Lets see how Arab governments are blaming Hezbollah:

In a significant move, Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's political heavyweight and economic powerhouse, accused Hizbullah guerrillas - without naming them - of "uncalculated adventures" that could precipitate a new Middle East crisis.

A Saudi official quoted by the state Saudi Press Agency said the Lebanese Hizbullah's brazen capture of two Israeli soldiers was not legitimate.

The kingdom "clearly announces that there has to be a differentiation between legitimate resistance (to Israel) and uncalculated adventures."

The Saudi official said Hizbullah's actions could lead to "an extremely serious situation which could subject all Arab nations and its achievements to destruction."

"The kingdom sees that it is time for those elements to alone shoulder the full responsibility for this irresponsible behavior and that the burden of ending the crisis falls on them alone."

Saudi Arabia's comments on the crisis came after most moderate Arab governments reacted with relative restraint to Israel's offensive in Lebanon, condemning attacks on civilians and infrastructure but also implicitly criticizing Hizbullah.

-Rudey

I don't know how I feel about this, but I do know that Hezbollah is a really fun word to say.

according to cnn, 62 lebanese have been killed since wednesday. it doesnt' specify who they're with.

I absolutely abhor this train of thought - it's exactly this line of reasoning that has allowed for historical revision and the removal of personal responsibility on the part of the groups making the response, in my opinion.

At some point, we have to stop grasping for what I'd call "contextual apologist" behavior, and simply blame the parties for their actions. Saying they were 'provoked' into action is merely inches from calling their actions acceptable, justified or reasonable.

Please... I hope that at no point I somehow gave the impression that were even remotely acceptable - when I use the word "provoke" i'm using it in a strategic or tactical sense... so for example if Israel had done nothing, political or military, then I think they would have been provoking more attacks and kidnappings by emboldening the terrorists through a percieved weakness...

Rob, if America randomly decided to start massing our soldiers against your border (against the UN Security Council's binding resolution), moved 10,000 rockets to face you, then went in and killed 7 Canadians, then decided to kidnap two Canadians, and then decided to start firing rockets deep into the heart of Canada and hit Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver (I have no idea which is the heart), I would be very sympathetic to Canada I think. I think the world would really be sympathetic to Canada.

And the funny thing is a lot of Arab governments are sympathetic to Israel on this one since you never see the Saudis ever make an issuance like that.

-Rudey

First, I truly do value human life. However, I also realize that sometimes it takes a sacrifice of life to present a larger or more valuable loss. Unfortunately, our entire society has lost the stomach for war. The situation we're in is not appealing nor desired, but Europeans and Americans simply do not understand what war entails. There is almost an uprising over 62 people killed in Lebanon. While this is unfortunate, this is not a large amount in the course of a war. I imagine it will take much more death if Israel is truly to resolve this conflict, but I and others believe that the death is an unfortunate requirement for victory.

I don't think Isreal is being too out of line in their response at all. What's that one phrase I'm looking for.. "The straw that broke the camels back"

Isnt it once again a proven!

Dont Fuck with the Isrelis or they will kick some butt!

But, while they have world opinion on their side, it needs to be tempered a bit.

Lebanon is and will be a snake pit for some time because of their stratigic location.

Some of the Good Musilum Countrys have found that out in the past.:D

i hope israel wins. my cousin is jewish.

Rudey I'm not saying that Israel shouldn't have responded, I'm saying that the response has been more than a little over the top...

I guess I must have missed something, because I thought this was supposed to be a response directed against Hizbullah, not Lebanon in general... because it wasn't the Lebanese military that kidnapped the soliders.

Oh and as for you example, please look into "Fenian Raids"...

Hezbollah is deeply infiltrated into all aspect of Lebanese govt and society. Its basically what we did with Afghanistan. If you can't keep a hold on your country, then we'll help you with that.

Hezbollah is the strongest piece of the Lebanese government. Hezbollah votes. Hezbollah controls the entire South.

To me it's not over the top. On top of that Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel. Yes there weren't as many casualties, but not for trying. Hezbollah has attacked deep into Israel, not even along the border anymore. And Hezbollah has not returned the people it kidnapped. Obviously the Lebanese who support Hezbollah, the government which Hezbollah is a part of, have decided it's not over the top since they didn't stop doing what they're doing.

So until the rockets stop and until the Israelis are returned, nothing is over the top. I said it before and I'll say it again. Israel should kill 100 men within its prisons every hour until the hostages are returned.

I googled the Fenian raids. It sounds like a bunch of crazy Irish people that attacked Canada. And the US stopped most of them from attacking and then went and caught the rest and hung them. I don't really see the similarity but it doesn't sound like a bad deal for Canada.

-Rudey

What about Gaza?
 

Is the Isreali army using new chemical weapons in Gaza?

http://www.pnn.ps/english/archive200...06/report5.htm

Director of Public Relations at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital, Dr. Juma Al Sakka, confirmed the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s report from earlier this week which stated that Israeli forces are using toxic weapons in the Gaza Strip.

The doctor spoke on Thursday, giving the death count at 85 Palestinians in the Strip since the latest Israeli attack began. Among the dead are 34 children under the age of 13. And as of Thursday afternoon, 300 Palestinians are injured.

Dr. Al Sakka told Voice of Palestine Radio that the Israeli army is using new types of non-conventional weapons against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the recent attacks. He said, “They are targeting the Palestinian body with unconventional weapons and with that comes a phenomena we have not seen before in any Israeli bombardment we have lived through for many years.”

He continued, “The hospital is central and sees almost all cases of injuries and deaths as a result of Israeli against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. These Israeli bombings are entering the body and fragmenting, causing internal combustion leading to up to fourth degree internal burns, exposing the bone, and affecting the tissue and skin.”

The doctor added, “These tissues die, they do not survive, which obliges us to perform arm or leg amputations, and there are fragments which penetrate the body and do not show up on X-rays. When entering the body they spark like a combustion firearm, but not chemically. They seem radioactive.”

He confirmed that there were dozens of wounded legs and arms. Many of them had been burned from the inside, and distorted to the point that they cannot return to life again.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was one of the most bloody of all in the recent attacks. Israeli forces killed 25 Palestinians. Dr. Al Sakka said, “It is escalating day after day. Yesterday alone Israeli forces killed 25 and injured dozens. Among them so many were children.”

Dr. Al Sakka revealed that the Israelis completely destroyed by the lab which would help in diagnosing such cases. “We no longer have the ability to make these examinations on phenomena that we see is not normal.”

He called on the international community to examine the latest weapons however the doctor reported that “no one has lifted a finger.” Dr. Al Sakka complained that he did not see any foreign medical institution interested in the use of new weapons and their affects on the human body. He said, “What we found were journalists who came to take pictures, but as for the medical community, nothing.”

An attack on civilians?
 

This is an article from June 29th, 2006

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006...srlpa13662.htm

(Beirut, June 29, 2006) – Israel's destruction of Gaza’s only electrical plant needlessly punishes the civilian population and has created the potential for a serious humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also said that Palestinian militant groups are committing a war crime by using a captured Israeli soldier as a hostage to seek the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

" Militants are using Corporal Gilad Shalit as a hostage to bargain for the release of Palestinians in Israeli custody, and that’s a war crime. But Israel must minimize the harm to Gaza’s civilian population during any military operation to rescue the corporal, and that includes not destroying vital power plants.

On Sunday, Palestinian militants attacked an Israeli military post on the border with Gaza, killing two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and capturing Shalit. Three Palestinian militant groups – the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigade, the military wing of the ruling Hamas party; the Popular Resistance Committees; and the little-known Army of Islam – took responsibility for the attack and the abduction on Monday, and demanded the release of all Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails in return for information about Shalit. The Popular Resistance Committees also claimed responsibility for killing Eliahu Asheri, an 18-year-old Jewish settler kidnapped in the West Bank, apparently in response to Israel’s current military action.

A hostage is a person held in the power of an adversary in order to obtain specific actions, such as the release of prisoners, from the other party to the conflict. International law prohibits the taking of hostages, which is a war crime under the laws of war. The summary execution of anyone held captive, such as Asheri, is also a war crime. Human Rights Watch calls on the Palestinian Authority to do all it can to ensure that Shalit and any other captured Israelis are treated in accordance with the laws of war, and urges militant groups to stop using Israelis as bargaining chips.

Human Rights Watch also expressed concern about the intentional and frequent use of sonic booms by Israeli military aircraft over Gaza, which has caused great fear among the civilian population, particularly among children. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits “measures of intimidation” against the civilian population. As there appears to be no military justification for the use of the sonic booms, other than the prohibited practice of intimidation, Human Rights Watch urges Israel to immediately halt the practice.

Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced that Israel is willing to take “extreme measures” to rescue the corporal. On June 28, Israel began offensive military operations into Gaza. Among the first Israeli targets was the only electrical power station in the Gaza strip, which was hit by multiple missiles and reportedly destroyed. The station provides power to the majority of the Gaza Strip, and is responsible for powering the water pumps and other systems essential to the survival of Gaza’s civilian population. The destruction of the power station could quickly cause a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as electricity is essential to power the water system, sewage treatment, and medical services.

The laws of war prohibit attacks on “objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.” Israel’s attack on Gaza’s only power plant is in violation of its obligation to safeguard such objects from attack. Even though Israel unilaterally withdrew its troops and settlements from Gaza in 2005, it continues to have obligations as an occupying power in Gaza because of its almost complete control over Gaza’s borders, sea and air space, tax revenue, utilities, and the internal economy of Gaza. At a minimum, Israel continues to be responsible for the basic welfare of the Palestinian population in Gaza, in particular the health, educational, and humanitarian needs of the population to the extent these are affected by the restrictions imposed on Gaza by Israel. Olmert reportedly threatened to block the entry of fuel and food to Gaza if Shalit is not released, which would violate these obligations.

Human Rights Watch urges Israel to take all possible precautions to limit the impact of its military campaign in Gaza on the civilian population. In particular, the laws of war require Israel to ensure that the impact of its military actions on the civilian population is not disproportionate to the military objectives it seeks to achieve, and that it does not target objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.