Israel will negotiate for the release of two soldiers whose capture by Hezbollah militants on July 12 sparked the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said. – AFP, August 13, 2006
Government spokesman Gideon Meir said Israel wanted the soldiers returned "immediately without any precondition — no negotiation." – CNN, July 12, 2006
As we lurch toward a cessation of hostilities, it is worth asking if all the death and destruction was worth it? Israel is pulling out all stops right now before the ceasefire to try to save Ehud Olmert’s job. Hezbollah is gleefully firing its rockets into Israel before the clock runs out. Over a 1000 Lebanese civilians dead, over 100 Israeli soldiers dead, nearly 50 Israeli civilians dead, Lebanon in shambles. Was it worth it?
I have stated my reasons in previous posts for why I think this was a strategic blunder for Israel here, here and here. What do you the reader think?
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1219037.ece
Got this link from zazou’s blog. I have to agree to what Robert Fisk said in this article.
It seems that there will be more for these people to endure, even with this “cease-fire”.
From my personal point of view, I see as Hezbollah, being the one and only, real defender of lebanon, not its destroyer. At least, they do stand to defend their people unlike the Lebanese army, lol, how the hell do an invading force, capture a barrack with defending soldiers in it without the soldiers resisting.:-?
I have not checked out any of the links yet, (it’s gonna be 102F, I need to get the kids out of the house, they’re already cooped up) BUT..I have been of the frame of mind that this was Israel doing the US’ bidding in order to create a larger conflict. From the ground up, it looks like the usual tit for tats (pardon my english), but stepping away and looking at the bigger picture, I believe that the US is still hoping to neutralize Iran (and will do anything to put more fear into the Israelis) and will use Israel to do so. This was a proxy squirmish (sp?). Of course, the Bush administration does not care about its own military being in harms’ way, why would they care about Israel? As much as I have not believed in Israel as a country, I actually am starting to believe that now it is in danger not from the Muslim factions around it, but from the US who has Israel on a veritable payroll (billions in economic and military aid, gotta pay that off some way), and will require Israel to fight for them. If only the Israelis will be smart enough (well, the ones who make the decisions) not to engage in this kind of exchange. As most Europeans know, or anywhere else where they’ve seen this over and over again; you cannot fight a conventional war against guerilla warfare. Now, the egos will suffer for a while, and hopefully, we’ll be spared a greater conflict in the future. The likes of John Hagee surely hope to expedite it..
this was a close call,
Ingrid
4 weeks and 1000 dead and many more homeless. No thing could be worth that. Ehud Olmert has been doing a “tony blair” on his country and look where it got Israel (I fully agree with Ingrid). The quagmire of guerilla warfare is ahead for them until when (or even if) the UN has its troops there.
Taysiir, Hezbollah is not defending the Lebanon. It destabilizes the country, as requested by Iran and Syria. It is time to accept, that violence leads to desaster and death. There is only one solution to this conflict and that’s talking to your enemies, hearing them out and trying to get an acceptable solution, which helps the people there lead peaceful lives. And that goes for both sides.
Think about israeli mothers burying their children, whose only crime was to have coffee in the bar where the suicide bomber hit.
Think about the lebanese mothers burying their children, whose only crime was living in the wrong neighborhood where a hezbollah stronghold was suspected to be.
Think about the palestinian mothers who see the faces of their sons on these awful martyr’s videos.
Is it really worth it? Is this defending one’s country?
It breaks my heart to even think about it.
I won’t boast about being well documented about hezbollah, Doro. All the information I know, are from G.Galloway interview, where, he stated, about Israel occupation of S.Lebanon, the creation of Hezbollah, how Hezbollah pushed Israel out of S.Lebanon, also, about the continuity, of Israel incursion behind the build line, as reported in UN reports.
Thats all the information I have, thats why I see Hezbollah, as the “good” people, fighting to defend their homeland. Whether or not they are linked to Iran, aint really an issue, meh I forgot about anti-semitic comments, the US do provide all sort of weapons to Israel, even nukes, so where is the harm in weapons transaction from iran to hezbollah. O, yeah, They are “terrorists”.
http://www.freewebs.com/bintyounus/
Thats a website I discovered recently, like 2-3 hours ago, about the whole Israel – Palestino conflict, since the very beginning till now, a decent neutral, point of view, on the whole aspect of the situation. I still have shivers, about the gruesome situation in palestine, the way these people are being treated. I just hope, that Lebanon won’t end like that.
I agree to what you said though, talk to your enemies, but remember, the US policy is, we don’t negotiate with “Terrorists”. The whole “We want to eliminate hezbollah, they are a terrorist” don’t really work, imo. Hezbollah, whether you want it or not, can be recreated, in any part of the whole, even if Nasrallah is defeated, Same name/same ideology. But I fear, that there is some other thing, going on, behind all these “Skirmishes”. But, I think, we should just think with what is going on right now …
I morn the death of Israelis/Lebanese civillians, but don’t expect me to morn about a soldier life, he is the one pulling the trigger, whether an IDF or Hezbollah soldier.
” .. behind the blue line .. ” Correction to line 5 :”>
Taysiir,
I will take the time to look up the links you provided. It will take some time, though, because I will be offline for a couple of days shortly. I’ll let you know what I think about it. Yes, let’s talk. We should be able to, if politicians aren’t.
I’m sorry, if I was a little sharp in my comment, but thinking about war always does that to me.
For creation and recreation of violent groups, reread Mash’s last post, he says it all.
Doro, I agree…there’s nothing about this war (or 99% of wars) that’s good. Suffering, starvation, and misery are the only products, and these only breed more hate.
Taysiir, I agree with a lot of your sentiments, particularly on this latest Israeli Lebanese adventure. However, don’t forget that this isn’t simply a one-sided story. There have been provocations on both sides, and there will be more. The solution is not to say this group or that one MUST WIN for the sake of justice; I think it is that both sides must win for the sake of peace. Until the constant provocations from BOTH SIDES stop, the bleeding will continue. I think it’s time for the rest of the world to say, “we’re washing our hands of both of you. Until you can grow up and play nice, you’re all on your own.” How long can the IDF continue to fire missiles from helicopters if the US and EU defense industries no longer supply the parts and ammo? How long can Hizbullah continue to fire missiles if Iran and Syria no longer supply them? Not very long. Let’s see how long the mideast conflict lasts (and how deadly it is) when both sides are fighting with rocks and two-by-fours. I think the extremists on both sides would be so terrified of the prospect of a “disadvantage,” they would be forced to deal in a serious way with words, not just weapons. But that can’t happen with missiles and bullets flying in both directions…it just can’t.
This was not worth it, and from what I heard on CNN this afternoon there are still skirmishes between Israel and Lebanon after the cease-fire.
This question can be asked for all things in life. When this question is asked about a war then the answer is always no. War is never justified because war only begins because some leader has a big ego or wants something for himself. $-) These people never think about the people they attack. If they did then they wouldn’t attack in the first place.
BTW, has there ever been a war that was started by a woman? If yes then please replace himself with him/herself. 😉
yeah Taysiir, I watched Galloway’s commentary and read his views on the middle eastern politics. He seems to have been closely associated with the region for a long time. I also got to catch Ahmedinejad on CBS 60 minutes.
It appears like talks would be the way to go forward for US. direct talks with Iran and not through some European mediation. Richard Holbrooke appears to be suggesting precisely that in the Washington post a week back. Search “Guns of August”.
At the present moment though everything that neocons complained about before the war seems to be true after it: Syria is emboldened, Iran is, so is Egypt and Jordan in its streets and so is Indonesia and other muslim countries.
Just in the same way they created the terrorists after invading Iraq hoping to find them before the invasion.