Watch a video based on this report here.
FT has a firewall and I couldn't get the article. RM
Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
This investigation by the Financial Times is staggering in its findings and in its scope and methodological rigor. Some of the findings, backed up by incredible levels of forensic evidence:
1) Israel completed much of its systematic destruction across Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon after Israeli forces took control of already-emptied villages in mid-April, and after the April 17 ceasefire. The ceasefire was used to make these areas completely uninhabitable.
2) The scale of destruction is incredible. Roughly 85,000 housing units damaged or destroyed (likely an undercount); 62 villages and farms inside the "yellow line" occupation zone, covering ~6% of Lebanon and extending ~10km inland, with ~270,000 residents barred from returning. Over 20% of the south's farmland and forest destroyed, ancient olive groves worst hit. All Litani river bridges destroyed; at least 2,500km of water infrastructure gone.
3) This is stated policy and an intentional plan to make an entire area uninhabitable and never allow the population to return. Defence minister Israel Katz explicitly invoked the "Rafah and Beit Hanoun model" and later boasted of destroying "24 Lebanese villages… not house by house, but entire villages."
4) This is without a doubt a war crime. Destruction of property requires immediate military necessity and not speculative ideas that Hezbollah may use a building some day. Not allowing the return amounts to the ethnic cleansing of the area.
The lack of any real consequences for Gaza, meant that Israel felt free to do the same in Lebanon. It is now doing the same in the West Bank. This will stop unless we stop it.
Shail is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shaiel.benephraim On Twitter at @academic_la
