Comments on: Israel’s Catch-22

By: Mike Landfair

Mike Landfair — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 17:26:47 +0000

My comments about crushing the enemy were not received well, but see what Ralph Peters writes today in the NY POST:
A U.S. government official put it to me this way: "Israel's got the clock, but Hezbollah's got the time." The sands of the hourglass favor the terrorists - every day they hold out and drop more rockets on Israel, Hezbollah scores a propaganda win.

All Hezbollah has to do to achieve victory is not to lose completely. But for Israel to emerge the acknowledged winner, it has to shatter Hezbollah. Yet Israeli miscalculations have left Hezbollah alive and kicking.

By: Fersboo

Fersboo — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 02:52:41 +0000

Henry,

You asked a question and I looked it up; try Google.com. You will hear no moral equivalence from me, I presented the information without commment. I was hoping you would educate me to its relevance to today's situation.

By: henry

henry — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 02:29:19 +0000

fersboo,

Would you care to quote your sources on your claims? Also, Who cares? Innocent civilians, including some Jews were killed. That, my friend, is TERRORISM cut and dry. Or are you calling them freedom fighters? That has a familiar ring.

By: yogi

yogi — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 03:53:04 +0000

It has become clear that although this new Israeli offensive was initiated by a humanitarian need to rescue the kidnapped soldiers, it now seems as though the initial mission has warped into a well-timed assault on the Hammas. Let's face it folks, while the plight of the miilions of Palestinians cannot be overlooked, or overshadowed by the kidnapping of a uniformed Israeli soldier, one cannot help but think of the Israeli mindset - one that consists of contantly being preocupied by attacks and threats of one form or another. Is that any way to live, and if so, is it any wonder they react in such a manner? Wouldn't we react the same? All we have to do is remind ourselves of those morning hours of September 11 and revist the agony all over again. Le me be clear that Israel lives it every day. If anything, we must take a lesson from the way Israel fights terror so we can adapt and not linger over the political-correctness of our Middle-East policy. I agree with President Bush's attempt in calling for restraint, from both sides, and also support his decision to stand by Israel, not because of a specific love for that nation, but because I agree with that nation's right to exist, and see it prosper in peace which for them it is in such short supply. And before I hear some angry remarks from those who will soon rebuf my remarks with the eve so convincing struggle of the powerless Palestinians, let me be clear: the role of a peace-lover is not to secure peace with the threat of violence, nor is it his role to secure peace with hate and the obliteration of a whole peoples. For what benefit would such people offer humanity but a glimpse of the fruits of hate and intolerance for mankind. Love thy neighbor holds true for all in the Middle-East - be they Jews, Christians, or Muslims - but it begins with the oppressed.

By: Fersboo

Fersboo — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 00:44:52 +0000

I don't know henry, why don't you educate me.

The King David Hotel was the site of the British military command and the British Criminal Investigation Division. The Irgun chose it as a target after British troops invaded the Jewish Agency June 29, 1946, and confiscated large quantities of documents. At about the same time, more than 2,500 Jews from all over Palestine were placed under arrest. The information about Jewish Agency operations, including intelligence activities in Arab countries, was taken to the King David Hotel.

A week later, news of a massacre of 40 Jews in a pogrom in Poland reminded the Jews of Palestine how Britain's restrictive immigration policy had condemned thousands to death.

By: henry

henry — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 22:46:27 +0000

Fersboo,

What significance do you think the terrorist bombing of the King David Hotel by Hebrew nationalists (1946) had in establishing the current state of Israel?

By: Media UnCut

Media UnCut — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:52:43 +0000

Israel Continues the Fight with Lebanon...

Isreal destroyed the home and office of Hezbollah’s leader Friday. They also dropped bombs on roads as well as the Beirut international airport....

By: Mike Landfair

Mike Landfair — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:17:17 +0000

Here's my solution:
Ask yourself, What would Tony Soprano do?

CRUSH the opposition in the most brutal manner possible. This is war! They have an option of seeing the blood of their nation slowly seep into the battlefield over a period of years or they can wipe out all thoughts in the enemy's mind that they can compete on the battlefield.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:06:07 +0000

So, ATS, specifically, what do you propose?

By: ATS

ATS — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:45:35 +0000

How do you know that "giving up territory isn't working"? Have you been to Gaza? Gaza isn't so much territory as it is a dust-caked prison.

The real land and water is in the West Bank, and Israel is annexing it by colonization in defiance of international law and every assurance given the US over the years. Do you deny this?

Try reading something other than our cowering media and, by the way, seek out translations not butchered by (Mossad-backed) MEMRI. See the world through a prism other than that of Wolf Blizer, former Washington correspondent of the (!) Jerusalem Post.

As for Krauthammer, he has been writting the same hysterical column for the last twenty years. One Israeli soldier is nabbed and it justifies bombing Beirut back twenty years. A third of the duly elected Palestiniian parliament is in Israeli jails and Krauthammer's POST has no objection.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:04:17 +0000

Legion, I was wondering whether Iran wouldn't direct the kidnappings in order to (1) draw Israeli antagonism and (2) encourage an attack by the U.S. or Israel on Iran, on the theory that Iran could then tell the EU "see, look at the crazies we have to deal with, of course we need nukes!" But that is probably too paranoid.

By: Fersboo

Fersboo — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:59:38 +0000

James,

I shouldn't have said 'allow them to emigrate', but I was trying to be diplomatic. They've, the non-Israelis, have been given their respective chances and have used those territories to attack Israel. Any claim to the land is moot as far as I am concerned.

By: legion

legion — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:55:36 +0000

Many people are currently accusing Iran of being behind this quasi-offensive against Israel... I'm unconvinced that Iran actively directed these attacks (or if they did, that they'd be stupid enough not to leave themselves plenty of deniability).

That said, I can't imagine why these jokers would choose this particular time to _dare_ Israel to clean their clocks unless they believed Iran (or some other regional power... could Syria or Jordan fit the bill?) would back them up & make some move of their own. Whether that's just what Hezbollah, et al, believed or what they were told by Iranian reps is something we may never know... or it may be answered in the next few days if Iran really does something nutsy like strike Israel (or eastern Iraq) directly.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 16:37:28 +0000

Fersboo: They essentially tried that from 1967-2004 and 1982-2000, respectively, without achieving the desired results. The underlying problem is that two sets of people claim exclusive rights to land that their ancestors grew up on.

By: Fersboo

Fersboo — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 15:38:43 +0000

I'm a proponent of Israel occupying Gaza and Southern Lebanon and allowing the current residents to emigrate to a country of their choosing, as long as it isn't Israel.