Israel at War?

[Alpha Sig Scott]

I was in Israel last month on a State of Illinois Homeland Security Trade Mission for my company. As a security professional I'll throw in my two cents.

The mission met with high level government officials and business executives. We toured several universities engaged in "security" related research such as The Technion (Israels version of MIT) and Tev Aviv University. We had the opportunity to see behind the scenes security infrastructure at such places as Ben Gurion international airport in Tel Aviv, the worlds "most safest airport". We had a briefing by the airport director who candidly told us that our airport security was a failure. He mentioned many examples but the most telling was profiling. Here of course it's a PC thing and it can't be done. He said it may be the ruin of us because we don't profile. I tend to agree. What does everyone else think?

If there is a safer and more secure country I don't know where it is. It certainly did not feel like a police state, but the security presence was palatable. You had to open all bags at the entrance to every building, public or private for inspection. I noticed in resturaunts people would look under the tables as they sat down. A member of the mission who is Israeli but now lives in Chicago told me they were looking for anything out of the ordinary, like a package or bag that may be an explosive. Oddly enough, I saw virtually no police while in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Haifa. When I did see a police car, they always had their light bar flashing, whether there was an emergency or not. I was told that this is standard practice.

When you consider that military service is compulsatory, you basically have a country that is one giant army. If you put a rifle in an old womens hands she would know how to use it. I saw 18 year old girls laying out at the beach with their M16s stuck in the sand next to them. They can't go anywhere with out their rifle. These beautiful 18 year old girls with automatic weapons at the beach...only in Israel

I think Israel can handle just about anything short of every single arab nation attacking at once. Things are bad right now. Let's hope they don't get worse.

[DeltAlum]

Here's a theory. No basis in known fact on my part.

Maybe the real reason the US isn't demanding a cease fire is that we will support Israel (as our surrogate) in striking Iran (and maybe Syria) under the theme that they are supplying Hezbollah.

We give Israel lots of equipment, and they do our dirty work.

I'm not sure that would be wise, but...

As I said, just a theory.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Here's a theory. No basis in known fact on my part.

Maybe the real reason the US isn't demanding a cease fire is that we will support Israel (as our surrogate) in striking Iran (and maybe Syria) under the theme that they are supplying Hezbollah.

We give Israel lots of equipment, and they do our dirty work.

I'm not sure that would be wise, but...

As I said, just a theory.

Probably. I don't really know who to trust if anyone anymore. I used to not beleive in things like Puppet Govts and Conspirary Theories but as I grow older things look shaider and shadier.

[Rudey]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Here's a theory. No basis in known fact on my part.

Maybe the real reason the US isn't demanding a cease fire is that we will support Israel (as our surrogate) in striking Iran (and maybe Syria) under the theme that they are supplying Hezbollah.

We give Israel lots of equipment, and they do our dirty work.

I'm not sure that would be wise, but...

As I said, just a theory.

Well...

the countries that have said they want a cease fire, haven't done anything to back that up.

For example, none have dedicated peace keeping troops but keep discussing it. Germany said they'd get involved only if Hezbollah invites them in and a bunch of other conditions are met - essentially if those conditions are met there wouldn't be a need for any troops since there wouldn't be a war. The same goes for France and America since they don't want to dedicate troops there. Britain has said it's stretched out as well.

At the same time, the majority of the Arab world is Sunni and against the Iranians and Hezbollah so they want to see Hezbollah weakened. That's why they've condemned Hezbollah and really just played PR games with their own people and the news, but nothing more.

Really it's Russia, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon here against everyone else. Russia supplies weapons to Syria and Iran and those two then supply weapons and money to terrorists in Lebanon.

So what is the point of a ceasefire? Israel has blocked Lebanon off so it's harder to send in weapons, has been attacked by several thousand rockets, destroyed another several thousand rockets, and is letting the world know that status quo is unacceptable. Why would anyone want the cease fire? They have come to accept that same conclusion.

-Rudey

[RU OX Alum]

I think that maybe the rest of the world (not mid east) is saying "this is their war, it needs to be fought, let them fight"

I'd be against sending troops there as that would be a tacital error of judgement.

[AGDee]

Just wanted to clarify that it is NOT Lebanon itself, but the terrorist group of Hezbollah that is doing the bombing.

[Rudey]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Just wanted to clarify that it is NOT Lebanon itself, but the terrorist group of Hezbollah that is doing the bombing.

Let me clarify some things for you:

Hezbollah occupies 23 seats in the Parliament. It has not surrendered a single one since the war began. Aside from the seats it has, other Lebanese leaders including Lahoud are their supporters.

The 1990 Taif Agreement gave Hezbollah the state sanctioned right to police Lebanon's southern border with Israel. This agreement is still in effect despite a 2004 UN resolution demanding that Lebanon dismantle Hezbollah's presence along the border.

Hezbollah is the government. The government is Hezbollah.

-Rudey

[_Opi_]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5212870.stm

The Israeli army has been accused of using Palestinian civilians as human shields in an operation in northern Gaza.

According to the Israeli human rights group, B'tselem, six civilians including two minors were subjected to the illegal tactic during an incursion into the town of Beit Hanoun last week.