The Middle East Continues...

[Barnabas]

Serbia was bombed for fighting the Kosovo Liberation Army, which was classified as a terrorist organization.
During the fight against KLA most ethnic albanians fled kosovo, in the samwçe way most people in south lebanon have escaped.
That was called ethnic cleansing by otan, and because of that they bombed Serbia.

[Barnabas]

By otan I mean nato, sorry-

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
Why are albanian refugees leaving kosovo different than lebanese refugees leaving south lebanon.

Because accoring to the bombers, the reason the refugees fled was because of ethnic cleansing and not aerial bombing.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
By otan I mean nato, sorry-

You are aware there is an edit button, aren't you?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
Serbia was bombed for fighting the Kosovo Liberation Army, which was classified as a terrorist organization.
During the fight against KLA most ethnic albanians fled kosovo, in the samwçe way most people in south lebanon have escaped.
That was called ethnic cleansing by otan, and because of that they bombed Serbia.

Yes, so what?

[Barnabas]

So why was Serbia bombed?
Where did they act wrong?

[GePap]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
So why was Serbia bombed?
Where did they act wrong?

Because in trying to crush the KLA they also moved to ethnically cleanse Kosovo of its Albanians.

Last time I checked, Ethnic cleasing is a war crime.

That seems a pretty simple, straightforward explination of what they did wrong.

See, sometimes a government can act criminally in trying to fight rebels, even ones labelled as terrorist. In fact, labelling you enemy a terrorist (even if the label is accurate) NEVER gives a government the justification for mass murder or ethnic cleasing, or any other type of war crime or crime against humanity.

[Barnabas]

It was collateral damage

[CrONoS]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Originally posted by cronos_qc
Do you want to see Israel on world television fighting a guerilla army who are looking like civillian? Dressing like civillian, hiding in the civillian, and the civillian helping the Hezb.

Actually, Hezbollah has a military uniform.

Yep, but they will fight a guerilla war... if not; they will lost!

[GePap]

Originally posted by Brachy-Pride
It was collateral damage

Wrong. On both factual and moral levels.

1. Ethnic cleasing is NEVER "collateral damage." It is calculated policy.

2. Collateral damage is a euphamism created to try to explain away death and suffering. Its is like all euphamism a weak perfume to cover up a stench. Mass civilian suffering and death is unacceptable and morally reprehensible any time any actor can take steps to limit damage.

Everyone is reponsible for their actions. If you kill 20 people by accident, you still killed 20 people, you bear responsibility because no one forced you to take the action that killed those 20.

Hizbullah is responsible for every Israeli civilian killed in this conflict by one of their rockets. Israel is responsible for every Lebanese civilian killed in this conflict by one of its bombs. If Hizbullah actually used them as "human shields" then Hizbullah and Israel share responsibility for that person's death.

Moral calculus is not difficult. Its is rather simple and obvious. Its sad most people are unwilling to follow the simple arithmatic and act based on it.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by GePap
Because in trying to crush the KLA they also moved to ethnically cleanse Kosovo of its Albanians.

Not a lot of evidence that the regular army and police engaged in such conduct. It was irregulars who did such. Granted, Yugoslavia had a legal responsibility to protect the Kosovar Albanians from the irregulars, but it's not the same thing as saying Seriba did it.

[GePap]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara

Originally posted by GePap
Because in trying to crush the KLA they also moved to ethnically cleanse Kosovo of its Albanians.

Not a lot of evidence that the regular army and police engaged in such conduct. It was irregulars who did such. Granted, Yugoslavia had a legal responsibility to protect the Kosovar Albanians from the irregulars, but it's not the same thing as saying Seriba did it.

I doubt the Serb irregulars were totally independent of the security forces.

That is irrelevant to the morally tragic arguement Branchy is trying to make.

Jesus, I might be a moral relativist, but at least I am not a moral apologist for human misery.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by GePap
Yes. It serves the interests of the 1.4 million Shiites who live in Southern Lebanon.

And how are their (the 1.4 million Lebanese Shiites) interests served by unprovoked aggression against a neighbor?

[PuddlewatchHQ]

The Serbian government and military did commit war crimes.

That's why Slobodan Milosevic was standing trail in The Hague. The Serbian governement was directly involved in the fighting and the war crimes.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by atawa


I doubt many hamas members have access to jewish temples

For the past few decades any non imprisoned Hamas members have enjoyed total access to the only jewish temple site of any true significance at all while for whatever reason non muslim Israelis have not been extended that same freedom.