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Before and After images of Beirut coastline documenting extent of oil spill (NASA Observatory)
The chickens are finally coming home to roost. After a failed war that ended up killing 1,000 Lebanese and 150 Israelis and caused billions in damage to both Israel and especially Lebanon, a partial bill has been presented to Israel by the UN:
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will demand that Israel pay Lebanon $1 billion in compensation over damages caused during the Jewish state’s 2006 war against Hizbullah, Lebanese media reported Saturday.
According to the report the sum, based on World Bank appraisals, is aimed at covering the environmental and material damages caused by the Second Lebanon War to neighboring countries as well.
The fundamental part of the compensation demanded is for the damage caused to the Lebanese coast due to an oil spill following an Israeli bombing of a southern Beirut power plant, which the Lebanese said had caused “an ecological disaster.”
According to the report, Ban plans to submit a report to the United Nations General Assembly at the end of the month, stating that damage Israel caused to the oil reservoir polluted Lebanon’s coast, and that the pollution spread to neighboring countries, especially Syria.
…The oil spill, which was defined the greatest natural disaster in Lebanon’s history, took place after Israel Air Force planes hit a power plant and caused some 110,000 oil barrels to leak into the Mediterranean Sea.
The report said that the UN wants Israel to compensate the countries harmed by the oil spill and restore the environmental situation along the Lebanon coast.
By way of comparison, the Exxon Valdez disaster spilled 250,000 barrels of oil. The UN has basically called Israel the Joseph Hazelwood of the Mediterranean, with the only difference being the skipper of that boat didn’t set out to cause an environmental disaster while Israel arguably did. Or at the very least didn’t give a fig if it happened.
I’m pleased that an international body like the General Assembly will take up this matter. One can argue from the left or right whether Israel deserves to be brought up on war crimes charges for its behavior in Lebanon. But it’s much harder to make this particular claim into a political one. The damage was done and it is quantifiable. The author of the damage is not in doubt. The only item at issue is whether Israel can be made to own responsibility for this environmental crime.
Interestingly–and speaking of the Exxon Valdez–Richard Steiner, University of Alaska professor and environmental conservation specialist, makes a strong case that the Jiyeh bombing WAS a violation of the laws of war. But one needn’t even go this far in order to assign culpability to Israel for the disaster. Prof. Steiner also published an extensive report on the oil spill for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
I say this monetary claim is a good thing because the Israeli people need to know that war waged in their name which ravages an entire region will have a price not just in human life, but in cold, hard cash. And if Israel does not pay, then it will face the opprobrium of the international community not just for its military actions, but for the ecological disaster it caused.
If one thinks back, the last Middle Eastern leader to cause such an environmental disaster was Saddam, who blew up Kuwait’s oil wells. Does Israel want to be thought of in the same breath with him?
NOTE: I subsequently found a far more comprehensive and well-reported article on this at The National.
Tags: lebanon-war, United Nations
@Jane:
You’re outnumbered 11,000 to 1 since that is how many comments have been published in this blog. So a few commenters here disagree w. you.
You attacked me because I only criticized Israel & not Hezbollah. And yet when I noted you only criticized Hezbollah & not Israel this was a hanging offense. Interesting sense of proportion you have.
As for not “putting up” with me, we’ll be truly sorry to see you go (if you do go).
Probably al’ silverstein would blame the Jews in Israel for the barbaric atrocities that are carried out between the peace loving Fatah Palestinians & the peace loving Hamas Palestinians, perhaps according to al’ Silverstein Israelis should also pay for the damage they have caused to each others infrastructure { if there is such a thing in the Palestinian terror-tories]..on that subject perhaps Americans should pay for the damage Shea and Sunni peace loving Iraqis have caused in their backyard… and the Israelis should pay compensation for the Lebanese Muslims murder of Lebanese Christian leaders.. perhaps the Americans should have paid compensation for the damage Iraq caused when they invaded their fellow Muslim neigbours, perhaps the Americans should also pay for damage they bombed Japan and the Britts should pay for damage they caused when they bombed the germans ..what do you think Al’ silverstein ..Do you know what a wanker is?
@Michael: Who’s gonna pay for the damage you do to reason, coherence and tolerance?
You had me there for a minute. I was wondering what Iraqis have to do with Shea Stadium. It’s “Shi’a” wingnut.
And the “al-Silverstein” thing is cute, really cute. Jon Stewart should be calling you any moment. Your scintillating wit will surely be properly appreciated some day. It develops slowly (VERY SLOWLY), but really grows on you after an Ice Age or two.
Well in typical fashion you left wing extremists always attack the author or shoot the messenger but can never respond to the question..
@Michael:
Well, golly gee–that must mean that calling me “al-Silverstein” wasn’t meant as an “attack on the author,” but rather an honorific. I didn’t know you had such respect for me. I”m touched. I’ll never say another harsh word about you now that I know what your real intent was.