Have your say - Isreal vs Lubnaan

[N.O.R.F]

I don't see how Isreal can attack Lebanese civilians. Hezbollah are not the Lebanese government. the Lebanese President has called for a cease fire. is this not the equivalent of Britain bombing Dublin during the Irish troubles or attacking American for funding and harboring Irish terrorists? Also, at first glance, it seems that the BBC are giving more coverage to Isreali casualties than Lebanese.

BBC Have your say

[N.O.R.F]

When your country is occupying Iraq, under zero provocation, and that occupation has cost perhaps a hundred thousand Iraqi lives, where do you get off accusing the Israelis of being brutal, overreacting, international pariahs etc, for killing a hundred?

 

That's still a hundred too many, and they may be making a big mistake, but at least they are actually defending themselves from daily rocket attacks. What's your excuse?

[N.O.R.F]

Amazing is the influence that israel has on the media worldwide. Not even one TV or a newspaper dared to show a picture about the little children who are dying in the south of lebanon and in beirut. The israeli are saying that they are targeting Hizbollah, meanwhile they are bombing families in their places or on the road while they are running to a safer place.

I wonder who is the terrorist?

 

[NGONGE]

There are all sorts of conflicting analysis on this issue. Some argue that Israel had long-term plans to destabilise Lebanon and had deliberately allowed the situation to escalate in such a way. Others are claiming that Israel was caught off guard and is now hastily trying to have the upper hand.

 

In the past, whenever an Israeli soldier was captured, the Israeli government was always receptive to negotiation and prisoner exchanges. However, this time, I believe that Israel saw an opportunity to exploit things and decided to obliterate its enemies in Hamas and Hezbollah one by one under the pretext of ‘defending’ itself against unprovoked attacks and ‘kidnap’ of it’s soldiers.

 

On the Palestinian side, Hamas was merely responding to the six-month-old blockade and boycotting of its government by Israel. A blockade that really hurt the Palestinian people. It wanted (as it always did) to use that soldier as a pawn in its bargaining process with the Israelis. The Palestinians understand that very few Israeli soldiers choose to join the army and that most of them are conscripts that have an obligation to do ‘military service’. They also know that this fact compels the Israeli government to guarantee their safety (or at least the safe return of their bodies if they were killed). This is why Israel was ready to exchange thousands of Palestinians/Lebanese prisoners for the remains of one dead Israeli soldier. In this instance, the Palestinians demanded the release of women and children! A very strange demand really. They could have just as easily demanded the release of jailed leaders (such as Marwan Bergouti). They might still ask for that (though he’s not a Hamas member) and they’ll eventually get their man (unless Israel finds its captured soldier first of course).

 

Hezbollah are just as opportunistic here as Israel. It’s conceivable that they only captured the two soldiers in order to have a prisoner exchange of their own (there are thousands of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails). However, the more likely scenario is that Hezbollah are gambling on Israel’s ability to carry on this offensive. The only way that Hezbollah could lose is if the Israelis invade Lebanon and completely annihilate the Hezbollah machine. This of course is almost impossible. Israel might severely punish Hezbollah and destroy all its weapons but it can’t wipe it off the face of the earth (unless it kills every Lebanese shia). The gamble that Hezbollah are taking here concerns the fact that when the dust settles on this conflict and, Israel having made its point by bombing the airport and a few other places, came to the table and negotiated the release of the captured soldiers, Hezbollah will be left as the most powerful faction in Lebanon and will be looked upon (by most) as victors. Still, with the invisible hands of several regional powers stirring this froth what happens next is anyone’s guess!

 

The stakes are very high here and the first one to blink will lose.

[N.O.R.F]

Keeping the ME unstable has been an objective of the west whilst promising 'road maps' for peace at the same time. Isreal has gotten tired of the west in its failure to put an end to the situation even though it probably had something to do with it. With strong organisations in the US and Britain, the Zionists feel untouchable right now hence their brutal actions and no discussions or prisoner exchanges.

 

The current PM, Ehud Olmert, is determined to 'end it' as soon as possible. End any possible attacks from the West Bank and Gaza together with ending Hezbollah and any outside interference in their scheme. This coupled with promises of setting Isreal's 'permanent' borders (which was one of the reasons why he came into office), one can only feel that the situation is very serious. With 101 other parties interested and meddling in the affairs of the region, its is anyone's guess what might occur over the next couple of years.

 

One can only pray for the people affected by all of this. People who have known nothing but war and suffering since day one. May Allah make it easy for them, ameen.

[N.O.R.F]

Israel is contravening Article 4 of Geneva convention which outlaws collective punishment towards whole populations by bombing civilian infrastructure and decimating hospitals, power stations, roads, airports etc...

[Che -Guevara]

I guess when you have 200 nuclear warheads backed by the mighty dollar following from DC where sympathetic administration whose leadership literally believes the defeat of Isreal's enemy will set the conditions for the return of the Messiah, then you can pretty much get away with anything. Besides, who is gonna cry for dead Bedouin?...Certainly not the leadership in all of Arabia, and beyond!!!