ISRAEL - IRAN - SYRIA - HAMAS - HEZBOLLAH - WWWIII?

I kindly suggest that you update your information about the various UN 'military' engagements and who does what where why - this will certainly limit misinterpretations.

The four UN peacekeepers that were killed in the air strike were part of the UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO).
And these observers are stationed there since 1948.

So still my question to fofyre: what is your source saying "they are billed as peacekeepers"?

The term Truce Supervision would indicate an element of peacekeeping indeed.

And whether or not Walter answers my questions, it seems apparent they weren't doing any job that was accomplishing anything and they should have been taken out of harm's way in a war zone.

Foxfyre wrote:

And whether or not Walter answers my questions, it seems apparent they weren't doing any job that was accomplishing anything and they should have been taken out of harm's way in a war zone.

What I said above.

Okay, here's what I found doing a quick search on UNTSO. Every source refers to them as peace keepers or involved with UN peace keeping.

Okay here is what I found on UNTSO

http://www.issafrica.org/Pubs/ASR/6No1/Malan.html

http://wwwnew.towson.edu/polsci/ppp/sp97/unpeace/peace5.htm

http://learning.turner.com/efts/un/blueflag.htm

it seems apparent they weren't doing any job that was accomplishing anything and they should have been taken out of harm's way in a war zone.

Established in May 1948 to assist the United Nations Mediator and the Truce Commission in supervising the observance of the truce in Palestine.

Since then, UNTSO has performed various tasks entrusted to it by the Security Council, including the supervision of the General Armistice Agreements of 1949 and the observation of the ceasefire in the Suez Canal area and the Golan Heights following the Arab-Israeli war of June 1967.

At present, UNTSO assists and cooperates with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights in the Israel-Syria sector, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the Israel-Lebanon sector. UNTSO is also present in the Egypt-Israel sector in the Sinai. UNTSO maintains offices in Beirut and Damascus

I will accept that you can't answer them without admitting that the "American opinion" is probably the correct one in this case.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni used a press conference in Haifa to respond to remarks by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who accused IDF soldiers of deliberately targeting UN observers in Lebanon.


"There is no commander in the army who would deliberately direct fire at civilians or UN soldiers," she said. "We expressed our sorrow over the regret. I spoke with the foreign ministers of Austria and Canada whose soldiers were killed yesterday and I apologized for the incident," Livni said. (Ronny Sofer)


(07.26.06, 14:36)

Foxfyre wrote:

I will accept that you can't answer them without admitting that the "American opinion" is probably the correct one in this case.

At least - as said above - even Israel has a different opinion than Foxfyrre's American opinion:

Quote:

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni used a press conference in Haifa to respond to remarks by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who accused IDF soldiers of deliberately targeting UN observers in Lebanon.


"There is no commander in the army who would deliberately direct fire at civilians or UN soldiers," she said. "We expressed our sorrow over the regret. I spoke with the foreign ministers of Austria and Canada whose soldiers were killed yesterday and I apologized for the incident," Livni said. (Ronny Sofer)


(07.26.06, 14:36)

They're called "UN observers" in this part of the world, too, Walter.:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1697819.htm

... and I disagree that the work of these observers is meaningless. Impartial observers are essential in a situation like this. Otherwise we'd be relying solely on propaganda (from both sides of the conflict) to try & work out what's really happening.

UNTSO:
Strength (30 April 2006)
154 military observers,
supported by 99 international civilian personnel
and 120 local civilian staff

Contributors of Military Personnel Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and United States

Following the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973, the functions of the observers changed in the light of changing circumstances, but they remained in the area, acting as go-betweens for the hostile parties

msolga wrote:

They're called "UN observers" in this part of the world, too, Walter.:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1697819.htm

... and I disagree that the work of these observers is meaningless. Impartial observers are essential in a situation like this. Otherwise we'd be relying solely on propaganda (from both sides of the conflict) to try & work out what's really happening.

So tell me what good are they Msolga? Walter won't answer that question. Why should tax payers pay for 'peace keepers' or 'observors' who do not apparently do either?

Quote:

Following the wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973, the functions of the observers changed in the light of changing circumstances, but they remained in the area, acting as go-betweens for the hostile parties

One Chinese killed in Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon



A Chinese UN observer was among the four UN peacekeepers killed in an Israeli air strike on south Lebanon on Tuesday night.

The body of the Chinese victim, whose name is Du Zhaoyu, has been recovered, said sources of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The UN observer from China was part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon.

Milos Struger, spokesman of the UNIFIL, said earlier that an Israeli bomb directly hit the base of the United Nations Observer Group in the town of Khiam near the eastern end of the border with Israel.

By 03:10 am local time Wednesday, the UNIFIL have recovered three bodies of the victims from the rubble, including the Chinese observer.

The other three dead UN observers were from Finland, Austria and Canada, the UNIFIL sources confirmed.

Since Israel launched a massive military offensive against Lebanon and Hezbollah guerrillas on July 12, a Nigerian civilian employee working with UNIFIL and his wife, also a Nigerian, have been killed in the crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas in the southern port city of Tyre.

Five UNIFIL soldiers and one military observer have also been wounded, Struger said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was "shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of a U.N. Observer post in southern Lebanon." "This coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long established and clearly marked U.N. post at Khiam occurred despite personal assurances given to me by (Israeli) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that U.N. positions would be spared Israeli fire," Annan said in a statement.

In Jerusalem, Israel expressed regret on Wednesday over the deaths of four U.N. observers in south Lebanon.

"Israel sincerely regrets the tragic death of the U.N. personnel in south Lebanon," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev.