"prevent funds from being spent to purchase, use, or transfer cluster bombs until the Department of Defense has adopted rules of engagement to ensure that cluster bombs are not used in or near any concentration of civilians."

"What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs."

Now, Israel can do little except accede to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's request and assist in marking the areas hit by the cluster bombs, so that there will be no further casualties among Lebanese civilians, who have already been hurt by the war. Significant portions of southern Lebanon have now become minefields.

During the second Lebanon war, Israel made use of American-made cluster bombs that left behind thousands of unexploded bomblets, even though Israel Military Industries produces cluster bombs that leave nearly no unexploded munitions. The main reason for the use of the U.S.-made weapons: Israel uses military aid funds to purchase cluster bombs from the U.S., and in order to buy IMI-made bombs, the Israel Defense Forces would have to dip into its own budget.

"...(former) Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Dan Halutz plans to appoint a major general to investigate the use of cluster bombs - some of which were fired against his order - during the Lebanon war. Halutz ordered the IDF to use cluster bombs with extreme caution and not to fire them into populated areas. Nonetheless, the IDF did so anyway, primarily using artillery batteries and the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). IDF artillery, MLRS and aircraft are thought to have delivered thousands of cluster bombs, containing a total of some 4 million bomblets during the war."

"Amnesty International urged the Israeli government to hand over detailed maps and coordinates of the areas in south Lebanon into which its forces fired hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs during the 34-day conflict with Hizbullah July August 2006.... It is vital that detailed maps and all other information be made available...urgently and without further delay or prevarication [to The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre] to reduce the risk both for the civilian population in the affected areas, for those carrying out the mine clearance operations, and the UN peace-keeping forces.... Many of the injured have been maimed for life.... The Israeli authorities' failure to provide detailed information...becomes inexcusable with each passing day.... Amnesty International is urging the U.S. government - which supplied many of the cluster bombs fired by Israeli forces into south Lebanon - to ensure that the Israeli authorities provide the maps and other information, so as to reduce the potential for further civilian casualties."

"Amnesty International continues to call on the United States and on the rest of the international community to declare and enforce an arms embargo on both Israel and Hizbullah until effective mechanisms are in place to ensure that weapons will not be used [reference to those weapons delivered in transit] to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law...and also calls on the Israeli government to impose a moratorium on the use of all cluster weapons...."

"Let me say that I join the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, David Shearer, in calling on Israel to provide information on where the cluster bombs were used [in Lebanon]. Such information is vital to speed up the cleanup process and save lives."

"...Israel used these weapons extensively in Lebanon, including cluster munitions supplied by the United States...it has been civilians who have suffered disproportionately...."

"Despite repeated UN efforts to receive detailed information from the Israeli military regarding the exact location, quantity and type of cluster munitions utilized during the July-August conflict, Israel has not yet provided the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) with this data."

"I reiterate my request, as contained in my previous reports, for Israel to provide detailed data on its use of cluster munitions to the UN as soon as possible."

"The United Nations still needs to get the cluster bomb strike exact/detailed co-ordinates from Israel. The UN has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to provide:

a) the location of areas targeted in Lebanon using explosive ordnance

b) the approximate number of explosive ordnance used in these areas

c) the type and nature of explosive ordnance used in these areas

d) the general location of known and probable unexploded ordnance (UXO)"

"Israel made a mistake when it used cluster bombs during the Second Lebanon War."

"The Security Council expresses deepest worry at the presence in very high numbers of unexploded ordnance in south Lebanon, including cluster munitions. The Security Council deplores the death and injury of dozens of civilians, as well as of several de-miners, caused by those munitions since the cessation of hostilities. It supports in this context the Secretary General's request to Israel to provide to the United Nations detailed data on Israel's use of cluster munitions in southern Lebanon."

"During the 34 days of hostility, in the last four days [of the July-August conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006], apparently over 4 million cluster bombs, or BLUs, were dropped. My understanding is there was approximately a 25% failure rate by those. I've been able to see approximate maps of where they've been found, but my understanding is that, one, they [maps] have not been supplied; two, that they were U.S.-made munitions; three, that the 25% failure rate is a U.S. problem, mostly because these things [cluster munitions]...in fact are 1970s munitions that are very, very old."

"This is a really serious problem, Congressman... The UN has the lead in trying to obtain a detailed understanding of where the unexploded ordnance is.... Israel has not yet provided detailed information on its utilization of certain weapons [cluster munitions] during the [July-August 2006] conflict. The U.S. has done likewise independently."

"...we take the understandings that we have with the Israeli government very seriously and believe that our equipment should be used in accordance with our [U.S.] laws and regulations. We briefed committee staff, including this committee, sir, on this issue as recently as late January. We have reported to Congress pursuant to the laws. We are still awaiting further information from the government of Israel, and as we obtain that, we shall continue our briefing of Congress."

"to discuss the humanitarian importance of Israel's providing the detailed unexploded cluster munitions data on Israel's cluster bombs strikes in Lebanon in August 2006."

"It was determined that the United States should support the initiation of a negotiation on cluster munitions within the framework of the CCW."

"...the U.S. should support the initiation of a negotiation on cluster munitions within the CCW framework...and take important steps to protect civilians while taking into account security requirements..."

"prohibit the production, possession, trade and use of sub-munitions, to destroy stockpiles, to cooperate in removing unexploded munitions from affected areas, and to help people and communities affected by cluster bombs."

Cluster Munitions

Sec. 695. During the current fiscal year, no military assistance shall be furnished for cluster munitions, no defense export license for cluster munitions may be issued, and no cluster munitions or cluster munitions technology shall be sold or transferred, unless:

1) The sub-munitions of the cluster munitions have a 99 percent or higher tested rate (less than 1% failure rate); and

2) The agreement applicable to the assistance, transfer, or sale of the cluster munitions or cluster munitions technology specifies that the cluster munitions will only be used against clearly defined military targets and will not be used where civilians are known to be present.

E. Land mines and cluster bombs

42. In southern Lebanon, clean-up of the estimated 1 million unexploded cluster munitions continues. Since my last report to the Security Council (14 March 2007), an additional fifty new cluster bomblet strike locations have been identified by the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre - South Lebanon (MACC-SL). As of 31 May 2007, 904 cluster bomblet strike locations have been recorded, contaminating an area of up to 36.6 million square meters.

43. As a result of the joint efforts of the LAF, 22 UNIFIL teams, and 75 UN contracted and bilaterally funded clearance teams operating under the coordination of the UN MACC-SL, a total of 28% of the surface and 15% of the sub-surface of the 36.6 million square meters have been cleared, and 117,872 of an estimated one million unexploded cluster munitions have been neutralized.

44. While there has been a decrease in the number of casualty figures in recent months, there have been 22 additional incidents among civilians since my last report, with one person killed and 21 injured. Since the cessation of hostilities came into effect, a total of 203 civilians have been injured (180) or killed (23) as a result of cluster munitions. I regret to have to report that, despite a number of attempts by UN senior officials to obtain information regarding the firing data of cluster munitions utilized during last summer's conflict, Israel has yet to provide this critical data. I call on the Government of Israel once again to provide this information to the United Nations. (emphasis added)