miditek wrote:
Lebanon is not a potential threat, but Hezbollah is a real one. Iranian Revoltionary Guards are also on the ground in Southern Lebanon, and should be dealt with accordingly.
Right, so Lebanon is
not the target here. We've established that, right? Iranian links are tentative, Iran has obviously denied the accusations, but no it's not hard to imagine those maniacs getting involved somehow.
One of the primary objectives of defeating an enemy is to:
a) Cut his supply chains (such as the airport, sea
ports, and the highways)
b) Stop his mobility (again, this is from the air,
land, and sea)
c) Break his will to fight, although the latter certainly takes time.
So take out the civilian infrastructure? If Lebanon is not a target, try looking up casualty figures. Something like 5 or 6 Hizbollah militants have been killed so far, against almost 200 Lebanese civilians and soldiers. How is this possibly justifiable? It shows Israel simply disregards civilians and treats everyone as a target. Just like Hizbollah does. So, they're lowering themselves to the terrorists' level. What have Lebanese civilians done to deserve this treatment and having their country put 20 years back?
The Lebanese civilians, in my opinion, should not be used as pawns or as an excuse not to deal severly with Hezbollah.
I had to re-read that sentence about 4 or 5 times because I couldn't believe what it said. I thought you'd made a typing error or something.
May I remind you we speak of
innocent civilians here. Like, people like you and me and stuff who go to work and function in society and things. Terrorists see the killing of civilians as necessary, which is why they do it. Therefore, with this thinking, you justify their conclusions. That's like so unbelievably messed up I cannot comprehend it. Please reconsider what you've written. Because it reads as incredibly cruel and misanthropic.
We're talking about the life of people who have had nothing to do with any terror attacks, people just getting on with their lives who have been caught up in this. Your attitude is frankly revolting.
Military action against civilians is unjustifiable no matter what. If 50-60 Hizbollah militants had so far been taken out and a few civilian bystanders, I'd understand that, accidents happen. But in this case the reverse is true. Just like the well-documented and equally sickening case of the suicide bomber in Iraq who killed 22 Iraqi civilians (most of them children) to kill the one US soldier present. He was giving out chocolates.
Yes, Israeli civilians get attacked, and so have people in London (where I live most of the time) and countless other terrorist targets. I am not trying to marginalise that, I don't like feeling as if I'm a target simply because I live in London. I still get nervous sometimes when the Underground is very busy.
However, does that mean that Israel must lower themselves to the level of Hizbollah? Any moral high ground that they might have held has been blown away now.
Israel does realize that Lebanon was either unable or unwilling to rid itself of Hezbollah, and as such, IDF will be the ones that are forced to do this.
If Europe was truly serious about resolving this, it would partner with NATO and the US to get some military forces ready to compel Hezbollah to either withdraw or be destroyed. Read my previous post about Israel's requests; return the soldiers, and stop firing the missiles. It is as simple as that, but Hezbollah and Hamas will have none of it.
Just because Lebanon could not do the job does not mean that NATO does not have the resources to do so. Hezbollah has worn out its welcome in Lebanon, and all of this could have been avoided via UN Resolution 1559- but I guess that we'll have to do this one the hard way.
Interesting you should say that, Blair and Anan have actually suggested this to Israel but Israel has turned down the offer. They prefer to do it themselves, which is fair enough but again, Israel is not exactly known for care and subtlety in their attacks. I guess when you drop a 1000lb bomb onto a building housing terrorists in a crowded city, accidents
can happen huh... or firing a missile from an aircraft to kill a single man in a wheelchair (and a lot of good that did).
The true problem is that Hamas and Hezbollah just don't get it. If they continue to launch their terror attacks, they are merely bringing destruction down upon themselves.
Hizbollah and Hamas are extremist terrorist organisations, no they don't 'get it' and they never will. If they 'got it' they wouldn't even be involved in those sorts of activities. They think dying in the course of their aims is the highest form of glory. Like all religious extremists of any sort, they operate in an entirely different manner from you or I or any other rational person.
Again, I have absolutely nothing but contempt for any terrorist organisation and I want to make that absolutely clear. My sister on the train behind the one attacked at Liverpool Street in the London suicide bombings, my aunt was on a plane flying into NYC on the morning of 9/11. No, I do not sympathise with their methods in the least. However, I have the same feelings for any nation which does not discriminate between innocent bystanders and their real targets, which is what Israel seems to be doing. It's a bit nausiating to think that it's highly likely I'd be trapped in Beirut right now had that festival not been cancelled last month, because the airport was hit on one of the days between my scheduled going and coming. It's nausiating because I wouldn't have been safe from Israeli bombs, as apparently no-one is.
America is Israel's only reliable ally in the world, and you can be certain that if Syria or Iran decide upon direct involvement, they will be punished. Syria and Iran have contributed much to the instability of the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Have you not seen Vice PM Peres' statements? He is dovish by nature, and indicated that Israel does not want war with Lebanon itself.
Europe looks down on Israel with contempt, but seems to coddle radical Islam in every way that it can, despite the widespread terror attacks that Europe itself is not immune from.
Perhaps Peres' statements have been peaceful, but the bombs falling on Beirut give a rather different impression. If Lebanon itself is not the target, then why destroy all the gas stations and major highways and port facilities and airport? Hizbollah isn't the only one who might sometimes use those facilities. That's like destroying the playground watercooler because the school bully sometimes drinks from it or something.
The relatives of people who have died for no crime other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time will not easily accept those words of Peres.
Of course, the residents of Haifa (one of my dad's friends lives near the building that was hit earlier today, my dad has yet to get in touch with him) are in much the same situation. Again, I am not belittling what Israel is in, I fully understand the need to do something but I am appalled at the casual disregard for innocent lives Israel has thus far shown.
Europe looks down on Israel and coddles radical Islam? That has to be one of the most ignorant and blind statements I've yet read here and more importantly, totally out of context with this topic. You said yourself that Europe is not immune from terrorism, so what possible good could come from 'coddling radical Islam'? Is everyone here stupid? The fact that European nations (apart from the UK) don't go around attacking other nations with a flimsy pretext does not mean that Islamic extremism, or extremism of any sort for that matter, is accepted. I think it is because of the realisation that doing that sort of thing will only make things worse. Look at Iraq.
You seem to be blaming the ills of the region on the European Union. Interesting.
