CLUSTER BOMBS

“Because of their wide dispersal pattern, cluster munitions should never be used in populated areas.” Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

United Nations deminers beginning emergency survey and clearance work in the south of Lebanon have identified 10 locations where Israel used artillery-delivered cluster munitions during the recent hostilities. Human Rights Watch opposes all use of cluster munitions with high initial failure rates, including the weapons that Israel used in Lebanon, because of the prolonged danger they pose to civilians. Cluster submunitions with high initial dud rates effectively become antipersonnel landmines. Even if civilians are not present at the time of attack, they risk stumbling onto the submunitions weeks, months or even years later, triggering fatal explosions. The types of artillery-delivered submunitions used by Israel have an initial failure rate of at least 14 percent, according to U.S. military testing data. The failure rate may be higher in battlefield conditions. Israeli officials have given contradictory statements, with some denying any use of cluster munitions in the month-long fighting and others acknowledging use but claiming it was away from civilian areas. Human Rights Watch previously reported on Israel’s cluster munition attack on Blida on July 19 that killed one and wounded at least 12 civilians, including seven children.
Israelis, offcourse, are not the first to use this kind of weaponry. NATO was using cluster munitions back in 1999 in Serbia (in Nis, cluster bombs have been dropped in high populated areas, over market place, parks and hospitals killing civillians). U.S. have used them in Afghanistan and Iraq and they were the ones to sell them to Israel. Cluster bombs look like toys, they come in ball shape or as cylinders with bright colors. These dud submunitions are extremely dangerous and may detonate if touched or moved, children are mainly the victims.