ended.
Because of their high level of failure to detonate, it is believed that there are around 500,000 unexploded munitions on the ground in Lebanon. To date 12 Lebanese civilians have been killed by these mines since the end of the war. According to the commander, in order to compensate for the inaccuracy of the rockets and the inability to strike individual targets precisely, units would ‘flood’ the battlefield with munitions, accounting for the littered and explosive landscape of post-war Lebanon. When his reserve duty came to a close, the commander in question sent a letter to Defense Minister Amir Peretz outlining the use of cluster munitions, a letter which has remained unanswered … The Defense Minister’s office said it had not received messages regarding cluster bomb fire … It has come to light that IDF soldiers fired phosphorous rounds in order to cause fires in Lebanon. An artillery commander has admitted to seeing trucks loaded with phosphorous rounds on their way to artillery crews in the north of Israel. A direct hit from a phosphorous shell typically causes severe burns and a slow, painful death. International law forbids the use of weapons that cause ‘excessive injury and unnecessary suffering’, and many experts are of the opinion that phosphorous rounds fall directly in that category. The International Red Cross has determined that international law forbids the use of phosphorous and other types of flammable rounds against personnel, both civilian and military. In response, the IDF Spokesman’s Office stated that ‘International law does not include a sweeping prohibition of the use of cluster bombs. The convention on conventional weaponry does not declare a prohibition on [phosphorous weapons], rather, on principles regulating the use of such weapons. For understandable operational reasons, the IDF does not respond to [accounts of] details of weaponry in its possession. The IDF makes use only of methods and weaponry which are permissible under international law. Artillery fire in general, including MLRS fire, were used in response solely to firing on the state of Israel’.” here.