The United States is criticizing Israel’s use of cluster bombs during its invasion of Lebanon last year, albeit grudgingly and couched in all sorts of ambiguous ‘well it kinda looks like’ language.

From the AP via The Guardian: Report cites possible misuse of U-S-made cluster bombs:

WASHINGTON (AP) – Israel probably misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon during the war against Hezbollah last summer, the State Department said Monday.

Department officials sent a preliminary report on the issue to Congress on Monday. By law, lawmakers must determine whether further investigation by the State Department is warranted.

The report represents an embarrassment to the United States and Israel, one of its closest allies. During last summer’s war, the U.S. was seen as letting Israel continue attacks inside Lebanon long after many other countries had demanded a halt to military action.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack would not provide details of the report, which was classified.

But he told reporters the department had made a preliminary finding “that there may – likely could have been some violations” of the agreement by which Israel purchased the weapons from the U.S. He would not specify what those agreements were.

When Israel purchases cluster bombs and other lethal equipment from the United States, it must agree in writing to restrictions on their use.

The report, McCormack said, “is not a final judgment.” He declined to speculate on what action may be taken against Israel if a violation is confirmed.

The United Nations said last summer that unexploded cluster bombs – anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area – litter homes, gardens and highways in south Lebanon.

…

Danny Ayalon, the recently retired Israeli ambassador to Washington, said Israel had no choice but to use the munitions against villages. “This was a clear-cut case of self-defense, in order to stop incoming Katyusha rockets aimed at our own population centers, and it was done to areas that were likely to be abandoned by Lebanese civilians,” Ayalon said.

Yeah, about that. You see we have jets, laser guided bombs, sophisticated American weapons, tanks, a whole arsenal of vastly superior firepower (plus nuclear weapons). How dare you fire vintage unguided munitions at us. Oh, and sorry about grandma, grandpa, and your children and cousins who were on-site. Couldn’t have foreseen that.

But the New York-based Human Rights Watch said the report’s findings “should lead to an immediate cutoff of all U.S. cluster munitions sales to Israel.”

The U.N. Mine Action Coordination Center has said it is not illegal to use the cluster bombs against soldiers or enemy fighters, but the Geneva Conventions bar their use in civilian areas.

Frankly, I can’t believe the U.S. government is actually (well kind of) saying these things. I guess there was just too much civilian blood on the roads of southern Lebanon to ignore it.

Nothing against Israel’s right to exist, but I’ll up Human Rights Watch one better. The U.S. should extract itself from the Middle East, Iraq, Israel, the whole mess.