Not to harp on this topic, but I've found the current situation in the Middle East highly disturbing. Note this article on the most recent Israeli airstrike, which killed over 50 civilians, most of whom were children. The reason for the strike? Because Hezbollah guerillas had fired rockets into Israel from near that building. So here is the logic - guerillas stood near the building while they fired their rockets, therefore we'll level the building, regardless of who occupies it (in this case, sleeping Lebanese villagers).
Israel's extraordinarily disproportionate strikes in Lebanon are counterproductive. Not only do they create more ill will towards themselves through the needless destruction of innocent human lives, but they are also derailing the peace process. The article reports the following:
The Lebanese government this week had put forward ideas on disarming Hezbollah and deploying an international force in the south. But after the strike, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said any negotiations on a broader deal were off.So, it seems that some progress was being made, but it's one step forward, two steps back due to the current strike. While Israel's prime minister has apologized, he is unwilling to take any action (like curtailing the strikes) that would demonstrate any real remorse.
I am especially saddened by the fact that the United States has continually resisted pressure from numerous other countries to push for an immediate cease fire. Instead, we continue to demand that a complete plan for removing Hezbollah guerillas from Israel's borders and placing an international peacekeeping force in the area be in place before the bloodshed is halted. The end result of such an all or nothing approach is more lives lost, and the consequent deepening of hostilities between Israel and the rest of the Middle East.
8 comments:
sorry man, i couldnt finish this post. the picture was too much for me.....
Justin - Fair enough, but I guess the picture is supposed to be too much. Sometimes I think we like to "forget" about the realities of the things we support, and that picture drives home the reality that 39 children died in that airstrike.
Jer - I understand what you're saying. However, I don't agree that the costs are worth the "agenda" in the current conflict. Far more innocents have been killed than Hezbollah soldiers in Lebanon - airstrikes like this one are far too indiscriminate, and there are other ways to achieve Israel's aims (driving out Hezbollah from the area) than airstrikes (ie., a ground assault) that run much less risk of collateral casualties. While I do think war is unfortunately necessary at times in this fallen world, and war will always involve some amount of collateral damage, not all wars are equal. Regardless, one of the goals in ANY war that fits any kind of "just war" criteria (which most Christians would see as important) should involve making EVERY effort to minimize casualties - something that has not been in evidence in Israel's attack on Lebanon.
It is worth noting as an addendum to my post that Israel did agree to cease bombing for 48 hours after this strike - I'm not sure that's enough, but it is at least a step in the right direction.
Jake,
I think it is unfair to condemn Israel for defending itself against terrorist organizations. While it is unfortunate Lebanese women and children have died in the conflict, it’s an ugly fact of war. By your account, at least Israel was attempting to attack a military target… Regarding military targets, how many can you name that Hezbollah has attacked? Over the years, how many military targets have suicide bombers attacked? They’ve been killing innocent Israelis for years at work, the shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, etc… Additionally, what has Lebanon done to stop Hezbollah? Not much. What has the Lebanese citizens done to stop Hezbollah? Not much.
Additionally, I really don’t believe our Government is interested brokering a cease fire until Israel does substantial damage to the Hezbollah organization. Do they really think all their differences can be resolved in a couple of days? Absolutely not… They see Hezbollah as a dangerous pawn of Iran, which undoubtedly the United States is going to have to deal with, if Israel is not allowed to finish the job started. I would say it’s a brilliant move by our Government.
What saddens me is Americans allowing OUR news media, with their liberal agendas to distort the overall picture.
Steve
Hey Steve! I'm glad to see you posting here, even if I don't agree. :)
I think Israel has every right to defend itself. And most of what you state here is true - no, Hezbollah does not respect the distinction between military and civilian targets. Nor do suicide bombers. Yes, many innocent Israeli's have died. My problem is that using such statements in this arguments implies that this makes the deaths of innocent Lebanese civilians somehow more acceptable or ok. It doesn't. The death of any innocent civilian is tragic.
The problem as I see it is not that Israel is defending itself, but how it is doing so. There are ways for them to defend themselves which would result in far less civilian casualties and possibly even be more effective - more emphasis on ground assault, for example. Its not a big secret that their current strategy has not been very effective - they have killed many more innocent civilians than they have Hezbollah guerillas. Just because they have a right to defend themselves does not give them a free pass to do so in any way they want - at least it shouldn't.
But this is what you hear from a lot of conservative news sources lately - and lets not kid ourselves that all of the media is liberally biased. Fox News, anyone? :) Just because I question the way Israel is defending themselves does not mean I question their right to do so. Moreover, I always think its a little misleading to complain about "liberal agendas" - conservatives always have their own agendas as well. The trick, I think, is to cut through all rhetoric on both sides - I don't think Republicans or Democrats have a monopoly on truth.
You're probably right about our government, but I find this problematic for two reasons. First, I simply think its wrong. No, we are not the world's policeman, but some things are just wrong (including the indiscriminate bombing going on in Lebanon right now), and should be opposed. Second, it is counterproductive. The end result of the kind of indiscriminate bombings taking place right now is the creation of more terrorists. Honestly, how would you react if an Israeli bomb killed your family? Military action undertaken without serious attempts to minimize civilian casualties only brings them down to a similar level as what they are trying to fight. Hezbollah guerillas are purposely using their own civilians as human shields because they KNOW that it rallies more people to their cause - and Israel is playing right into their hands.
I also think it is worth noting that the fact that a terrorist stood near a building and fired a rocket the day before does NOT make that building, full of sleeping civilians, a military target. A military target is one full of enemy combatants, not the building that happened to be nearby when they shot a rocket.
For anyone still interested in this topic, note this article: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3286242,00.html
This is what I'm talking about regarding the end results of Israel's current actions. They're not doing themselves any favors - instead, they are simply creating more ill will against themselves in the Arab world, amongst people who were not previously speaking out against them.
Just wanted to chime in here. I thought I would point out that if the U.S. government really wanted to aid in Israel's defense, she would have provided bunker busters immediately. Israel had refused to purchase these from the U.S. previously, which has been viewed as a major weakness in Israel's preparedness for this initiative. I should also point out that the failure of Israel in this regard is a source of major criticism both within Israel and within her Parliament. These factors should certainly inform our discussion of this issue.
I would also like to point out an analysis of the effect of this conflict on the goals of Israel and the U.S.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0608130457aug13,1,1047240.story?coll=chi-news-hed
The problem with this conflict is that we are indeed in a war with terrorism but it appears that we are approaching it in a completely wrong-headed manner. We need leadership that is not boxed in by such concrete notions of what is black and what is white. The ability to understand the other side's position with true empathy is the first step in creating genuine solutions. While I can't say anything about the private discussions taking place, the public face of those discussions reveals an unwillingness to do just that by both the U.S. and Israel.
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