After all the Israeli BS......

How about civllised civillians living in a democracy?

Which civilised civilians? The ones who allow terrorists to hide among them? What Democracy? The one run by terrorists (de facto) because the "democratically elected" government cannot or won't control them?
 
Which civilised civilians?

The marronites. The druze. heh even the sunni for once.

The ones who allow terrorists to hide among them?

The evidence that they do is somewhat limited.

What Democracy? The one run by terrorists (de facto) because the "democratically elected" government cannot or won't control them?

It isn't run by terroists. It just has certian limits on it's activities in southen lebabon. The situtation is harly unique even in todays world.
 
Negotiations with terrorists is a dumb idea. What concessions could one possibly offer?

Israel played it right the first time. The concession they offered was NOT attacking them. That the terrorists decided this wasn't good enough is tough noggies.

If I were Israel I'd play the same game a second time. Okay, we've stopped attacking. Now you have 2 hours to release our men or you'll be attacked. It will be a completely different action not connected to the first.

Aaron

I guess Israel had plenty of prisoners to exchange, but Hizbullah had none.
 
Don't forget Hizbollah's motto "Death to Israel" has been expanded to include "Death to America".

I am astounded how quickly people have lumped Israel and the US together in this particular conflict, purely because the US acknowledges Israel's right under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to defend itself...

So strange... it's almost like people are letting their pre-existing bias colour their judgement of this particular conflict...

-Andrew
Yeah, they do that quickly. On the other hand:
Terrorism? What's That?
The UN appears to suffer from the same malady of being incapable of defining terrorists.

Lest I be brought to task with some antiquated UK textbook, let me say that most modern dictionaries contain a line similar to: "esp. illegal violence or destruction perpetrated on civilian populations" in their definition of terrorism.

I would say that the place to draw the line in the sand is where civilians are deliberately targeted for maximum damage, which is in contrast to collateral damage.

I think Hezbollah is more aptly described as a guerrilla warfare organization at this point. In fact, since Hezbollah is not part of the government of Lebanon, would it be fair to say that Hezbollah is an occupying guerrilla army supported by Syria and Iran?
 
1) Hezbollah is supplied weapons and money by Iran and the Syrian and Lebanese government help facilitate this support. It is no secret, it is common knowledge, and there is no rift developing between Nasrallah and Teheran.

2) Hezbollah's goal is the destruction of Israel. Always has been. Period, end of story.

December 31, 1999 - "There is no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel."

August 8, 2006 - Hezbollah spokesman Hassan Ezzeddin admitted: "If they go from Shebaa, we will not stop fighting them. Our goal is to liberate the 1948 borders of Palestine."

And what was Hezbollah created in response to? The invasion of Southern Lebanon. What did that invasion achieve? Absolutely nothing, except the creation of Hezbollah. What has the present invasion achieved? Still nothing. Israel doesn't seem to be too smart about defending itself.
 
And what was Hezbollah created in response to? The invasion of Southern Lebanon.

It was also formed with the purpose of transforming Lebanon into an Iranian style Muslim state.

It should also be noted that the Israeli invasion of Lebanon was not the only catalyst for the formation of Hezbollah, but that Iranian funding and Iranian desire to spread their Shia ideology played a crucial role.

What did that invasion achieve? Absolutely nothing, except the creation of Hezbollah.

Not at all true. They broke the back of the PLO in southern Lebanon ultimately forcing it out of Lebanon. Denial of Lebanon to the PLO as a military base is very likely what forced them to begin to seek political solutions.

What has the present invasion achieved? Still nothing. Israel doesn't seem to be too smart about defending itself.

I agree it hasn’t achieved enough.
 
And what was Hezbollah created in response to? The invasion of Southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah was created to destroy Israel and kick all western influences out of Lebanon - see: American and French peacekeepers. And we both know beyond all resonable doubt that Israel invaded Lebanon previously because the PLO - not Hezbollah - was attacking Israel from Lebanon. It's so well documented that even you cannot deny it.

What did that invasion achieve? Absolutely nothing, except the creation of Hezbollah.
Wrong again. The invasions in '78 & '82 suceeded in getting Arafat and the PLO kicked out of Lebanon and exiled to Tunis. Freeing Lebanon from the PLO state-within-a-state and ending PLO shelling and raids of northern Israel.

What has the present invasion achieved? Still nothing. Israel doesn't seem to be too smart about defending itself.
Wrong again. This invasion succeeded in exposing Hezbollah for the Iranian proxy that they are. It also has the potential to free Lebanon from yet another foreign-sponsored militia who has created a state-within-a-state there. It also will make Hezbollah think twice about crossing into Israel to kill people.

The problem a_u_p is not Israel's invasion, which came, if you remember, after Hezbollah crossed the Israeli border and killed 8 soldiers and kidnapped two others. The problem is Hezbollah, islamofacism and countries such as Iran and Syria.

Today in the Mideast, there are three places where militias operate freely within states: Iraq, Gaza and Lebanon. In all three cases, the militias receive political, economic and military backing from Iran.

Those are the problems, not Israel's response to the problems.


p.s. Personally I do not believe Lebanon will free itself from Hezbollah because I truely believe Prime Minister Fuad Seniora is so far up Hassan Nasrallah's butt that the Lebanese government will never disarm Hezbollah. Mark my words.
 
For most of those involved.

Well that's not really what matters, is it? It only matters if the people with the power to make the decisions are better off.

I tend to work on the basis that reform is posible. The altunative position presents some promblems with regards to free will.

Sure, I agree. Now provide evidense that those locked up ARE reformed. If not or we don't know, the safest option is to keep them locked up. They aren't citizens, so they have no rights for eventual release.

Kidnapping? So you don't hold say wildcat's position that Hezbollah are the defacto goverment of lebanon (if you do you have the problem that Isreal is guilty of mass kidnapping).

My favorite definition of government is the organization which has the monopoly on the use of force. They may very well meet this definition for some subset of Lebonon. But I'm being kind by not recognizing them as such. If they ARE to be recognized as operating as an official arm of the Lebonese government, then Lebonon has committed acts of war and needs to be toppled.

Scum? Mostly leftovers from the days of the ocupation.

Those statements are not in contradiction.

The numbers are based on the number of individuals that both sides hold and the knowlage that Israel dislikes takeing casulaties. to a far higher degree than groups based around the shia version of islam.

They have different values. So? That is an excuse for blackmail? Taking advantage of the fact that Israel cares more about the lives of its people? That's the dumbest argument I've heard in some time. Blackmail is not okay. It's yet another "black mark" against the terrorist thugs.

Aaron
 
Well that's not really what matters, is it? It only matters if the people with the power to make the decisions are better off.

Well the Israelis get their troops back and get some space in their prisons.


Sure, I agree. Now provide evidense that those locked up ARE reformed.

No you made the claim they were not. You back that up.

My favorite definition of government is the organization which has the monopoly on the use of force.

Cool under that defintion there is perhaps a grand total of one goverment on the planet and it runs NK.

Those statements are not in contradiction.

Maybe but you would need to provide evidence that they are anything other than yesterdays resistance fighters.

They have different values. So? That is an excuse for blackmail? Taking advantage of the fact that Israel cares more about the lives of its people? That's the dumbest argument I've heard in some time. Blackmail is not okay. It's yet another "black mark" against the terrorist thugs.

It isn't often I hear the freemarket (suppy and demarnd and all that stuff) described as blackmail.
 
Well the Israelis get their troops back and get some space in their prisons.

Ah, you seem to be confused with the difference between A benifit, verses a net benifit after considering costs.

No you made the claim they were not. You back that up.

I don't have to. As long as I don't KNOW they aren't reformed, that's good enough to keep them locked up. The safety is certainly worth the cost of imprisonment.

Burden of proof to release them definately falls on those claiming they are not dangerous to Israel.

Cool under that defintion there is perhaps a grand total of one goverment on the planet and it runs NK.

Balony. The military and police forces are not privatized in virtually EVERY state.

Maybe but you would need to provide evidence that they are anything other than yesterdays resistance fighters.

No I don't.

It isn't often I hear the freemarket (suppy and demarnd and all that stuff) described as blackmail.

Then you listen to lies. In a free market all transactions are freely entered into by all parties. Any coersion is by definition not a free market transaction.

Try kidnapping and ransoming off people in your neighborhood and try that out in your court trial.

Even contracts signed under duress are considered void by free market courts because it wasn't a freely entered into transaction.

Aaron
 
Ah, you seem to be confused with the difference between A benifit, verses a net benifit after considering costs.

The costs would under normal conditions be limited. It isn't as if it hasn't been done before.

Burden of proof to release them definately falls on those claiming they are not dangerous to Israel.

You made the claim you back it up.

Balony. The military and police forces are not privatized in virtually EVERY state.

They rarely have a manopoly on force. Just ask the IRA. Or ETA. Or the mafia. Or the Triads.


No I don't.

You claimed they were scum you need to provide evidence to back this up.

Then you listen to lies. In a free market all transactions are freely entered into by all parties. Any coersion is by definition not a free market transaction.

Isreal is free not the enter into the transation

Try kidnapping and ransoming off people in your neighborhood and try that out in your court trial.

That would because it was established in 1772 in R. v. Knowles, ex parte Somerset that slavery is not allowed under English common law.

Even contracts signed under duress are considered void by free market courts because it wasn't a freely entered into transaction.

Again Israel is free to chose not to trade. Hammas is aparently under some duress (trade for nothing or we will try and kill you) but they are used to that by now.
 
The costs would under normal conditions be limited. It isn't as if it hasn't been done before.

And I hope they've learned from their mistakes.


They rarely have a manopoly on force. Just ask the IRA. Or ETA. Or the mafia. Or the Triads.

Well, that would be black market uses of force, wouldn't it?


You claimed they were scum you need to provide evidence to back this up.

Fine, you want to get that picky, I'll reduce the strength of my claim, to "We don't know they all aren't scum." Happy?

Isreal is free not the enter into the transation

Obviously. And I'm arguing they shouldn't. That doesn't make it a transaction that is being offered free of blackmail or duress.

That would because it was established in 1772 in R. v. Knowles, ex parte Somerset that slavery is not allowed under English common law.

Yay! Lots of laws exist to protect the free market.

Again Israel is free to chose not to trade. Hammas is aparently under some duress (trade for nothing or we will try and kill you) but they are used to that by now.

Hammas? Are we trading groups of thugs here?

Shocking, though, isn't it? Criminals are being threatened with force? Your equivocation between illegal uses of force and legal uses of force do not impress me.

Aaron
 
And I hope they've learned from their mistakes.

Mistakes? I doubt it. The ocupation was over but the jails were still full of people. They would probably have been released anyway at some point.

Well, that would be black market uses of force, wouldn't it?

In that case there is the likes of group 4 and securicor. On a more extream lever there are the likes of Sandline International and Aegis Defense Systems

Fine, you want to get that picky, I'll reduce the strength of my claim, to "We don't know they all aren't scum." Happy?

There are very few groups we don't know that about.

Obviously. And I'm arguing they shouldn't. That doesn't make it a transaction that is being offered free of blackmail or duress.

Isreal is free to accept or refuse.

Yay! Lots of laws exist to protect the free market.

Historicaly the idea of a free market in slaves is far from uncommon.

Shocking, though, isn't it? Criminals are being threatened with force?

Criminals legaly that is an interesting one. I am not aware of any court with the logical jursitiction reaching that conclusion.

The problem is though that it is not just Hezbollah being threatened with force is it?

Your equivocation between illegal uses of force and legal uses of force do not impress me.

So you appeal to law. Why does the law inherinatly decide morality? That position runs into the problem that since there are different legal systems you have a hard time explaining all the differences.


Hezbollah's action under lebanese law are a matter that is yet to be deiced. Israels actions are of course legal under Isreali law. Under international law Isreal is not allowed to enter lebanese airspace but they have been doing that for long enough for it to become a tradition. Hezbollah is not allowed to shot at Israeli planes but it is not as if they ever hit any.
 
Isn't Zarqawi dead?

Meanwhile, out of the blue ----
Jesse Jackson tries arranging prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah (AP)
 
ZN:
"Today in the Mideast, there are three places where militias operate freely within states: Iraq, Gaza and Lebanon. In all three cases, the militias receive political, economic and military backing from Iran."

Hezbollah's relative victory appears to have you rattled...makes you turn to a little plagiarism eh?

quote:
Iran`s Militia Mayhem
By David Makovsky
New York Daily News, August 14, 2006

...Today in the Mideast, there are three places where militias operate freely within states: Iraq, Gaza and Lebanon. In all three cases, the militias receive political, economic and military backing from Iran...
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC06.php?CID=962
 

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