I know I’m late to this story, but after reading the many posts about the building collapse in Qana, I decided to research the town of Qana a little more. Lo and behold, I came across a story that might as well have been written this past week to describe the events of the Israeli attack and alleged civilians deaths as a result.

It was a massacre. Not since Sabra and Chatila had I seen the innocent slaughtered like this. The Lebanese refugee women and children and men lay in heaps, their hands or arms or legs missing, beheaded or disembowelled. There were well over a hundred of them. A baby lay without a head. The Israeli shells had scythed through them as they lay in the United Nations shelter, believing that they were safe under the world’s protection.
…
Israel’s slaughter of civilians in this terrible 10-day offensive - 206 by last night - has been so cavalier, so ferocious, that not a Lebanese will forgive this massacre.

But this wasn’t a story describing this week’s events. This story was from April 19, 1996. It was about Israel’s Operation Grapes of Wrath.

So I did some more digging and came across a site that documented, with video and photos, the 1996 event. (Warning: graphic photos and video)

And the first thing I noticed was the difference in the appearance of victims then and now. It makes me wonder if the photos we’re seeing in the current coverage of the Qana event are staged.

Let’s not forget that “Osama bin Laden has repeatedly and publicly cited the deaths of civilians at Qana in justification of his policy towards the United States of America.”

- In his August 23, 1996 declaration of jihad against the United States:

“Your blood has been spilt in Palestine and Iraq, and the horrific image of the massacre in Qana in Lebanon are still fresh in people’s minds.”

- and in his interview with CNN’s Peter Arnett:

“We declared jihad against the US government, because the US government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical. It has committed acts that are extremely unjust, hideous and criminal whether directly or through its support of the Israeli occupation of the Prophet’s Night Travel Land (Palestine). And we believe the US is directly responsible for those who were killed in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. The mention of the US reminds us before everything else of those innocent children who were dismembered, their heads and arms cut off in the recent explosion that took place in Qana (in Lebanon).”

I see four possible alternatives to the situation:

1. Israel really is barbaric and repeatedly targets civilian populations;
2. Hezbollah terrorists once again hid among civilians, making Israel’s self-defense incredibly more difficult to avoid collateral damage;
3. Both stories were manufactured by terrorist propaganda;
4. The 1996 incident was an accident (fueled by terrorists launching attacks from among civilian populations) and the outrage was so great, the terror-loving world decided to re-enact it during the current conflict.

Given bin Laden’s focus on the 1996 event as justification for carrying out more terror operations and seeing the apparent discrepancies in the current story, I’m leaning towards #4. It’s not like staging “massacres” is anything new.

UPDATE: This post was featured on Michelle Malkin’s Hot Air. Welcome Hot Air readers, be sure to bookmark and come back often.

1. […] Jason Smith reviews Qana 1996 and notes that Osama bin Laden has invoked it before in his jihadi rallying calls. Here’s one. […]

   Pingback by Hot Air » Blog Archive » Qana and Osama — 8:55 am
   

2. What’s That Smell?-II

   TexasRainmaker adds to the Qana discussion with interesting history of that town.

   Trackback by The Faren Report — 9:26 am
   

3. Hezbollywood!

   Trackback by Conservative Blog Therapy — 10:49 am
   

4. http://www.kafirnation.com/handout/
   Management_of_Savagery.pdf

   Learn about vexation and exhaustion operation .
   Very intersting book about Islamic imperial jihad methods
   keep up the good work
   http://www.kafirnation.com/handout/
   Management_of_Savagery.pdf

   Comment by kaosktrl — 10:06 pm
   

5. […] Dingellbats Peck hearts Hezbollah Qana and Osama * Qana ‘96 UNIFIL Photos of Qana ‘96 […]

   Pingback by Hot Air » Blog Archive » Hezbollah and Qana — 8:46 am
   

6. […] For what it’s worth, the photographer, Hajj, was present in the questionable Qana event as well. 3 Comments » […]

   Pingback by Texas Rainmaker » al-Reuters Goes “CBS” on Beirut — 9:24 pm
   

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