From: Terje Rod-Larsen c To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Fw: UN: Israel used unnecessary force against protesters on Nakba Day Date: Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:40:16 +0000 Importance: high From: Fabrice Aidan < > To: Terje Rod-Larsen Sent: Wed Jul 06 01:48:55 2011 Subject: UN: Israel used unnecessary force against protesters on Nakba Day • Published 03:18 06.07.11 • Latest update 03:18 06.07.11 UN: Israel used unnecessary force against protesters on Nakba Day Israel furious over critical UN report that IDF used live fire against unarmed Lebanese protesters, cuts contact with Lebanon coordinator. By Barak Ravid A new report of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is highly critical of Israel for its handling of incidents on the border with Lebanon on May 15 - Nakba Day. It concludes that the Israeli soldiers used disproportionate force against Lebanese demonstrators, which resulted in seven deaths. In Israel there is great anger at the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, who authored the report, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry is cutting contact with him until further notice. The secretary general's report, which deals with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (ending the Second Lebanon War ), was disseminated several days ago to members of the Security Council, and Haaretz received a copy. The report mainly deals with the Nakba Day incidents. In its conclusions the secretary general expresses concern about Nakba Day and notes that IDF soldiers "used direct live fire against unarmed demonstrators" who tried to breach the border fence. He called on the Lebanese Army and the IDF to avoid such incidents from recurring. "I call on the Israel Defense Forces to refrain from responding with live fire in such situations, except where clearly required in immediate self-defense. Notwithstanding every country's inherent right of self defense, there is a need for the Israel Defen