The UN is continuing with its wave of anti-Israel resolutions, this time blaming Israel for damages caused by a war that Hezbollah had started in 2006.
Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses the United Nations General Assembly. (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO)
The UN General Assembly passed yet another anti-Israel resolution on Friday, demanding that Israel compensate Lebanon for ecological damage that it allegedly caused the country during the Second Lebanon War.
The Hezbollah terror organization had launched an attack from Lebanon into Israel in the summer of 2006.
The Jiyeh Power Station oil spill occurred when Israel’s Air Force (IAF) attacked Lebanon’s coastal power plant, causing 15,000 tons of the liquid to flow into the sea, Lebanon claims.
Lebanon was affected most by the spill, but the Syrian coast and other Mediterranean countries also suffered, the UN said. The spill had “serious implications for livelihoods and the economy of Lebanon,” according to the international body.
The non-binding vote, which passed 170-6, asks Israel to offer “prompt and adequate compensation” at the sum of $856.4 million to Lebanon and other countries affected by the alleged ecological damage, AFP reports.
The only five countries showing support for Israel were the U.S., Canada, Australia, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. An expert told IDF Radio that most countries had agreed to support the resolution because it was unbinding and insignificant, and they wished to gain a few diplomatic points with the Arab world by supporting the Arab-backed motion.
‘Resolution is Biased Against Israel’
Ynet reports that Lebanon views this resolution as a victory over Israel. The Lebanese prime minister expressed hopes that the UN vote will be followed by more charges from the international community against Israel for “war crimes”.
The Jerusalem Post quotes a government official as saying this development demonstrates the degree to which the Arab states can bring any resolution against Israel to the General Assembly and get it passed. “It is clear to anyone who looks at the legality of the war that Israel was responding to clear aggression from Lebanon into Israel,” he stated.
According to international law, if damage was caused to a country by attacks that were legally executed during war, the attacking party is not liable for damages. Israel was attacking in Lebanon in response to Hezbollah’s aggression, as the terror organization had kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and launched a war that lasted for a month.
Israel’s UN mission said in a statement late Friday that the resolution was biased against Israel. “Israel Immediately responded to the oil slick incident by cooperating closely with the United Nations Environment Program, as well as other UN agencies and NGOs, addressing the environmental situation along the coast of Lebanon. This resolution has long outlived the effects of the oil slick and serves no purpose other than to contribute to institutionalizing an anti-Israel agenda at the UN.”
By: United with Israel Staff
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