I haven't heard any bombings tonight. That could change.
The majority of people are angry with the IDF. Some are cheering them on.
In Beirut, people have stopped talking much about internal politics. In the regions, it's becoming more sectarian.
This evening, Hajj Abed, an old man from Saida who is regularly quoted on this blog as an example of Sunni sentiment in Lebanon, said, "What are they doing? What does Lebanon have to do with Haifa? Why strike Haifa? What's there for us? What will it accomplish?"
Contrarily, many in the Shia community are remaining loyal to the cause, but becoming ever more disheartened. Zeina, a Hezbollah supporter, claims she does not want the destruction of Israel. She supports Hezbollah for sectarian Lebanese issues and because of the legacy of the organization in her area. They helped her and her family when they needed the support most. She supports their policy objectives: to free the prison, and return the Shebaa Farms to Lebanon. She supports a Palestinian state. She supports a strong Lebanese state. She does not support te destruction of Israel, or taking the lives of Israeli civilians. However, the more Lebanese civilians are killed, the more faith she places in Hezbollah.
Zeina, and the Shia community, are in a tight bind. They need to have a major internal sect discussion about their goals for the nation. They need to hammer out the inconsistencies of supporting a strong state, while also supporting an independent, state-within-a-state militant Islamic party that commits aggressive acts against neighboring countries and places full allegiance in foreign governments. It's quite an awkward spot.
Nick, an American friend, is leaving the country because he worries what will happen when the fighting ends. There will be a lot of angry, unemployed people roaming around without homes. If the conflict doesn't end, how soon is it until they start kidnappings again? Most people argue that Hezbollah and other Lebanese parties won't kidnap foreigners, but he points out that Hezbollah's current position is based on the kidnapping of foreigners. It's a policy created by the Iranians and used effectively against Western governments.
There are no arms fights on the streets. There are no boots on the ground. If that happens, then anything can happen. The government will lose all control. It doesn't have much to begin with.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
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41 comments:
LP
Your has become a little more objective-congratulations. I presume you are feeling your situation is somewhat more stable. I am relieved for you.
Keep up the reporting. Input from all aspects is valuable at this time.
sorry- should read your reporting..
Zeina, a Hezbollah supporter, claims she does not want the destruction of Israel ?
Thats always been the name of the game.
What did they think all the missiles coming in from Iran and Syria were for ?
There seems to be a strange disconnect with you Lebenese ?
Reality settles in finally ?
Will Zenia divorce herself from this group whose number 1 goal has always been the same as the President of Iran's LOUDLY stated goal od destroying Israel ?
Hajj Abed is now also wakeing up to the determined goal of Nasrallah and Hezbollah which he state clearly in his speech today ?
It's has if much of Lebanon has been in a fog ,a delusion that all was well with the good works and religious zeal of the cancer in their midst.
Now that the cancer has metasticized and spread to the terminal patient and so many of you in Lebanon only now think of discussion and talks with the patient to heal him ?
I think the bombs have not yet waken some of you from the delusion which envelopes Lebanon.
You made a deal with the devil and now hell has arrived to recieve the payment due.
WWIII has begun in Lebaonon .What a tragic legacy for an otherwise good people settled for this deal with the devil.
Haj ;
What does Lebanon have to do with Haifa? Why strike Haifa? What's there for us? What will it accomplish?"
GO ASK HEZBOLLAH !
hello lebanonise , i really try to think why you let hizzballa control youre destination and lead you to this distruction ,if you really want to damege israel so you do well , if ou want to live so you do bad , israel will be dameges its true but you will not live , so,,, i ask my self , which man prefer to not live ???
Zeina is a bloody liar, unfortunately. Her Jew-hatred has been pretty evident in other blog comments.
i am not here to accuse anyone, i am just here to congratulate you LP for all the posts you've made in the past 5 days. i am a Lebanese/U.S citizen now studying in the U.S... while the rest of my family is there struggling with you. i started blogging a while ago on elasmar.blogsopt.com but my studies have sucked me in so much that i can only read right now and have very little if no time to post anything. My dad is being stubborn now and is refusing to evacuate with the U.S embassy so it is kind of hard to cope with that. all my friends have fled to faraya or faqra stating that these are the safest places in lebanon until this moment... I hope this nightmare will end soon and i promise all of you that we WILL REBUILD Lebanon. you can quote me on that. we've done it before and we'll do it again. But this time it's gonna be different. believe it or not hizbollah is facing its end, whether internationally or intranationally. what we need right now is to stand together just like the american people did after 9/11. we need to show our patriotism towards OUR LEBANON and not anyone else's. i have so much to say but when i look at my MCAT books i remember what i am here for.
De Oppresso Liber
Godspeed people.
I'm so saddened by the pictures from Lebanon, it looks ruined. Seeing all the foreigners that lived in Lebanon leaving also demonstrate what was lost here.. It looked like Lebanon is finally returning to a state of a normal country, with people wandering the streets, laughing, meeting people from all over the world, enjoying life.. I hope it stops soon, I hope it won't create a generation that grows up on hatred. I wish... I wish...
I have no words to describe my wishes.
I hope people in both sides (Israeli and Lebanese) will still be able to understand they should live in peace, and that the actions of their governments or terrorists that hijacked their countries, don't represent the simple citizens that wish to live happily.. in prosperity..
There should be peace between the two countries! We should be able to visit one another, travel to eachother's country and not barge in, help eachother..
pfffff
Too much optimism for 4:03 am... and the TV is still on.. I think it stresses the dissonance... I better turn it off.
O,
Jerusalem, Israel.
First off, continued best wishes on your safety, and that of your family, friends, acquaintances, etc...
militant Islamic party that commits aggressive acts against neighboring countries and places full allegiance in foreign governments.
Does Lebanon not have any treason statutes?
I mean, aside for people who say nice things about Israelis. (Which I realize is an incredibly shrinking number right now)
Or is allegiance to Syria and Iran not considered treason because Syria is an Arab country and Iran is a Muslim country?
They don't really seem to have the best interests of Lebanon at heart.
i couldn't restrain myself without leaving another comment. i would just like to point something out for your dear friend zeina. Hizbollah gave her and her family support, just like many other families so that they would give it back in times like that... times that only the brainwashed don't realise that the distruction of their own coutry is partly (if not intirely) cause by the "supposed to be" resistance. i am apologizing beforehand if i offended anyone... but when you think that lebanon was at its peak this summer and was brought to its worst ever (propably) because of f*** miscalculations by their dearest Hezbollah. what is she showing support for? the millions of dollars worth of damage by the IDF & Hezbollah or let me guess... to the killing of innocent civilians by either one of them?
De Oppresso Liber
Godspeed.
It's war dude. Shit gets destroyed and people die until one side vanquishes the other...
I'm pro-Israel and think you're nuts to be cheering on the IDF. They are destroying your country. Stop analyzing the situation like you're sitting in some upper-crust neighborhood in Eurabia and go seek shelter somewhere so you don't get killed. Please... This is an all out war and the IDF doesn't give a shit what you or your ineffectual friends think right now. Why am I concerned for your safety when I'm pro-Israel? Because I think you're a nice well-meaning person and I don't want to see you get killed, that's why.
Plan to end this fiasco:
1- Hizb of Death hands over the 2 soldiers to UN
2- Israel stops bombing Lebanon
3- Hizb hands over rockets and all weapons to Lebanese army
4- Lebanese Army takes control over all of Lebanon
5- Israel releases Lebanese prisoners as a gesture of good will
6- Lebanon is saved from certain destruction
7- israel retracts form Shebaa Farms
The U.N. has declared Shebaa farms as the property of Syria. Why do you continue to say different? Even when the bombs are falling Ramzi wants to negotiate for more land. This is what they mean by overplaying your hand. The Hiz did it and now you want to do it. Hand over the soldiers and and ask for help in getting rid of Hiz. That is the best you are going to get in this negotiation.
8-Ahmadinejad flies to New York for a corned beef on rye, converts to Judaism.
Hezbollah's not giving up the soldiers.
If Hezbollah just green-lighted the destruction of Lebanon for Shebaa Farms, y'all are far dumber than you come across!
If Hezbollah really wanted this to stop, they have it in their power to stop it in a minute. It is obvious that this response by Israel and destruction in Lebanon is part of their strategy somehow. Hezbollah has it in their power to stop this today without significant loss overall.
What has absolutely fascinated me is the lack of any real concrete action by the Lebanese government. Are they afraid someone might get hurt if they confront Hezbollah? I fear many more will be hurt if they don't.
But again, all this nonsense could stop right this second but it appears to be in Hezbollah's interest to see it continue for some reason.
1. sheba farms are siryan. the un says so. syria says so. even israel says so.
2. hizbollah claims that until now they bombed only military targets. well, if i am not mistaken a granma and her grandson which were killed few days ago dont seem to be as idf soldiers to me...
if you follow thw reprts from israel in any media you would like, you could find easily the truth.
3. proud lebanon should puke out this terrorist group and find the inner stregth to rebuild itself without any outside interfeerence, not syrian nor israeli, palestinian or the current iranian puppet.
I want to say a few words on prisoner exchange, so that people who are not so familiar with the issue know what's going on. The Lebanese prisoner whose release is most important to Hisbollah (as stated by Hisbollah itself more than once) is Samir Quntar. For Hizbollah it is a matter of honor that he is released from Israeli jail, and kidnapping of Israelis is mostly justified by Hizbullah as means to release him.
For those who don't know what he did, please check out this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A2740-2003May17¬Found=true
If you still support "prisoner exchange" I'm sorry I don't think you are a decent human being.
I am an American with immediate family in Lebanon now hoping to get out. So far they are safe, thank God. I have been reading this blog for four days and have found it incredibly helpful in understanding the sad situation there. Today, my neice e-mailed me asking if I could explain what was going on in Lebanon and with Hez. My anwser to her is posted below. My apologies for the length but I would appreciate any thoughts folks may wish to share.
Niece -- As far as Lebanon and Isreal, I will try to offer my thoughts as best I can but really my perspective is limited.
Simply put, I believe there are is a growing willingness by Israel, the U.S. and radicals within the region to prosecute a broader war now. I think the major forces driving this desire are:
(1) the emerging threat of Iran to American and Israeli interests, coupled with their apparent quest for a nuclear program. We want to stop this and the Bush administration seems to have concluded a confrontation is inevitable. So by allowing Israel to act aggressively against Hezballah -- and by implicating Syria and Iran -- we are setting the stage for an expanded war to confront Iran and Syria as the chief sponsors of Hamas & Hezballah;
(2) the perceived weakness of the American military by radical islamic groups as a result of having survived quite well the 3 1/2 year attack of Iraq. Since they no longer fear the threat of American military, they seem more willing to provoke America and Israel and are now ready to start a war; and
(3) one goal of some radical groups is to create islamic governments in the Middle East or at least to rid the Middle East of western influences. Islamic radicals thrive in chaos and war and fractured societies. The greater instability, the better. If you want to recreate a society as an islamic republic -- say overturn the westernization of Lebanon -- the radicals are more than willing to begin with a war. Provoking Isreal to attack Lebanon is not a tragedy for Hezballah, even if they loose a thousand men. It is simply the necessary step to reach their ultimate goal.
So, based on these three forces, I believe the radicals are itching for a fight, do not fear war, and that both Israel and America seem more than ready to expand the war. From a domestic political stand point here in the US, the circumstances are being described in a manner suitable for the new, broader war, one that will be initiated by Isreal, a country that enjoys wide American support and that is, in the eyes of many, acting in self defense. The broader war therefore has a workable and necessary "explanation," (defense of Israel) that Americans can understand and support.
But, expanding the war in the Middle East would be disasterous. We seem to still cling to the discredited notion that if we can just put enough military pressure on the radical groups in the Middle East, they will re-think their willingness to commit violent acts. Another take on that same idea is that if we can kill enough of the radicals, they will eventually loose the capacity to hurt us, and the violence will stop because they simply won't have any way to act. The first idea is based on changing the minds of the radicals -- they will get sick of dying -- and just stop. The second idea is based on undermining their capacity to attack, even if they are still willing to die.
Neither one of these ideas is rationale. The aggressive use of military force will not reduce the willingness of radicals to commit violent acts against American or Israeli interests. I base this conclusion on the empirical evidence. Isreal has for more than 20 years aggressively responded to virtually every act of terror -- blowing up cars full of terror leaders, bulldozing the homes of the bombers or their families, retaliating with massive force. Yet, the number of attacks -- and more importantly, the willingness to attack -- does not diminish. In Iraq, we've invested three years and 130,000 troops to suppress terrorists acts and the problem grows worse almost daily. The most powerful weapon radical groups have is the willingness of their members to die and the belief in the rightousness of thier actions. By killing them, we simply reinforce what they already believe.
Well, some say, what if we just kill enough of them so they can't act? Some cling to the idea that terrorism continues because we have have been too restrained in our actions (This is the "Clinton was a weenie" argument and Bush I should have finished the job in the first Gulf War). Even if we were able to side-step the moral problems of an American extermination campaign -- there can be no reasonable expectation that such an action would succeed. First, you cannot kill them all because they are not lined up in lines like so many German soldiers. The live and exist in the midst of a community, virtually invisible. In Iraq, where our forces can't determine who's a "terrorists" and who is not. The use of indiscriminate force (there is no way to be sure your only killing the "guilty") further radicalizes the population, creating more "terrorists." Second, and most importantly, radical Islamic thought -- like other fundementalist ideologies -- has been around for in one form or another for centuries. Killing its current practitioners will not make this set of beliefs go away. Period.
The answer to the problem is not military action. Unfortunately, we seem to completely lack the capacity, willingness, and creativity to develop a more multifaceted political, diplomatic, economic and social approach. The cynics set up an easy dichotomy by saying the only other option to a military-dominated approach is to do nothing. They trumpet the incapacity of the UN to act and claim "We've tried diplomacy, it doesn't work." My response first is that the solution for a new approach has not been invented or tried. Our job is to figure it out and that begins by recognizing the limits of American military power to solve this problem and understanding the historic, political and economic forces driving radicalization of the region. Northern Ireland may be a useful example to study. The terror in Ireland did not end by military force but through the political process. Second, if Bush continues to win the political debate and convinces Americans to "stay the course," I expect we are likely off to a broader war. In the end, though, we will be choosing to play into the hands of Hamas/Hezballah and we will be no closer to the desired result: a stable and possibly democratic Middle East and de-legitimized radical elements in the region.
So here is what I think is happening now. Hezballah in southern Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories are kicking off the broader war by taking direct, provocative actions against Israel. Predictably, Israel is taking the bait -- with clear implicit support from the US -- and is responding with a full scale strike against Lebanon. Meanwhile both Israel and the US are talking up the necessity of taking on Iran and Syria as the backers and supporters of Hamas and Hezballah. The is a tremendous mistake but the US is fine with this general direction.
If and when the war is widened into Iran and Syria, it will occur as "an act of self defense" initiated by Israel. We will join the fight as a solemn but regrettable duty to our allies, Israel. So keep an eye out for the triggering event. This is the context within which that effort will arise.
Anyway, that's what I think about what's going on.
anon 8:14
The problem with this your post is that we HAVE negotiated with everyone. How do you negotiate with people whose only wish is to kill all of us? What do you give them so that they put aside their way of life and religion so that they no longer wish to kill you? Golf clubs? A new car? Another problem is that again, people confuse what the U.S. does in Iraq, with what it is capable of doing. Right now the U.S. is fighting for democracy in another country but soon it will be fighting for our own country. If Iran gets the bomb, you can bet there will be no consideration for civilians.
I just don't get it, at all. This war blew up out of nowhere and is turning into something that is not necessary and out of control. It seems that Lebanon is pretty cool, but, why on Earth does this country allow a terrorist organization have all of this control in the South, which is causing the destruction of Lebanon? Lebanon needs to chase Hezbollah out of their country before more and more die and the country gets closer to being leveled. Beirut is such a beautiful city and I was actually looking into a visit there soon, because it seems like it had been getting more safe and modern. Hezbollah sure blew that, didn't they?!
I just hope that the longer this goes on the more Lebanese Christians, Druze, and Sunni stand up to Hezbollah and protest in the streets and say they don't represent them. Then there can be peace with Israel- not a friendship- if you don't want it but a permanet end to ceasefires.
anonymous, long poster 8:14 PDT -- I really wish you had chosen some sort of name so that I could at least address you and differentiate you from all the other anonymi out there... :)
In any case, thanks for the thoughtful post. Don't agree with some fundamental assertions, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
It's easy to say that we need to come up with something that hasn't been invented yet. I agree! But right now there's a virulent ideology out there that's trying to assemble something that's already been invented and shown to be pretty dangerous.
So a serious question for you. Can the non-military solution be invented before Iran gets the bomb, or do you not think that the latter is even an obstacle?
JH IN Louisiana
Good luck I have enjoyed your blog. I pray for your safety. This situatiion generally sucks. I recognize that the Lebaonese Govt cannot disarm Hezbollah. That is just the facts and yelling at Lebanese telling them to do it isn't going to change facts.
I pray that Israel takes out Hezbollah and the Government iin Lebanon is still standing at the end of this.
Ramzi,
The Shebaa farms are just several building owned by some people living inside (this is a half of an Israeli-Lebanese village). I wonder, did anyone asked THEM what they want?
Or it's just imperial appoach: give me my land and I do not care about people living there?
Some people just don't get it. There are nuts (maybe they're not nuts) like Achmedinejad and his co-religionists who want one of two things: 1) to destroy Israel; or 2) to die trying. That's why there Hezb'allah has missles -- missles!, not artillery shells -- in Lebanon. It was one thing to run a few raids, toss off some arty, etc., when the PLO would masturbate, but those days are over. It's the top card on "Who wants to Kill the Jews". Israel finally realizes this, which is why three things will happen: 1) Israel will isolate and kill Hezb; 2) Israel will take some kind of military action against Syria; and 3) there will never be a Palestinian state outside of Jordan. Some say Arafat pissed away that opportunity. No. He was never given that opportunity because he wanted the destruction of Israel. So it ends with the destruction of Syria, (hopefully) an internal revolt in Iran, and Arab countries agreeing to take in the "Palestinians". I'm not saying it should be this way (though I believe it), I'm saying it will be this way because the die is cast.
(nice Jewish Boy)
Uh, the chuchum woke up...
The anonymous person who gave the long analysis above.
There are quite a number of points which I would contend with in your post. I will try to keep it short and simple.
1) In the past history this planet, examples of negotiatied solutions that held and were ultimately successful in meeting all parties needs when terrorists found a lever point (hostages, hostilities, etc) simply do not exist. That is, the creative solutions tried, and argued for, simply did not work against those with an all-consuming ideological bent.
2) In the past history this planet, examples of armed solutions that held and were ultimately successful in meeting some parties needs when terrorists found a lever point (hostages, hostilities, etc) do exist, and comprise the vast majority of "solutions". They are unpalatable. They are horrible. Ask the Romans if they have heard from the Carthaginians recently.
What I am saying is that sadly, it is impossible to negotiate peace with someone whose ideology demands your death. Such is Hezbullah. They set up an "us vs them" situation where you have no choice but to play their game or accept their solution for you.
If you are dealing with rational beings, it is possible usually to find a middle ground. That is when negotiation can work.
The set of all possible negotiated solutions which leaves both Hezbullah and Israel existing in peace is null. It does not exist. Hezbullah, like the vast majority of other terrorist organizations does not act with its self interest, or the interests of its people in mind. It acts purely out of ideological considerations, and out of instructions from its puppet masters. Such actions usually carry an extraordinarily heavy price for supporters of such organizations.
So we have collectively a choice. We can allow Hezbullah to continue to operate in Lebanese soil until they finish their job, or we can completely and absolutely destroy them. No other solution is possible or meaningful, as Hezbullah acts neither intelligently nor rationally, only ideologically.
Lebanon is paying a huge price for not dealing with them, for not removing them. They had a choice between evils, and they chose to do nothing. Hezbullah dragged them into a war. Sadly the Lebanese chose to be angry at the response to the provaction and not to the Hezbullah aggressors. All Lebanon had to do is to tell the Israelis that they would deploy their army to the north and east, cordon off Hezbullah, prevent supplies from getting through, and allow Israel to destroy them for Lebanon. This was not done.
No, peace is with Hezbullah is not an option, as it is both oxymoronic and impossible. Cessation of hostilities before Hezbullah is no longer operational is not an option.
We will collectively only get peace when the ideological elements are neutralized. Israel has no designs, never did, on Lebanese soil. All it ever wanted was to be left in peace. War was forced upon it. The only path to peace is now to destroy the aggressors, eliminate any operational capability they have, and decapitate them. After that, Israel can impose peace. It has already set the terms.
Thanks everyone for the comments on my long post. I was trying to make 2 points: (1) that the dynamics are in place on all sides for an expanded war; and (2) that an expanded war will not produce a decisive result that quiets the region.
The fact that we cannot see an alternative to an expanded war is not evidence that the war is the best or only option. It is evidence of our failure as a human community to do something better. I know many are "tired" of talking or trying to forge peace through negotiations but in comparison to the effort, energy, and resources that will go into an expanded war, which is the more difficult path?
There are a couple of important barriers to finding an alternative to an expanded war. First, war is not an unacceptable outcome for the major players in the region. Sure in some grand way, no one "wants" war, what with all the killing, misery, and the destruction of cities. But we have learned to live with these realities and so on we go.
Second, we have not yet grasped that the Middle East conflict is not played by the old rules of war. Oh, for the good old days when armies arrayed themselves in straight lines, everyone wore uniforms, and once a foe was vanquished surrender documents could be signed in grand ceremonies. Those old wars gave us decisive outcomes and clear winners. Peace bloomed in the aftermath. The current American administration and many others, naively succumb to the allure of this notion. That's what we (Americans, Israelis and Hezbollah) would like to happen in the Middle East -- a nice clean result -- either Israel (or Syria or Iran) is wiped off the face of the map or Hezbollah and similar groups are eliminated, forever! It is all a fantasy.
In the Middle East, Israel and the US are fighting what we call "terrorism." Terrorism is not a "thing" that can be located and pulled out like a weed; it is a practice that originates in a sense of profound injustice and desperation. It is an idea, a “feeling,” cultivated by subjugation and trauma and fed by the cycle of violence. This idea -- this willingness to strap on explosives and get on a bus -- rests quietly in the minds of men siting in cafes. We cannot kill the idea by killing the believer because ideas move through the ether without regard to bombs and jets and artillery.
It may be years from now, but eventually, after all the blood has been shed, a different solution may arise but only if we begin to confront the limits, even futility, of war or Jihad as solutions.
The couple of responders raised the obvious question: what else but war can be done in the face of a "virulent ideology" bent on the destruction of Israel? "They-are-nuts, reason does not work.” “What else can we give them, golf clubs?" This line of reasoning is a critical underpinning for an expanded war. It is a statement of hopelessness – some would argue realism -- so pervasive as to overwhelm any other option but war.
My or your limitations in describing an alternative to war are obvious enough. But until we escape the fantasy that war and Jihad are solutions and begin the hard work of a new realism that has some chance of producing peace, we will have none.
I am an American Journalist for the Washington Post writing about Lebanese bloggers and I found your posts to be incredibly moving. I would like to know more about the authors if that's possible--my email is quinlana@washpost.com, please get in touch with me as soon as you can.
Well, I am trying to make some sense of this and not sure if I am succeding. In the end, I am more pessimistic than I care to admit and I fear my appeal for a different approach will take me further and further away from views of my fellow Americans. I am really trying to contend with the idea that any alternative to war is a naive pipe dream. Is it really? Are we destined to fight endlessly in the Middle East? Is there truely a scenario that if we -- the Americans and Isrealis -- just kill enough of the right people, all this violence will end?
What is more nieve and unrealistic than the search for a new way is the expectation that a decisive war can be fought and won that will calm the Middle East. There is no reasonable basis for this belief.
My first blog post.
Not planning on being a regular.
What I will say is I'm very sad that these events have happened. I have no sympathy for Hezbollah, which provoked this tragedy by crossing an Internationally recognized border and taking two soldiers hostage, killing others. This was totally unacceptable.
What was missed by their planners was Ehud Olmert's need to prove he's tough. Lebanon knows Sharon. Lebanon feared Sharon because he has been involved in frightful harm to Lebanon when he exceeded government guidelines 24 years ago. He was a general, who carefully cultivated his image as a madman. He was not, but fear of his rash actions was part of what kept the peace during his 5 year run as Israeli PM.
So now Olmert is in charge, with no military credentials to speak of and he has to prove something. He has to prove he's tougher than Sharon. So now he's saying he won't stop until our two soldiers are released and Hezbollah is put 20 miles from the border.
As crazy at that seems, he believes he can achieve this goal.
I commend the people of Lebanon. They suffered so much from their own strife and Israel's intervention and the inerference of Syria and Iran. In 2005 they stood up to Syria and kicked them out. This was amazing and I listened to this news on the edge of my seat with excitement.
Now there is only one thing left, free yourselves of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. Kick them out next. Don't be afraid, Bush is on your side, just as before when US forces took a threatening posture in Iraq during the 2005 revolution.
Got question for you. Do you need the two Israeli soldiers you took? Do they do you any good when faced with an Israeli PM who wants to be tougher than John Wayne? Kick them lose, report their location to Israeli forces so they can get them out. At that point there will be enormous pressure on Israel to stop. I think under those circumstances Olmert will have to stop.
Don't play Olmert's game. He is using the soldiers as an excuse to wipe out Hezbollah infrastructure. Don't play Hezbollah's game, they clearly don't care about you Lebanon.
Take a stand and end your suffering forever. Let Olmert pick on someone his own size.
Shmuel from Jerusalem, Israel
Hey this is interesting:
http://info.jpost.com/C006/Supplements/war.images/
Anyone notice how all the missile pics as you scroll forward are the same.
Maybe thats why nobody can find them, we don't have good pics?
Trying to laugh so I don't cry.
Shmuel
Shumeul from Jerusalem:
"This was totally unacceptable"
Please enlighten me. What do you do when something is "totally unacceptable"?
Nasrallah is going to get those 70 virgins pretty soon.
Then everything will stop, and the left in Israel will once again surrender. Just like they did in Gaza after Sheikh Yassin was rewarded with his 70 virgins
with very few exceptions I 'm sory to say that most comments here are truly disappointing; I don't e=underestimate your emotions bu tit seems like a case of emotions and difficult situations bringing th eworst in people insted of the best. Many of the statement drip with scary sectarian perspective or pathertic and self-righteous support for Israel or this or that party. I fined it most unnatural that some people can go on and on blaming Hizbullah and demonizing anythnig and anybody related to it but have no balls to voice ONE BRAVE CRITICISM of the state of Israel, the very state that is raining death and destruction on them and their country. Whatever youthink of Hizbullah, I find this level of sectarianism truly sickening; that you're cheeering the slaughter of your own people by Israel and all youcan do is go back and forth to bloame Hizballh!! But again, may be youdon't see them as your own people; your people is just your sect, and anything outside of it is fare game. With this attitude no wonder you had tofight each other for decades and I wonder if you'll ever have astate thaat is wiorth its name. and those commentators who seem to see nothing wrong with what Israel is doing, even when it;s clear that the iDF is targetting civilians people and structures, I say you make me sick; youlost the moral ground (if you ever had it) and yu're cheering the killing of civilians. Evenif you win militarly or politically, you just succeeded inmaking a whole new generation of enemi=es for the next extremist group inthe area.
For those of you with aid in mind, please visit
this Lebanese Relief collection;
http://www.theworldisdoingnothing.com/
I just read your post. I'm not an israeli or a leabanese for that matter...i hate what is happening to you and your people right now. But hav hope. God wouldn't give you this certain trial if he didn't think you'd get through...
i hope you get this response..
i'm thinking and praying for you and everyone else
=D
After Condoleezza Rice left Lebanon today ... get the picture:
http://www.cmylebanon.com/images/albums/userpics/10158/PM%20Siniora%20,%20Sayyid%20Nasrallah%20and%20Mr.jpg
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