Lebanon: Condemnation mounts after Israel’s shooting of unarmed demonstrators

BEIRUT, (The Daily Star): Recriminations continued to fly Monday over Israel’s shooting dead of 11 Palestinian protesters, as the United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon launched an investigation into the bloodiest incident on the Blue Line since 2006.

As a period of mourning was declared in Lebanon’s 12 official refugee camps and dozens of wounded protesters continued hospital treatment, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah paid tribute to those killed along Israel’s borders in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.

“We must bow before the courage, the valor, of those who protested yesterday at Lebanon and Syria’s borders with occupied Palestine, who faced the tyranny of the enemy with bare chests and their heads held high,” Nasrallah said in a statement.

“You have proven to both friend and foe [alike] that commitment to your rights is non-negotiable, won’t be forgotten and won’t be wasted, and that your return to your homes, your land and holy places are your right and goal,” he added.

President Michel Sleiman conducted intensive meetings with political and security officials, including Army Commander General Jean Kahwagi, who briefed the president on his force’s activities Sunday.

Sleiman also met with United States Ambassador Maura Connelly and asked the envoy to ensure her country, as a patron to the peace process, to hold Israel accountable for its actions and prevent future Israeli violations of international law and human rights conventions.

Israel, for its part, filed a complaint against Lebanon and Syria with the U.N. Security Council, following Lebanon’s complaint against its belligerence Sunday.

The Lebanese Army and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) conducted extensive border patrols Monday as calm returned to the south.

UNIFIL deputy spokesperson Andrea Tenenti confirmed that his force had begun an investigation into Sunday’s incident, which wounded more than 100 protesters who were marking the 63rd anniversary of Palestinian displacement from their homeland.

“At the moment, we have started an investigation to ascertain the facts. Most of the issues, we can only talk about things after the investigation was over. It was a tragic incident,” Tenenti told The Daily Star.

“The Lebanese Army was in charge of the situation and responsible for law and order in the area, as they always are. UNIFIL worked with them and we were in regular contact with them throughout the day.”

Tenenti said that while the Lebanese Army had asked for UNIFIL to conduct both aerial surveillance of the Blue Line during the protest and meditate with Israeli military command, the force received no request to deploy on the ground close to Maroun al-Rass before the killings occurred.

“Late morning, the [Lebanese Army] requested assistance with aerial observation along the Blue Line and we did. We were in contact with the parties, urging them to use maximum restraint to prevent casualties and at the same time carrying out our regular activities,” he said.

“We did our most there. We were assisting the Lebanese Army at their request. There was no request for deployment of UNIFIL troops.”

Tenenti added that the findings of UNIFIL’s investigation into the incident “will study violations of the Blue Line and the result will be, in a way, to whoever involved, advice to how the situation could have been avoided.”

The media department of the Lebanese Forces called on the government to “prevent any party from tampering with southern security.” In a thinly veiled critique of March 8 parties, a statement said the killings “implicates the party that is manipulating the emotions of these enthusiastic youth to serve their own private interest.

“This responsibility is on a par with the criminal responsibility that Israel should bear,” it said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said the shootings represented “a new start in the Arab-Israeli conflict, which will force Israel sooner or later to acknowledge legitimate international Palestinian rights.”

Marada Movement head Sleiman Franjieh, for his part, said Israel’s killing of unarmed protesters was “symptomatic of the enemy’s savagery and its continued violation of human rights.”