MSF: Aid corridors 'an illusion'

[spindrifter]

Friday 28 July 2006, 20:29 Makka Time, 17:29 GMT--Aljazeera.net

An international medical charity has said that Israel's promised humanitarian aid corridors in south Lebanon are an illusion and that rockets have landed close to its teams two days in a row.

"It's a kind of humanitarian alibi because in effect there is no real humanitarian access in the south," said Christopher Stokes of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders.

"The international community is deluding itself, if it believes there is."

<snip>

"We have had contacts . They have not been very productive, in terms of having contacts for security guarantees and we not been given any encouragement that we would have the guarantees to work in the south," Stokes said.

<snip>

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D8FA534F-ABB6-4875-A779-35BD9B43F8CB.htm

[mom cat]

1. It has been a long time to be cut off from food and medical supplies. I

fear the worst.

[scarletwoman]

2. Mortars hit Lebanon evacuation convoy -- ABC (Australia) NewsOnline

Mortars hit Lebanon evacuation convoy

Last Update: Saturday, July 29, 2006. 6:03am (AEST)

By Peter Cave and wires

A rescue convoy bringing civilians from a village near the Lebanon-Israel border has come under fire from Israeli forces. A cameraman for a German network and his driver were lightly injured and their car destroyed when it was struck by two mortar rounds.

The privately-organised convoy consisted of two buses, an ambulance and up to 40 cars including a number of media vehicles. The Seven Network's Adrian Brown, who was travelling with the group, says two mortars struck the German vehicle in the centre of the convoy.

He says the convoy had collected about 50 people from Ramesh but had been unable to get to about 20 Australians trapped beyond the village.

The Australian embassy in Beirut had liaised with the Israeli Defence Forces to make them aware of the humanitarian convoy and its position. (my emphasis)

(more at link)

sw

[spindrifter]

3. Impeding humanitarian efforts is outrageous.

All of the international aid agencies, such as MSF, Mercy Corps, etc. are well aware of how to go about organizing and doing their work, utilizing local channels. In some cases, they are a conduit for funds and place logistical responsibility in the hands of locals--thereby empowering them, but also saving loads of time and effort, since they don't have to learn the lay of the land, so to speak, from Jump Street. All of the reports I have heard about attacks on aid agencies indicate they communicated with IDF before they tried to move their cargo.

[scarletwoman]

4. It's difficult not to suspect that these may be purposeful acts...

Call in your location and the IAF says "thanks" and shoots a few missiles your way...

sw

[Solo_in_MD]

5. Minor point - if they were rockets, are they sure they were Israeli?

Hezbollah is using rockets. Israel, while have them, has not been reported as using any.