|TOP|A leading figure in the Church of Ireland has condemned the Israeli military offensive in Lebanon as the UN’s special envoy for the Middle East peace process said it expected Israel to pull back its ground offensive over the next couple of days before an expanded international force is deployed in southern Lebanon.

Rev. Patrick Comerford, Southern Regional Co-ordinator of the Church Mission Society Ireland, said the military offensive by Israel in southern Lebanon was “precisely that – offensive”.

He made the comments as he preached on the 61st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Rathfarnham.

Rev Comerford acknowledged Israel’s concern to root out Hezbollah militants but suggested that their attacks did not warrant the scale of Israel’s military offensive on southern Lebanon.

|AD|“Israel is legitimately worried about its very survival, about attacks on its civilian population, and about Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm in defiance of UN resolutions.

“But Israel has defied international law, international conventions on human rights, the accepted criteria for a “just war” and UN resolutions, by waging an undeclared war; using a disproportionate force that is totally destructive; deliberately attacking civilian populations; making refugees of up to half a million non-combatant civilians; targeting UN observers; destroying the democratic institutions and civilian infrastructure of a sovereign state; and of course, by acquiring nuclear weapons.”

He also criticised the “appalling destruction” of the families and mainly children who lost their lives in the attack on Qana at the end of last month which left at least 28 civilians dead including 16 children.

He said the Israeli military action in Lebanon “should be offensive to all humanity, and – with the capacity of all modern wars to degenerate quickly into nuclear wars – modern wars must be declared offensive.

Rev Comerford said on the anniversary of Hiroshima: “The bombing of Hiroshima on this day 61 years ago should have made any future wars impossible.”

He added, “The whole world is now living beneath one looming mass mushroom cloud.”