Israel vs Lebanon, the sequel

Responding to the most recent incident along the Israel-Lebanon border, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said in a statement: "The State of Israel sees itself free to use all measures that it finds it needs and the (Israeli Forces) have been given orders in that direction.

"If the soldiers are not returned we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years," Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz to Israeli Channel 10.

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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the Hezbollah attacks as an "act of war" by Lebanon and promised a "very painful and far-reaching" response, The Associated Press reported.

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Argh... why even threaten such barbarity, much less actually carry it out? I'd remind Israel that "destruction not warranted to accomplish military objectives" is a serious war crime.

Is it not obvious that the kernel of this ongoing problem is the Syrian support of Hamas and of Hezbollah (yes money comes from Iran) both of which are sheltered in Damascus?

Originally posted by Mila By sacrificing everything you stand for and doing to them exactly what you claim to be standing up against, only using a powerful and well-equipped army to do so. Refer to their victims, which always outnumber your by the thousands, as collateral damage and go on living a good life that is only intermittantly interrupted by terrorism while the lives of millions of others are controlled, every moment of every day, by your actions.

If a nation hosts groups that attack Israel, regardless of the reason, Israel is completely justified in attacking that host nation if they don't kick out and drop support for those groups. There's no international law that says Israel can't attack Syria if it is proven (which it has been) that Syria aids and supports Hezbollah and other groups bent on Israel's destruction.

But, every step should be taken to make sure no innocent civilians are harmed. Attacks should be directed towards military and government installations.

Remember the girl who blew herself up at a cafe owned by Arabs and Jews in Haifa? She attacked the idea of tolerance in Haifa, which is a fairly peaceful, mixed city by Israeli standards. The "Jews only" apartments, roads, shops, businesses, etc... aren't common in Haifa. Anyhow, that's the first terrorist I felt badly for - half her family wiped out the year before, and she went through such depression, was on medication, all of that. It was just the most clear cause-and-effect example to me, I felt so bad for her. They just don't get a break.

I've said before, in 1994 if someone had given me a bomb and said go to Belgrade, I'd have done it. It's only when you have peace, or any small hope for a better life, that you start to value life, peace, etc. I know exactly how they feel and the hardest thing, the HARDEST thing:

Is to know that in Israeli cities life is normal. There's no curfews that go on for an average of 86 days, no beatings, no random searches, no checkpoints, no misery. They're contented to enjoy their lives knowing you're in a cage, in misery. It makes a hatred for Israel that I cannot even put into words, because I know how it feels.

When NATO bombed Belgrade, and they were crying on the TV - I threw up, I felt so sick to my stomach. I just wanted to... rub their noses in what they allowed for more than 1,000 days to us, while they watched their soap operas, and went to their cafes, and had their birthdays and weddings.

That is the aspect of it that allows you to attack civilians. That is when they too become, in your mind, part of the oppression. And then you can do anything. And the Palestinians will never get past this point until Israel stops treating them like dogs and they have a reasonable hope of any sort of future.




Edited by Mila - 12-Jul-2006 at 18:16

Or just declare war and conquer Israel. I see two choices. Provide adequate aid to the Palestinians or conquer Israel

Edited by Aydin - 13-Jul-2006 at 00:36

Originally posted by pikeshot1600 cok gec:   Why don't the Arab states, especially the oil-wealthy states, provide for their Palestinian bretheren?  It is not as though Saudi Arabia is overpopulated.  You import labor for the oil industry.   Gee, isn't it convenient to keep a downtrodden Palestinian population in shameful conditions so attention can remain focused on Israel?   If you have not realized in SIXTY YEARS that you will not win the struggle, you have institutionalized the concept of Arabs as losers.  Reverse course:  make Arabs winners!  Use the capital and modernization to assist and uplift the Palestinians rather than consign them to the status of pawns in a game neither Arab states nor Palestinians are capable of winning.

Israel is so obnoxious.  Why is post cold war US policy still tied to this country? It looks bad for PR, its expensive, and the Israel lobby is too powerful in congress. When Israel attacks Lebanon (or whatever) it is seen as the US doing so (maybe it is) but having Israel for an ally is like having a really expensive Jewish American Princess girlfreind.  All expense and no benefits.

I am really bored hearing the same story again and again.