Booko
Deviled Hen
Paw said:You mean 1559, right?
Yes, that's the one. Thanks.
Well, a lot of people think that what's going on now is right. After all, Hizbullah started the war, right?
That's why I said "among other things". One of those things was that the Lebanese Army was supposed to be in this area and prevent the rearmament of Hezbollah. The idea that the fragile Lebanese gov't could actually do this is nothing short of ludricous. It's a barely born coalition of various factions, and I remember when they were trying to form it it was a very difficult and trying process. I see no advantage in making unreasonable demands on the gov't of Lebanon that would plunge it once again into civil war.
As for Hezbollah starting the war, it appears to be more complicated than that. However, given resolution 1559, darned if I know why Hezbollah as an *army* should be positioned to fire tens of thousands of missiles at a neighbor that left their territory 6 years ago.
Hold on. Let's have a look at history, shall we? Hizbullah was created after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, not before. So Israel can thank itself for Hizbullah's existance.
And now that Israel has been off their soil for 6 years, their reason for existence is ... what?
Hizbullah succeeded in getting Israel off Lebanese soil. That a bad thing? Israel shouldn't even be in Lebanon in the first place. It's Lebanon, for crying out loud, not Israel.
Hey, I had some severe problems with that occupation, and was glad 6 years ago someone had the idea to leave. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out.
Oh, it *could* have, had the other nations of the world stood up to their responsibilities and helped the Lebanese gov't in ways that would strengthen it's ability to function. But we, lazy wusses that we are, did nothing.
The idea that *any* nation, especially a democratic one, could have an "alternative" army in its borders that is actually stronger than the gov'ts army is, to put it in the nicest terms possible -- absurd.
Now, why did Hizbullah kidnap those two soldiers? We hear it is for a prisoner swap. Amazingly, that's what Hamas was asking for when they kidnapped a soldier themselves. So, we understand that Hizbullah's aim is to release unjustly-held Lebanese citizens (or held without trial - same thing).
I have previously condemned here the idea that any nation should hold people without trial, and specifically mentioned this situation. But you know, there is more than one method to solve such problems, and they don't all involve in lobbing missiles at solely civilian targets.
Also, they believe the Sheb'aa Farms are Lebanese territory, so they would like Israel off of that.
Well guess what, in the eyes of the UN and the world community and pretty much everyone else, Shebaa Farms is a done deal.
If people want to condemn Israel for not abiding by UN resolutions, fine, but you can't then excuse another group that refuses to abide by UN resolutions. Either we all abide by them, or no one need do so.
Then, if Israel shows its kinder side (if it has one), Hizbullah won't aim for total destruction of the state.
The problem is, I simply do not believe this any more than I believe their Iranian masters are remotely interested in anything short of wiping out every member of my religion, whether they are in Iran or anywhere else.
Hezbollah has stated its aim of wiping out not just the state of Israel, but Jews, and violent though they may be, I see no reason to believe they are lying about their intent. Do you know of any?
If they actually present peace instead of violence and take all possible steps possible (outlined above), there is a very high chance that Hizbullah will cease to be a militia. After all, they call themselves a resistance, and if there is nothing to resist against, they lose their reason to exist.
As I mentioned above, afaic they should've ceased to be a militia 6 years ago. Israel left. Let them spend their time doing the other *good* things they do, like help people with food, medical care and education. Let them take part in Lebanese politics *on an even footing* with everyone else. A political party backed up with an army is not "equal" to everyone else.
Israeli Attack Kills Dozens as Rice Postpones Lebanon Trip
The breaking news is that Israel has agreed to a 48-hour cessation of aerial bombardment. That assumes of course that Hezbollah stops firing missles as well.
I hope all parties will do such a thing, so aid can come into the area and so maybe some of the refugees can get out. Not to mention maybe some cooler heads will prevail and start working on a permanent ceasefire.
Anyone in the US who watched the debacle of New Orleans last year understands that many people cannot leave an area even if they want to. I would imagine that in southern Lebanon this is even more the case than in New Orleans.