I'm always a little sad when Israel's bombing Gaza or shooting missles into the offices of the Palestinian authority or assassinating someone or another. But I don't usually get too worried about it.
I don't know how effective it all is, mind you. What are the long term consequences? I imagine the people Israel assassinates deserve to die from the standpoint of justice. I'm willing to believe that assassination can be justified (I don't have a problem with those who tried to assassinate Hitler). I just don't know what the long term consequences really are. I am sympathetic to many of Israel's responses--but very unsure how profitable they really are.
But up to this point no one in the world thus far has seemed to care enough to up the ante for Israel... until now. After twenty some years, Israel and Lebanon are at it again, as Hezbollah has kidnapped two soldiers. Israel has responded with great force, calling it an act of war. Lebanon is asking the UN to call for a truce.
Maybe nothing will come of this either. It kinda looks like Israel is taking advantage of the opportunity to bomb Hezbollah to heck. It reminds me of us invading Iraq--the circumstances at the time didn't warrant it, but we had been wanting to take out Saddam and it seemed as good a time as any. Again, I imagine most of these Hezbollah guys are not unworthy of death (I'm sure this is true of some Israelis as well, of course). But the consequences I am not sure of--will the net result of these actions be positive or negative?
The result that Israel is hoping for is that 1) Hezbollah will be significantly weakened, 2) they will think very, very seriously before kidnapping Israeli soldiers again.
The other possibilities are 1) their action will harden and recruit many others, young and middle aged, to fight the cause in the future. In one scenario their actions inadvertantly recruit more future terrorists than they kill. This is what I fear our invasion of Iraq has done--recruited thousands of militants who would not otherwise have become militants and brought fundamentalist Islam out of the shadows and into the mainstream.
2) By far the unintended consequence I fear the most is escalation into a regional or world war. Hezbollah seems to have the backing of Syria and Iran, which in turn has the support of Russia and China. Israel has us and maybe Great Britain in a pinch. Frankly, I don't see Russia or China doing much other than fund and supply with weapons. But there are plenty of Muslim and Arab recruits all over the Middle East all furious over our invasion of Iraq and eternally angry at Israel. They are a ready and endless infintry.
Would the U.S. fight for Israel? What would be the consequences? I don't know. I shudder to think of the worst case scenario.
What do you think? I am sympathetic with Israel. Maybe they are doing the right thing. I just don't know.
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I read today that Lebanon itself is divided over Hezbollah and that the official government has been in a long term struggle with Hezbollah, who have controlled the south of the country. I guess also that since Syria was pressured to withdraw from Lebanon, Iran has been principally supplying and supporting Hezbollah.
So I've thought of at least one scenario (probably not true, unfortunately) where I would strongly support Israel's current bombing campaign. That is if Israel is either explicitly or silently in collusion with the official governmental forces of Lebanon to break the power of Hezbollah in the country. The problem to me is that I have my doubts about whether Israel knows when to stop bombing.
I share your concerns. It's so sad to see this escalation of violence -- and I believe it will only serve to solidify the muslim extremists.
Rich senior, I presume... How's Monon these days?
I was listening to Daniel Shore on NPR this morning. Usually I find myself Amening his commentary. This morning I Amened his seemingly complete lack of what to do.
If I were Israel (oh, here we go again), I think I would have contacted "under the table" the Lebanese government and coordinated our attacks on Hezbollah with the anti-Hezbollah northern part of Lebanon. That way Israel would be doing both itself, the good in Lebanon, and ultimately the world a good deed by neutering Hezbollah.
I will publically admit, though, that you are more Christ-like than I am. My problem with Israel is that their gun only seems to have one setting--and it usually sticks once you pull the trigger.
Unfortunately, the US is impotent in regards to brokering a peace proposal because our objectivity is dubious due to our overwhelming support of Israel. Bush's unwillingness to place any culpability upon the Israelis is not only in bad form, but blatantly unfair. While terrorist organizations like Hezbollah are by no means justified in their actions, neither is the Israeli military in the bombardment of areas heavily populated by civilians. If the Mid-East peace process is dead, it's because the US stabbed it in the back by writing a blank check for Israel to do whatever they please. Millions of dollars of American foreign aid now fund the production of Israeli missiles and attack helicopters which currently slaughter Lebonese civilians. In other words, once again, the taxpayers of the USA have blood on their hands. I'm glad to know that my tax dollars are hard at work...slaughtering Lebonese civilians that is.
Kevin,
I can't agree with you more. And what a moral issue - US taxpayers are circumstantially responsible for what is going on by electing people that write these "blank checks" for Israel.
What continues to amaze me is the (non)"evangelical" groups that believe Israel is correct in whatever they do. They side with the Israelites, when there are more Christians living in both Lebanon and Palestine. It saddens my heart.
Yes, this is the elder Rich and things are well here in Delphi. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of recent postings regarding the ineptitude of the Bush administration regarding the Israeli-Palestinian saga.
It is time for the U.S. to step up to the plate as the humanitarian nation that we are, and offer an aggressive peaceful alternative to the inhumane efforts of both Israel and Hezbollah! Incidentally, this also seems to be the Christlike approach.
So let's say Iran jumps in this thing full throttle--we all know they are crazy enough to actually use their biological weapons. We are afraid to see what we can really do--they however, would like nothing more than to just blast people.
So, Iran joins, we join...WWIII? (Maybe North Korea has a secret contract with Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. Oooh this could be fun...It's the end of the world as we know it...)
At the close of WW2 I've heard Patton suggested to Ike "Let's fight the Russians while we have the troops over here... give me permission and I'll start a war with them and make it look like thay started it."
(Ike hung up on him.)
With the US military stretched as thin as they are now I have little doubt that Bush would go with nukes if Iran & others go for Israel.
And I have little doubt that most evangelicals would consider this a "righteous war" and the minor Christian opposition left would quietly go underground --just as it did after we invaded Iraq. (including me--I shut up once there were troops on the ground).
I can't prove it but I really feel that there is a religious war looming--not against all Moslems, but certainly against radical-conservative Islam. In times like these the Old Testament thinking of "obliterating the enemies of God" seems to be on the increase. (I recently heard a well known radio-TV preacher call for just this: the immediate Nuking of Iran in a preemptory strike for the sake of the true God.
are we assending Mt. Carmel again...only this time it is not to call God's fire down on wet sacrifices... but to rain down our own fire on a competing religion, or a least a faction of it.
American Christians are being pushed by radical Islam to become like the OT radical war-making Israel. It is as if the teachings of Jesus are not relevant for the "real world" where the other guys use their God to lead them off to war. Christians feel then need a "more robust God" in a post 9-11 world and they must find him in the Old Testament or in the Nationalistic God of Civil Religion.
I keep clinging to Jesus Christ and His teachings..even though He seems an anemic figure to many evangelicals today in the face of the powerful war-making God of the radical Moslems.
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