PIG'S FLY

Amnesty Accuses Hezbollah of War Crimes, Finally (NYSun)
"Hezbollah militants broke international law by firing thousands of rockets into Israel and killing dozens of civilians during the recent conflict with Israel, Amnesty International charged Thursday," the AP reports.

The human rights group called for a United Nations inquiry into what it called war crimes by Israel and Hezbollah, but its report focused on the actions of the Lebanese militants during the 34-day conflict. Hezbollah launched nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel in July and August, killing at least 39 civilians.

The firing of rockets into urban areas in northern Israel disregarded international laws that call for distinguishing between civilian and military targets, Amnesty said. "Targeting civilians is a war crime. There's no gray area," said Larry Cox, Amnesty's executive director in the United States.

Quite.

Except, as the AP reports, the Amnesty report comes after it "accused Israel of violating international law with indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon." So the group first criticized Israel for defending itself from terrorist attacks on civilians -- which was no question a "war crime" -- and only then criticized the terrorist group.

SEE ALSO: Hezbollah Lawmaker Says Group Targeted Civilians Only in Reprisal (Haaretz)
Hezbollah acknowledged targeting civilians in rocket attacks on Israel, but said it fired in response to Israeli attacks - rejecting an Amnesty International report Thursday that accused the guerrillas of "serious violations of international humanitarian law, amounting to war crimes."

Lebanese legislator Hassan Fadlallah of Hezbollah said his group targeted civilians in Israeli cities in response to Israeli attacks that killed Lebanese civilians.

During the conflict, Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel, killing 43 civilians, seriously injuring 33 others and forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to take refuge in shelters or flee.

"We do not deny that we have bombarded Israeli cities, settlements and infrastructure. But this was always a reaction," he told Al-Jazeera television. "It was a natural reaction. When a state is invaded, it must defend itself."

Fadlallah said Amnesty International probably came under American and Israeli pressure to issue a report critical of Hezbollah's actions during the 34-day war, after issuing a similar report against Israel last month.

FIRST, ISN'T IT INTERESTING THAT HEZBOLLAH IS PART OF THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT. MAYBE LEBANON AND NOT JUST HEZBOLLAH BEARS SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WAR.

SECOND, WHAT ARE JIMMY CARTER, THE U.N. AND ALL THOSE HUMAN RIGHT'S ORGS GOING TO SAY NOW THAT HEZBOLLAH HAS ADMITTED TARGETING ISRAELI CIVILIANS? JIMMY AND HIS FELLOW TRAVELERS ARE ON RECORD AS DENYING IT.

FINALLY, "RETALIATORY"? GIVE ME A FRIGGIN' BREAK.