Friends in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and London tell me it's very difficult finding a seat on a plane back to Lebanon.
In fact, it's difficult getting a seat on a flight to Jordan, from which one can then fly to Lebanon.
This may be outdated information, but I'm told that the Israelis are only allowing flights from Amman, Jordan to Beirut; thus severely restricting air traffic.
Obviously, all of these tickets are being booked last minute.
What surprises me is the spirit of the people returning. Many don't seem to understand what just happened. So many Christians, Sunnis, and Druze are just trying to re-start their regular lives. Their main concern is repairing bridges and electrical grids.
The Shia are desperate to repair what was destroyed. They are quite conscious that another attack could occur, but there are too many opinions coming in to make any sense of what is going on in the Shia community. Some Shia are more circumspect, but I think this is because my sampling is entirely anecdotal.
As Lebanese bloggers have been saying for so years, Lebanese do not fully appreciate their power in the democratic system. They leave it to their leaders to make decisions for the nation. There is little civic activity outside of one's village.
So, it is not surprising that Lebanese citizens have not quite grasped what has happened and are not calling for political upheaval.
It's amazing how much power the people give to their politicians. They will die for the people they elect. It's the elected leaders that will cause changes to occur. The only way to truly fire up a Lebanese community is to kill their leader. Only then will they take massive retributive action.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
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I can't find seats to Lebanon :(
In regards to the political upheavel... what are u thinking of?
Just booked my seat. Plane was empty (aug. 28).I'm happy to come home.
Lebanon is in a "Gridlock" situation right now, still hijacked by Hezbollah's agenda, Israel's sellfish interests, the US mis-understanding of issues, Lebanese policians impotency, Syrian intransigeance, Iran's stubborness, etc...All are bad are signs...where is the light at the end of tunnel?
The worst thing is that both sides (Hezb and Israel) now think they can win a war, so although I don't wish it for a second, more trouble is looming ahead, unless something spectacular happens to lower the temperature.
REPORT TO IOL ON LEBANON
In the current all-out Israeli offensive, Lebanon is being destroyed, its civilians paying the price in blood.
You are invited to report to IslamOnline.net the impact of the Israeli bombings on Lebanon.
Send us text, photos, video footages, and audio recordings. Submit any material you wish to provide to: report_4_iol@islamonline.net or iolcj@iolteam.com or report4iol@yahoo.com.
All authentic material on Lebanon's casualties and devastation is much needed.
Make sure to provide us with as much information as available on the material you send — including the exact location and time of occurrence of what you are reporting on. If you did not experience the events first-hand, provide the sources from which you got your information.
Our aim is to collect and record as much authentic material as possible to help validate and document the truth of the real situation in Lebanon.
For those of you who wish to send pictures of, decapitated heads of israelis, imad mugniyah's torture victims, and bodies of 'collaborators', please send them to hizbo ministry of propaganda at Josefgoebbels.com
we need your input.
ankh, you forgot to mention Adnan Hajj, he should be a good source of relevant photographic footage. Some of it might even be real!
Excellent observation, Charles.
I've been reading more and more commentary in the blogosphere about the Lebanese people "not getting it" (for lack of a better wording).
I tend to agree. For things to really change for the better (and i am a firm believer that we currently have a golden opportunity for that), the Lebanese people need to be a lot more engaged. Our political leadership has shown to be tentative at best (and incompetent at worst) and incapable of taking the bold steps needed to move forward, namely, taking a stand, instead of the wishy-washy rethoric they seem to bask in.
Until the Lebanese make their feelings known and demand more from their leaders, I'm afraid we won't get very far.
THROUGHOUT THE WAR I SUPPORTED HIZBALLAH AGAINST THE ENEMY ISRAEL. MY THEORY IS THAT EVENTHOUGH I CANNOT STAND HIZBALLAH, I STILL THINK THAT BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO A FOREIGN OPPRESSOR. YES SOME OF YOU WILL SAY HIZBALLAH IS IRANIAN AND ALL THAT BLAH BLAH BLAH BULLCRAP. WELL NO THEY ARE NOT IRANIAN THEY ARE AS LEBANESE AS ME. IN THE CIVIL WAR I THOUGHT ON THE ISRAELI SIDE AS A FIGHTER FOR THE LF. NOW THAT IM OLDER I LOOK BACK AND THINK ABOUT THE LEBANESE CIVIL WAR AND THINK WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? ALL THE MILITIA LEADERS THAT FOUGHT IN THE WAR ARE BACK IN POWER. OVER 150 000 DEAD FOR NOTHING AND LEBANON CAME OUT OF THE WAR WORSE OFF THEN IT WAS, WITH SYRIAN CONTROL AND 2 ARMED MILITIAS, THE PALESTINIANS AND HIZBALLAH. MY VIEW IS HIZBALLAH IS TOO STRONG, TOO POWERFUL FOR ANYONE TO FORCIBLY DISARM THEM. AND I REALLY DO NOT WANT ANOTHER CIVIL WAR. YES ITS NOT FAIR THAT THE SHI3A IN LEBANON ARE ARMED AND NOBODY ELSE IS. BUT TO BE HONEST THERES NO ONE THAT CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT USING FORCE. WE HAVE TO TALK WITH THEM SENSIBLY, WE NEED TO BRIBE THEM SOMEHOW WHETHER ITS WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY. PROBABLY SAUDI MONEY THRUGH THE HARIRI CONNECTION, OR ULTIMATELY GIVE IN TO WHAT HIZBALLAH AND ALL THE SHI3A OF LEBANON REALLY WANT, AND THATS MORE POLITICAL POWER. YES ITS SAD THAT MORE AND MORE AS TIME PASSES BY THE CHRISTIANS OF LEBANON ARE LOSING THEIR GRASP ON THE PRESIDENCY. BUT TO BE HONEST IF GIVING THE SHI3A OF LEBANON MORE POLITICAL POWER MEANS THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE ANOTHER CIVIL WAR WELL IM WILLING TO TAKE THAT CHOICE. DEEP INSIDE OF ME I BELIEVE THAT LEBANON WILL NEVER BE AT PEACE, TOO MANY RELIGIONS IN A VERY SMALL PLACE. WE ARE DOOMED FOR EVER. ANOTHER CIVIL WAR WILL PROBABLY START IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS, MANY PPL WILL DIE. THE WAR WILL LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS THE WARING PARTIES WILL STOP WHEN THEY GET TIERED OF FIGHTING. NO POSITIVE RESULT WILL COME FROM THE WAR. WE WILL BE BUSY REBUILDING THE COUNTRY ONCE AGAIN FOR 20 YEARS. AND ANOTHER WAR WILL START AGAIN. I WRITE THIS WITH SADNESS AND TEARS JUST THINKING ABOUT MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, WHICH IS BEING TURNED INTO THE LAND OF BLOOD AND TEARS. IN MY HEART THERE IS STILL A LITTLE FLAME GLOWING. THIS FLAME IS CALLED ''HOPE'' THIS FLAME IS WHAT KEEPS ME GOING AND HOPING THAT ONE DAY THIS SMALL SMALL HEAVEN ON EARTH CAN LIVE IN PEACE AT LAST.
The news does not look good!
I have heard some christians have a bad feeling about staying now after being there for years and through the worst of the this last episode.
Have you heard about some of the night raids that have been threatning the christians to leave!
Its really bad news considering so many who have helped during the crisis in shelters and else where.
I pray moderate voices get louder in Lebonon or its just going to be worse!
blessings,
enriqueta
nice post dude.
One has to fight for what is REALLY WORTH. We have to force our leaders to slowly but surely stand up to Nasrallah. He is going to BURY us all in this Iranian crap. Our shia citizens know it too. As somebody else said.:who won , who lost? is of no importance. Let's get rid of Nasrallah who destroyed Lebanon. Let's stop blaming Israel. Let's take responsibility and fight to create a Lebanon where all can live in peace and prosper. Nasrallah is VERMIN........ and he used Lebanon the same way Iran used him...............
Bye the way women may LOVE THIS:
Subject: Al Jazeera television RELAVANT
The woman is Wafa Sultan, an Arab-American psychologist from Los Angeles.
http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=null
__________________________________________________
Considering that Hezbolla scored
a great victory what is all this concern about Lebanese deaths???
When a "great victory" is achieved
1100 Dead and 2 Billion in destruction is a small price.
Just ask Assad of Syria and
Iranian president
and Nasarallah
if attack which killed 8 Israelis
and captured two was worth it !!!
They are three wondefull impressive
leaders
their opinions are well worth it.
Man you Muslims are too much ...
you start wars and then cry when
people start getting killed ...
Nasarallah claims a great victory ... Shia all proclaimed support for Hezbolla ...
So I repeat DO NOT WHINE LIKE
BABIES when a few thousand get killed ... Hezbolla launched
4000 Rockets at Israeli cities
what the hell do you people expect???
And you Iranians out there ...
so damn proud of your leaders...
the "Supreme Leader" Ha Ha
what a load of crap ...
I thought in Islam all men were equal under God ???
Same with Bin-Laden "the sheik"
I mean whats with this ...
Hell, Muslim Leaders are more
un-Islamic then western leaders!!!
Threatening terrorist attacks against Americans ... Do you really
want a terror cell to kill
say 10,000 New Yorkers ... do you ???
You know what it means ???
It means Tehran in its entirety
IN FLAMES
Lebanese want peace ... you want to re-build ??? Then
make damn sure Hezbolla does not start another war ...
You think Israelis targeted civilians ???
Well if there is a next time
you will actually see civilians being targeted
Some time this fall get out in the streets and demand a peace treaty with Israel ... if your neighborhoods get bombed point the finger at Hezbolla and the world will rally to your side
You had large demonstrations before .... Demonstrate for a permanent internationally recognized peace treaty with
the Israelis ... demand that negotiations begin say Sept1
and push for a solution by next year ... then you will have something to celebrate!!
3500 Iraqi civilians dead in July... at the HANDS OF OTHER
MUSLIMS ... NOT A JEW IN SIGHT ...
Face reality recognize the true
Horror !!!
There's no place like home. These people's roots have been deeply imbedded that it would take more than the present state to drive them away permanently.
Looking for a good Syrian General
hello fellow lebs,, sad to see so many of you who blame hizbullah for the war... cant u see it was pre-planned,like all wars are ,and not the result of an adventure... 2ndly, i recently saw a documentary showing how a third building in the 9-11 attack came down without a plane even touching it ( make your own conclusion).. 3rd, the plane terror plot -recent- came the day the U.N was coming out with the resolution and a day after joe lieberman lost in U.S elections (i.e: lame publicity stunt by the bush adminst.) ...
4th,, The U.S controls a big portion of the Middle east and its oil , now they want to control us ,and impose their will via their evil sly JOHN BOLTON and his ugly moustache.. Its obvious Israel controls America aaaand its sad to see how the most evil country in the world has the most power.. finally,, our leaders and you people who elect them,from berri to lahoud,to jumblat to harriri are taking the country down, each leader aims to gain for his own people ,disregarding the country,,we need new leaders ,we need a new electoral system...
Ciao .
if the usa wanted to control the middle east, they could have done this a long time ago.
the fact that they never did conquer your country tells you that they are not evil.
so, quit spreading all the lies.
ANONYMOUS,
EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS CONQUERED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BY THE USA. THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE WAY TO CONQUER OR CONTROL A COUNTRY. SOLDIERS WITH WEAPONS IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. YES THE USA GOVERNMENT IS THE MOST EVIL MONEY HUNGRY BLOODTHIRSTY GOVERNMENT IN THE WORLD. THATS A FACT. YOU KNOW IT, I KNOW IT, THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS IT.
PPL LIKE BINLADEN, NASRALLAH, ZARQAWI, ASSAD,KIM SUNG, AHMADINEJAD ARE YOUR BEST ALLIES. THEY GIVE YOU THE BEST EXCUSE TO CONTINUE YOUR BLOOD THIRSTY WORLD DOMINATION. YOU HAVE NO LOYALTIES TODAYS ALLY IS TOMORROWS ENEMY AND TOMORROWS ENEMY WILL BECOME YOUR ALLY. WATCH OUT ALSAUD, MUSHARAF, TALIBANI, ETC ETC YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED BECAUSE YOU PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE EVIL BLOOD THIRSTY UNGRATEFUL AMERICAN REGIMES HAND.
LF,
It's that kind of mentality that's keeping the Middle East chained down by extremism.
The US has not conquered any country in the Middle East (not even Iraq).
You weren't complaining about US influence during the Cold War because you understood the dynamic. The US has influence, but the local country also has influence. The same goes for most countries in the Middle East.
If you want the US to leave you alone, then pull out of the international system (which the US, by and large, defines). Take a page out Bhutan's book.
But that's not what Middle Eastern countries want. They want to take part in the international system, while remaining free of any outside interference.
Sorry, it doesn't work that way, as any Saudi oil minister, Lebanese minister of tourism, or Emirati minister of transporation will tell you.
CHARLES MALIK,
I DISSAGREE WITH YOU TOTALLY. I DON'T CONSIDER MYSELF AN EXTREMIST AT ALL. I'M CHRISTIAN, BUT I WAS SUPPORTING HIZBALLAH AGAINST THE INVADING ZIONIST ARMY. I'M CHRISTIAN BUT I SUPPORTED THE USA FRANCE AND SAUDI ARABIA WHEN I WANTED SYRIA OUT OF MY COUNTRY. IM CHRISTIAN AND I HAVE NO HATE FOR ISLAM OR JUDAISM. I'M ALSO CHRISTIAN AND I CONSIDER MYSELF AN ARAB UNLIKE ALOT OF CHRISTIAN LEBANESE. MY BEST FRIENDS ARE DRUZE SHIITES AND SUNNIS. I'M A GUY THAT DOES NOT WANT TO BE CONQUERED BY ANOTHER COUNTRY. CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT BUT DON'T SAY I'M AN EXTREMIST. YES I REPEAT WHAT I SAY ABOUT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS PLAN ON WORLD DOMINATION. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THEY WANT FOR EXAMPLE IN SAUDI ARABIAS CASE OIL, THEY WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THAT OIL. IF ALSAUD WAS NOT AMERICAN FRIENDLY THEN SAUDI ARABIA WOULD HAVE LONG TIME AGO BEEN UNDER DIRECT RULE FROM THE USA JUST LIKE IRAQ THEY WOULD HAVE INVADED DESTROYED THE COUNTRY AND SUCKED THE OIL DRY BY FORCE. AMERICA IS RUN LIKE A BUSINESS. ITS MONEY MONEY MONEY. MONEY MEANS POWER. POWER MEANS SURVIVING FOR A LONG TIME. IF IT MEANS KILLING, CONQUERING, OR ABUSING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP THEY WILL DO IT. I GUESS I WOULD DO THE SAME IF I WAS IN THEIR SHOES. WHY IS IT WRONG FOR THE TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN TO FORCE THEIR WOMEN TO COVER FROM HEAD TO TOE? THEY CALL IT ABUSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS BUT THEY TURN A BLIND EYE TO WHATS HAPPENING IN SAUDI ARABIA. ITS OK FOR SAUDIS TO BAN THEIR WOMEN FROM DRIVING, LEAVING THE COUNTRY WITHOUT THEIR MALE GUARDIANS CONSENT, WORKING IN SOME JOBS, GOING TO WATCH A FOOTBALL MATCH ETC... THATS ALL OK AND THE USA TURNS A BLIND EYE TO IT BECAUSE SAUDI ARABIA IS UNDER THEIR CONTROL AND THEY ARE BENEFITTING FROM THE SAUDI GOVERNMENT. WHY ISNT IT OK FOR IRAN TO HAVE NUCLEAR POWER? ARE THEY MORE CRAZY THAN ISRAEL? WE ALL KNOW THAT IRAN COULD NEVER NUKE ISRAEL ITS TOO CLOSE TO HOME. THE USA IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, NUCLEAR POWER IS THE ENERGY OF THE FUTURE. WHEN OIL BECOMES USELESS ONLY THE NUCLEAR STATES WILL BE IN CONTROL. THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN CONTROL US FOR A VERY LONG TIME TO COME. ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY, POWER AND SURVIVING AS THE ONLY SUPERPOWER INDEFINITELY. THATS THE AMERICAN AGENDA. NO I DONT WANT TO GET RID OF HIZBALLAH IN EXCHANGE FOR AMERICAN MASTERS. AT LEAST WITH HIZBALLAH THEY ARE LEBANESE. NO I DONT WANT TO MAKE PEACE WITH ISRAEL ON THE AMERICANS TERMS. I WANT AN INDEPENDANT PALESTINIAN STATE. I WANT THE RIGHT OF RETURN FOR ALL PALESTINIAN REFUGEES TOO. I DONT WANT AMERICA TO TWIST MY ARM INTO GIVING THE 400 000 PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON NATIONALITIES. THEY NEED TO GO HOME. ITS ABOUT TIME THEY DID. ITS ABOUT TIME ISRAEL AND THEIR AMERICAN LOVER TO RESPECT THE UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTIONS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN VIOLATING SINCE 1967. I WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH THE USA, BUT YOU CAN ONLY BE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE WHO RESPECTS YOU BACK. THEY DONT RESPECT US SO SCREW THEM. THE USA WILL MAKE A PACT WITH THE DEVIL IF IT WOULD BENEFIT THEM. ACTUALLY BUSH IS THE DEVIL HIMSELF. HE GOES TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY WHILE KILLING AND MURDERING THOUSANDS OF PPL. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE BASICS OF CHRISTIANITY OF TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE MESSAGE OF LOVE THAT CHRISTIANITY IS SUPPOSED TO SPREAD? THEY CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS? WELL THEY ARE NOT, THEY ARE SATAN'S FOLLOWERS AND SATAN IS THE DOLLAR BILL.
JUST LIKE THE USA IS PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM BUT WILL NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO TELL IT WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO RUN ITS OWN COUNTRY? WELL THE REST OF THE WORLD WANTS THE SAME. IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK TO BE THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN DESTINY? IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK TO HAVE OUR OWN WAYS AND TRADITIONS AND WANT TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THEM? YES WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU MR USA, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO LIVE AS SAUDIS, IRAQIS, LEBANESE, FRENCH, BRITISH, JAPANESE, CHINESE, ETHIOPIANS, ETC.... WE WANT OUR TRADITIONS. WE WANT TO BE INDEPENDANT AND WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE OURSELVES AND YOURSELVES RICH. JUST DO NOT TWIST OUR ARM AND HOLD A GUN TO OUR BACK AND EXPECT US TO GET ON OUR KNEES FOR YOU.
LF,
I will admit that I don't have time to read your whole diatribe. It's much more difficult to read quickly without paragraphs.
I thought "world domination" nonsense went out the window with Austin Powers, but it seems you and the Muslim extremists agree on it. (You don't need to defend your Christianity with me. I'm well aware that you're Christian, and am now aware of the religions of your friends).
It's just that it defies logic and powers of observation to say that the US is out to dominate the world and controls all the countries in the Middle East.
If what you say is true, why did it take the US so long to push Syria out of Lebanon? Why is Hezbollah still armed? Why does President Bush note that disarmament will take time (which he has said for quite a while)? Why are American soldiers still dying in Iraq?
Your viewpoint is quite dangerous and is the base off of which homicidal attacks against Americans are given an element of cerebral backing.
To answer your questions ,charles ,in my opinion that is , world domination is here and now ,and not only in the movies..
when every country in the world wants the war in leb to stop, but one U.S vito keeps the green light on, i think the point is clear..
As for why it took so long for the U.S to push Syria out, well my friend ,they didnt want to / or they didnt care.. Until, of course the violence in Iraq ,( insurgents coming from the Syria borders),it was in U.S interests to have Syria pressured, and SPECIALLY after the harriri assassination ,still a mystery!!!!that finally got syria out!!!).
Like someone above said, the U.S is a thirsty machine and moves only when it sees an incentive , as was the case with kuwait,saudi and iraq.
hizbullah is still armed simply because they are strong,organized and invisible,,here i must say ,i'd like to see hizb disarmed ,but not now,not like this,eventually the group will voluntarily give up their arms as heroes when the shibaa and prisoners....
Why Bush says it will take time,,, he knows it aint easy and doesnt want to give false promises ,like olmert ,then look like a fool,,here i must say,,its a shame a great country like U.S.A is led by a moron ...
finally,why U.S soldiers are dying in Iraq,,what are you trying to say? they cant leave not cuz they care for iraq,but becuz it'll leave the country in war making them look like the villains ,not the heroes they so desperately are pretending to be...
Finally ,i'd like to leave you with a few thoughts... A cnn reporter names Nic Robertson did a dahyeh interview showing the damge,the next day he was fired!!!
U.S.A gives Israel 3 billion a year military, and 220 million quite recently for war damages,,leb got 230 million,, just 10 mill more,,,you see the picture being drawn here , both countries suffered equally ,,hmmm..
Sorry for making it long,
ciao
Oh yes, Hizbullah is strong, organized and invisible. Their fighters are also thirteen feet tall, have fourteen-inch penises, and shoot laser beams from from their eyeballs. No wonder those hapless Israeli soldiers could not beat them.
The problem on both sides stems from a lack of will. From the Israeli side, the problem was Olmert the peacenik was so intimidated by his military commanders that he let them fight a proof-of-concept air war that would never work against a well dug-in adversary (but if it did, Dan Halutz was SO going to get promoted or go down in history or both). Do you think Ariel Sharon would have allowed his commanders to do that? From the Lebanese side, the lack of will is... well, too damn obvious to insult you guys by talking about it incessantly. But why blame America and Americans for distinctly Lebanese problems, unless what you are REALLY asking for is for America just to come over and tell you what to do? Lebanese are sounding more and more like Bosnians every day - not a shred of will in sight, except maybe coming from the guys with the fourteen-inch penises.
Good news to see Lebanese coming home.
"U.S.A gives Israel 3 billion a year military, and 220 million quite recently for war damages,,leb got 230 million"
Hmm, so you're complaining US didn't give you enough? You know, they could've given Lebanon a gib fat nothing if they didn't want to help, it's not like anybody can force them to give anyone any humanitarian aid.
I mean, the US leadership right now is at all-time low, agreed, but bashing the US because they didn't give you enough money is kinda disgusting, don't you think?
hahaahaaa
this is a civilised blog, u silly jew,, read properly before you start blabbing..
im not asking the U.S to give more money, if it was upto me ,i'd tell them to take their 200 million and buy some more weapons for their lovers.
the point i was making , the U.S wants to make it look like both sides suffered equally, when clearly the damage in Lebanon was much much greater,,,i.e : Weak American propaganda in influencing public opinion..
Here's some more interesting facts for you, fellow lebs, the U.S ambassador in Beirut ,jeffrey feiltman, was in the U.S embassy in tel aviv from 95 - 99,(little strange huh? from tel aviv straight to Beirut), he speaks arabic ..
and gave an interview to cnn during the month long war ,about the terrorism of Hizbollah, saying how awful the marine barracks bombing were etc.. This coming from a man ,who's been in Lebanon for several years ,befriended many lebanese civilians and politicians..
Obviously he seemed blind to the thousands of civilians being murdered around him, and kept using the word terrorism when he KNOWS having lived in lebanon just like everyone in the middle east ( except for silly jews that is ) that hizbullah is not a terrorist organization..
i would have liked to see more facts to back claims that hizbullah is a terrorist org. And rather than to concentrate on saving lives in lebanon , Mr feiltman was busy talking about the threat to israel ,and the marine barracks bombing in 82 while fighter planes over his head were rushing to kill another group of innocent civilians...
The U.S has long lost its morality in foreign policy, their problems will grow and multiply and their image will weaken even more , as long as the Israeli lobby in Washington has control of Congress.
NO JUSTICE , NO PEACE
"this is a civilised blog, u silly jew,, read properly before you start blabbing.."
yeah, this is a civilized blog, but perhaps you should look up the word "civilized" in a dictionary since you don't seem to understand its meaning.
U.S. policy is what it is - to guard American interests, no more, no less. Jeffrey Feltman had to serve in both Israel and Lebanon because that is policy - and that is what his boss told him to do. Gone is the day when American diplomats can coddle (and be coddled by) Arab leaders and become so comfortable in their countries of expertise that they lose sight of their real jobs, which is to represent - and protect - American interests. One must realize that apologies and apologists for U.S. policy should be taken with a grain of salt, for in the final analysis all there is to defend is American interest at this level.
Strangely enough, the Marine barracks in Beirut was bombed back during a time when our diplomats were much more friendly to Arab "causes." That's the thanks we get for friendliness in a part of the world where conciliatory messages are often interpreted as weakness. Also part of this great Arab thank you card were journalists abducted and held for years, a bombed embassy, an AUB president assassinated in his office, and other events too numerous to catalog here. Apparently American behavior cannot be judged based on what it brings to Arabs, for either way Arabs will wish ill will upon us, plot against us, and blame us for the misfortunes they have brought upon themselves. So, forget morality in U.S. foreign policy - the Arab world lost the privilege of being able to discuss American policy in such terms long ago.
Wow, Caveman! A succinct and devastating assessment.
Hello, i came across some interesting facts from an article i just read,,,i wrote down the main points..
First,In 1970 , the U.S believe it or not was pushing Iran to develop its nuclear capabilities , so that they can supply them with ingredients and make huge profits...
" The ford administration stood to make billions as suppliers)..."
The deal dissolved because the Islamic revolution leader Khomeini deemed Nuclear weapons " un - islamic "
Today, they are a threat, and we are getting closer to war,, to the delight of Cheney , owner of war supplies company, haliburton..Both the vice pres Cheney ,and rumsfeld are leading the charge to war..(i wonder why??? )
In the 1980's war btw Iran and Iraq, the U.S supported Saddams regime with weapons etc... a decade later , they make up the WMD story and destroy his country...
did u know : The U.S is currently buiiding the biggest U.S embassy in the world in Iraq( the size of Vatican City ) reportedly , and permanent military bases,,just like in jordan, kuwait, saudi, dubai and qatar..
in 2003, iran offerd the U.S a full peace deal,, the U.S rejected.
The U.S is asking for 75 million $ to fund anti-regime broadcasting ,from the son of the former Shah, Reza Pahlavi... Sort of gives you a sense of why American media is so biased,,its controlled by money.
Israel, India and even an unstable military regime like Pakistan have nuclear weapons , yet Iran is criticized for pursuing nuclear energy.
Iran, unlike other nations has signed nuclear non- proliferation treaty, which would be subject to inspections by the IAEA.
Shirin Ebadi,nobel peace prize 2003, only muslim to have won the prize,,says : change can only come from within and not forced by an outside power,, which reminds me of Lebanon and the failure of the whole campaign in causing any positive effects.
As the world reaches peak oil, where half the world's oil has been depleted,, oil and the atom have become the yin and yang of global energy politics... Once you understand this, you'll understand the reasoning behind U.S foreign policy.
The IAEA has yet to find any evidence of Iran's nuclear weapon program and even if they secretly were trying to acquire the bomb, U.S intelligence suggests achievement is ten years away. And when the U.S is helping India in its nuclear program despite that country having nuclear weapons, and with Pakistan and Israel being left to do as they please , and while the pentagon is devising next generation nukes of its own.. its no surprise that U.S are being labelled in Iran as " the global arrogance ".
How could Iran nuke Israel ,without wiping out palestine ,Lebanon ,jordan and Syria,and even parts of Iran,, you see, this whole situation is unreal,i mean, exaggerated ,the U.S administ needs enemies to profit from weaponry,and public opinion come election day..
The Iranian threat to wipe out Israel is purely political, he knows it ,we all know it ,its to tell the world that he's not scared and wont be intimidated by threats, and therefore pushing for fair negotiations. The israeli army would require hours to destroy the govn in Iran,, and the Iranians know that, but in their bid to become a regional power, they must act like a powerful nation....
Which brings me to my question,, was the war in Lebanon a threat to Iran( look what we can do) ,or was it a message to the arabs and the palestinians...Maybe it was pressure on Syria and lebanon to sign peace with Israel,,i dont know, but i do know it wasnt about 2 soldiers, or the threat of rockets ,,
One thing is for sure, their plan backfired, now the Israeli govn is falling apart, world opinion has shifted and U.S policy has been exposed.
I hope for the sake of my beloved country ,which always ends up being the battleground, that we will get past this sticky situation , and that the people are wise enough to avoid internal violence and push for a new politicians , who can work for a new Lebanon , free from corruption and sectarianism.
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