Israel's Right to Defend Itself
I support it. I support any country's right to retaliate against the constant barrage of incoming missiles that Israel has had to endure day after day, month after month, and year after year. I do, however, question the ferocity of the retaliation. They are exacting a very heavy price against those who had nothing to do with the attacks.Or did they? Hamas has garnered a stronghold in Gaza. Hezbollah secured its power in Lebanon. Between the two of them, they have been almost unilaterally supported by the Palestinian and Arab worlds. The Palestinian civilians voted Hamas into power. Doesn't that make them somewhat culpable in the activities of their party of choice? Like the republicans, the neocons have perpetrated all kinds of terror into the Middle East, and by some accounts, actually popped the cork on what is happening now. Doesn't that mean that the repugs should shoulder some of the culpability? I contend that they do. Republicans support terror the way anyone who voted for Hamas supports terror.
But, does that mean all Palestinians? No.
Does that mean all Republicans? Yes.
Does that mean all Americans? No. At least, I hope not. Goddess knows, I'm trying to uphold my disdain for all terrorists, be they American, Palestinian, Israeli, Al Qaida, or whomever.
Does the Israeli response to the Hezbollah missle strikes warrant the response that it is now raining down on Lebanon? I don't know. Israel is primarily going after military targets. They have tried to warn Lebanese before the strikes. Of course, there will always be collateral damage.
On the other hand, the strikes raining in to Sderot from Gaza and Northern Israel from Lebanon have had no such restraint. They were meant to exclusively hit as many civilians as they can take out. Same scenario as the Palestinian suicide bombings. There is nothing in the plans that call for striking military targets. Not when markets and theaters and restaurants and bus stations are the targets. That singular focus on civilian targets is what truly makes a terrorist a terrorist. To me, it's that simple.
The Israelis have a right to retaliate. Hezbollah deliberately crossed the border into Israel, killed some soldiers and abducted two of them. Yes, that was a military target, but they crossed the border to do it, and they did it completely without provocation. That's an act of war. It's that simple.How many rockets was Israel supposed to endure from the Palestinians in Gaza until they finally retaliated? What was the threshold? Ten? Fifty? One hundred? According to some estimates, Sderot, which isn't even a disputed territory, has been subjected to an average of 20 each day, and more than 3,000 since Israel pulled out of the disputed settlements. According to this Epoch Times article, written June 25, 2006,
The number of Kasam attacks on Sderot has increased since last August, when Israel removed all of its Gaza settlements in what has become known as "the disengagement." Some 3,000 Kasam rockets have landed in the area since April 2001.Without a doubt, a lot more have been pouring into Sderot since this writing, and the Israeli reponse has been hard. They are targeting primarily Hamas militant targets. Who wouldn't? It gets real old real fast to have rockets fired at your home day after day, month after month, and year after year.
Israel has a right to defend itself from these attacks, in my opinion. Does that mean that I think that Israel is without sin regarding the Palestinians? I don't think so. The biggest problem is that Israel has a severely heavy hand, and retribution is severe. They admit it, themselves, and state that their objective is to deter such attacks. It's not working. With the mess going on in Iraq, the nuclear issues involving Iran, and the ineffectiveness of the dubya regime, Hamas and Hizbollah have become rather emboldened. The neocons popped this Middle East cork, and only the stupid refuse to believe that, or refused to believe of the possibility when the neocons wanted to march into Iraq to sieze Saddam and his oil. I suppose that's what happens when you have oil men controlling the country. Talk about a DOH moment........
posted by Dusty Dog at
7/16/2006
5 comment(s):
Welcome back to the blogesphere. Needless to say I do not agree with you here 100%, but I know you speak from the heart and mean well. There is alot going on here that westerners are not aware of, when the truth does come out, and it will, you might change your mind on a few of these points.
Until then, know that you are loved and respected.
By
Anonymous, at
3:49 PM
Di,
I agree with just about everything you've said. You have to understand that Israel pulled out of Southern Lebanon 6 years ago for the purpose of not enjoying the role of occupier. As far as I know, Israel had no intention of having any kind of battles with Lebanon. Also, there was a UN resolution at that time that Hezbollah dismantle and get out of Lebanon. Instead, they proceeded to fill the southern Lebanon void and take control. They have persisted in persuing aggressive behavior towards Israel. Lebanon has it's own army, and it's not Hezbollah. However, Hezbollah holds about 20 seats in the Lebanese Parliament, voted in by Lebanese people. They are not the Lebanese army. They are no one's army. They are a group of antisemitic, anti-zionistic terrorist thugs. The Lebanese Prime Minister has been unable, or unwilling to try to control Hezbollah. Ditto with Hamas.
Also, realize that when they are not wearing their terrorist attire, they are in civilian clothing. So, the world thinks they are civilians. Also, they operate their terrorist activities & agenda within truly civilian populations. Boo Hoo to the world. Israel is killing civilians. The rest of the world eats it up, and condemns Israel. No one else in the world would do anything less to protect their citizens if attacked. Certainly not the US. UGH!!! So, it's no longer about Israeli occupation; it's pure antisemitism, and their goal is to "wipe Israel off the map".
Israel is completely justified in persuing it's heavy campaign against Hezbollah and Hamas until they are dismantled.
And, Desertpeace, please inform us of the "truth" as you have stated. I am open to learning anything new and informative. Thank you.
By
Anonymous, at
9:25 PM
Well, I can't agree with your qualified defense of Israel's attacks on Lebanon. According to the NY Times and NPR Israel has been attacking roads, bridges, the Beirut airport, at least one power station, and as far north as Tripoli. Tripoli is more than 80 miles north of the border. No rockets are being launched from Tripoli, or from Beirut. About 200 Lebanese have been killed, I see at least 8 Canadians as well. The neocons will like that. Yes, Hezbollah should not attack across the border, and certainly not launch rockets against civilian targets. But Israel is trying to "pressure" the Lebanese by destroying their infrastructure, laboriously rebuilt after the catastrophic civil war. This is collective punishment and is against international law. Why can't Israel attack the people launching the rockets, not the people who aren't. Should we send them a map of Lebanon, so they can see what they should hit? In Israel's retaliation against the Palestinians and now against Lebanon I have noticed a disturbing trend for the Arab deaths to come out about ten times the Israeli deaths. I wonder if that is on purpose.
By
Anonymous, at
9:29 PM
Mike, articulated exactly why I'm so ambivalent about the Israeli retaliation. Something is clearly amiss, though I do think that Israel has the right to retaliate. They are just punishing the wrong people, maybe. Or, is their intent to destroy any opportunity that Hezbollah may have to move in more ammo? I dunno. This all makes my head spin. I do, however, suspect that the dubya regime did, in fact, pop this mideast cork. Putting the fizz back in the bottle is just not possible. Something or someone is going to have to step up and say "enough".
Thanks for all your comments, everyone. My head is spinning.......
By
Dusty Dog, at
9:56 PM
Nan, you are more than welcome to visit my blog. What I present there is what I believe to be the truth... don't forget that 'the truth often hurts'. In this particular case I am in great pain.
By
Anonymous, at
6:50 AM
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