What to think about Lebanon ?
Since I last posted on the Israel / Hezbollah / Lebanon conflict (aka War) I've been wondering if there is anything else worth saying yet. Thinking about it there a few points:
- Israel is really up against it. Only slowly is our media allowing reports of how the world seems from Israel's point of view. Potentially Israel is surrounded by enemies and very little land to lose. ( You have to assume in any wider war that was going badly there would be a early use of Nuclear weapons by Israel ).
- Lebanon is being ruined ( by Israel / Hezbollah / Syria and Iran ). It was one of the most enlightened Arab countries with Christians, Druze, Sunni and Shia living near each other. Its TV is watched across the Arab world and many of the wealthy Arabs would holiday there. These people are being radicalised - and many of them are/were our friends.
- Hezbollah has no stopping point except to wage war on Israel. Why do you need all those savage rockets ? As a deterrent - hasn't worked has it. To kill and stir up yet more hatred and evil in the hope it will overcome Israel in a wider war - that seems most likely to me. This is why the Israelis aren't too keen on a ceasefire with such people right now, IMHO.
- The 'International Community' has failed yet again. Hezbollah have been a disaster waiting to happen - yet no one did anything.
We should all feel some shame in this, some of those in governments more so.
Update:
See this article by Iain Duncan Smith - it summarises the stategic position for Israel nicely. ( Which is not the same as to say every part of their tatics are correct or moral. ) He's right on the BBC as far as I can see.
Guido has stopped watching the BBC on this and started ordering pizzas for the IDF.
See also this article in Arab News by Ashraf Ismail- it has some good points to make on why Israel may be the loser in the current conflict with Hezbollah.
3 comments:
Israel launches a massive bombing campaign against, not just Hezbollah, but Lebanon as a whole; Hezbollah responds to this huge escalation by firing missiles into northern Israel. Yet somehow Hezbollah's rockets, which it claims are aimed at military targets and have killed very few civilians, are "savage", while Israel's bombs, which have killed more than 300 civilians already, aren't even worth mentioning? After seeing the ambulances (bullseye!), the cluster bombs and phosphorus hitting children, you still think "savage" applies only to Israel's enemies?
OK - I said the rockets Hezbollah have ae savage because they are not aimed, but are only able to create terror and kill at random ( much like V-1 & V-2 in WW2 ). They serve little military purpose except to force Israel to capture and hold the land they are launched from. ( Which suits Hezbollah as it creates their reason for existing. )
What you say about Ambulances etc is a much better point. And also the destruction of Lebanese infastructure. This is disproportionate and loses sympathy for Israel and puts friends of peace in a very difficult place.
In short I don't think savage only applies to Israels enemies - but in this case their weapons have potential legitimate uses ( I'm not saying they are used in that way - and you are right to point out the things you have - they are savage ) - Hezbollah's rockets do not ( they were only ever intended for terrorism ).
The death ratio is now in the region of 12 Lebanese to every 1 Israeli killed. The Lebanese deaths are almost exclusively civillians as the Lebanese army isn't involved, the Israeli deaths are mostly soldiers who are involved in an illegal invasion of Lebanon. Don't forget, it was Hezbollah and not Lebanon that kidnapped the Israeli soldiers.
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