Israel Attacks and Blockades Lebanon http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5175160.stm Jeez - just when I thought things might quiet down and hopefully get back on track somehow... silly me.
it just goes from bad to worse Israeli strikes kill 40 in Lebanon http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A67F0AD3-7964-41BC-98A9-CA752CA5B89F.htm
its a lot of death for 2 soldiers. this ladies and gentlemen is why you should never negotiate over hostages.
did i not understand your post ? surely it would be better to negotiate than drop bombs on civilians,
Seems like Israel has overreacted beyond belief. How could they think this would work? They have guarenteed that Hezbollah will receive a massive boost in recruitment. Unless Israel believes the life of their soldier is worth any amount of innocent Arab lives, they have accomplished nothing good in the past few days.
I think 40,000 is reasonable. These people need to understand their terror tactics will not work, that gov'ts will not negotiate at gun point, and that reprisals against their own people will be so horrific, that kidnapping and other terror tactics will be abandoned. This is not a time for proportional force; it's a time for overwhelming firepower and destruction. The basic idea being to hit them so hard they never consider doing this stuff again. This is how you save lives in the long run. Instead of on-going low-level death and violence that persists for years, you bite the bullet now and create mass casualties so that this then becomes the last instance of violence. It's the same concept that justifies the use of the Atomic bombs on Japan.
Certainly it would not! Because negotiating at this point let's Hezbollah and Hamas know that the can expect results from committing this kind of crime. You do not reward kidnappers by legitimizing their actions thru official dialogue! How does negotiating from this position prevent Hezbollah from taking hostages the next time it wants something? Negotiating because someone took hostages only encourages further hostage taking and perpetuates the cycle of violence these people are in. The only way to stop the cycle is to apply overwhelming and crushing force so that this never happens again. It's just like a mosquito: it will continue to buzz around you, bite you, and draw your blood until you finally squash it. Once it's squashed, you don't get bit anymore.
Because we know how well that has worked in the past, take Iraq for example. Surely our show of overwhelming force has resulted in lower numbers of resistance...wait it didn't. How in the world is 40,000 people worth 2? I do not care if terrorists did it, or a nation did it there is no way 40,000=2. Creating mass casualties does not end violence, but create it. I know if I lived in Lebanon I would be outraged and I expect Hezbollah to find their recruitment numbers to skyrocket which they will see as a sign of support which will in the end cause them to continue.
This gets at the real heart of this matter. "...More than 80 percent of Palestinian society polled since the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped June 25 think the armed groups (Hamas and two allies) were justified in taking the soldier hostage and do not think the kidnappers should release him without getting something, namely a prisoner release in return, even if it means enduring another Israeli invasion. This kidnapping occurred as Hamas and its rivals in Fatah (Arafat's party) were discussing a deal that would in essence recognize Israel within the 1967 borders (a deal prisoners for these two groups signed in jail just days after the soldier's kidnapping). The reason the kidnapping occurred is not everyone on the Palestinian side wanted to see that deal go through. There are many rejectionist groups, especially outside the country, who do not want to see the Israelis and the Palestinians make peace or achieve a way of living side-by-side. Those Arab groups and the Iranians, instead, want to see the Palestinians keep fighting Israel believing they can eventually destroy and replace Israel in what they call historic Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The Syrians host these groups and the Iranians, according to the Israelis, finance them. Even Hamas has a more hardline wing sitting in Damascus, which did not want to see the Hamas and Fatah compromise go through. So the kidnapping had two goals: to achieve the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the provocation of Israel, so that the groups that had come up with the compromise — in essence recognizing Israel within certain borders — would be forgotten and overtaken..." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202453,00.html The whole article is worth the read, especially since it illustrates how negotiating and trading hostages actually created the situation today.
You are completely wrong here. We have not used overwhelming force in Iraq; we did and continue to use kid gloves while witholding the vast amount of our combat power. The rules of engagement and the weapons available for commanders on the ground are severly restricted. We're so worried about public perception that we hamstring our troops putting them at greater risk all in the name political correctness. Were we to unleash our real combat power, the resistence would crumble in days. Don't want to believe me, I suggest you read "Through our Enemies Eyes" by Michael Scheuer who will tell you that we aren't using a 10th of the destructive power of our military and that such restraint is costing lives on both sides. Here again, your math is off. You forgot the algebra of the equation: 40,000< 2 American servicemen. As far as I'm concerned, 2 American servicemen > 6 billion people on earth. If you've ever worn a uniform, then you understand what I'm talking about. I imagine the Israelis feel the same way. Not if they kill all of Hezbollah. They'll be no one to join.
Wow, your selfishness astounds me. 2 American servicemen>6 billion others? I imagine most MAP members would be offended to learn that 2 servicemen are worth more than them and all of their family members. As to Iraq, our restraint is not due to political correctness but to ethics....If we wanted we could kill everyone in Iraq, however that would be a bit overboard. They will not kill all of Hezbollah, that would be nearly impossible. It will not and could not happen. It is inevitable there will be survivng members who will be able to rebuild Hezbollah bigger and better. You do know Hezbollah came about as a result of Israel occupying Lebanon don't you? Why isn't that going to happen again? I wonder if your family feels the same about you, do they know you value a fellow serviceman's life over all of theirs? I forgot to respond to your article. In essence these kidnapping swere a deliberate ploy to provoke Israel, which worked. Why in the world do you think they would intentionally provoke Israel if they thought it wasn't going to work? Israel is playing right into their hands by giving them more power than they had before this occured. It is like when a child taunts his sibling in order to get his sibling in trouble with their parents, unfortunately Israel is doing exactly what Hezbollah wants.
