Lebannon, Hezbolah etc.....

[Loosehead]

Lebonon has been getting on with it for many years now, the people are getting used to peace. Beirut no longer resembles the shooting gallery it did in the 80's. So why now do those nutters in Hezbolah put the whole thing at risk by kicking Isreal? Now they're getting the sh1t kicked out of them by Isreal. What are they trying to acheive. The Lebanese government must be tearing it's hair out at the Hezbolah malitia, I just don't get it why are they so stupid? Why do they affect the lives of their own people in this way? Do they have support of the general public? Someone explain I just don't get it.

[spinchimp]

Israel not Isreal.

[spinchimp]

Lebanon.

[spinchimp]

Hezbollah.

[spinchimp]

militia.

[spinchimp]

Sorry - a moment of stupidity on my part.

[Loosehead]

Ok chimp we've established you are stupid, thanks for pointing out my mistakes, did you read the Q or did you just go straight into anal grammar mode. I typed quickly and and I'm not a great speller so thanks for your help. Now have a go at answering the naffing Question.

[Dom Tuk]

If israel wishes to use a sledgehammer to break open a nut, the splinters travel far and wide over the lebanese border stirring up the dormant hezbollah. the weeklong torment of the palestinians in gaza after the kidnap of the Israeli soldier results in this. So the israelis (who are perennially stuck in sledgehammer mode) will blockade the lebanese and then someone else from the region will get sucked in......endless cycle....women and children on all sides will bear the brunt of the problems.

[spinchimp]

I went straight into anal grammar mode I'm afraid. Hence the apology.

[Loosehead]

Ok Dom but why did HezBollah feel the need go and antagonise in the first place, they must have known roughly what the response would be.

[Supernick]

As Dom Tuk says, if you insist on blowing up power stations, and threatening the lives of innocents in order to flush out the Hamas terrorists and bring your soldier home, then it's going to stir up a proper hornets nest in the region. Out pops Hezbollah and before you know it, you're now bombing Lebanese airports. Syria and Iran are supportive of the political wing of Hezbollah, so I wouldn't be surprised if they get involved as well in the near future.
I'm very concerned that this has become the flashpoint for an extremely serious open middle eastern war.

[Loosehead]

The question still stands, who stirred up the nest by kidnapping soldiers? They must have known what would happen, have they no sense?

[Trotbot]

Suppose (purely hypothetically) that militants (maybe a recognised terrorist group) in the UK seized 3 Frenchman. Would you condone the French bombing Heathrow Airport, Winneresh Triangle and Felixstowe and killing civilians?
Probably not. You might condemn the French for overreacting. You might say the terrorist group was wrong, but surely the reaction is disproportionate in the name of all humanity?

[Loosehead]

No trotty but I'd definately round up the culprits and hand them over PDQ. By not acting against the terrorists themselves the Lebanese Gov is giving approval to their actions.

[jake-the-peg]

Well lets try an analogy

Say if 20 years ago the IRA kidnapped a UK soldier and we responded by bombing Dublin.

Can't see the US supporting us on that one

[Loosehead]

Who cares about the US??? I expect that if Dublin was bombed a few times they may have thought twice about bombing London. But let's return to the subject:

You all seem to be missing the point, I'm not asking what you think of Isreal's response I'm asking how stupid do you need to be to go and antagonise Isreal when you know what they'll do?

[spinchimp]

Israel.

[Trotbot]

A wholly inappropriate analogy, but it is late where I am. If the classroom bully will beat you up for copying his behaviour, should you stop and comply with his demands? How many Palestinian and Lebanese civilians are in Israeli prisons without internationally recognised due process?
In my earlier post I was suggesting the bombing was Government led, not independents that could be rounded up

[spinchimp]

They provoke Israel precisely because they want the reaction. They are aware that Israel's reaction will be disproportionate and that it will gather even more poular support for their cause.

[spinchimp]

popular.

[Drusilla1S]

I think groups like Hezbollah are continually probing and niggling at Israel hoping for an excessive response which both unites the Moslem community against Israel, but also undermines the secular nature of the governments of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Islamists like Hezbollah are more interested in a wider Moslem cause than they are in the well being of nation states that happen to be Moslem. They view secular, nation states as a western pre-occupation and an irrelevence in their cause.