Dr. Feelgood or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Israel
In case you haven't turned on the radio, or television, picked up a newspaper, or logged on to the internet (how did you get here), I'll give you the highlights of what's going on in the middle east:
1. Arabs dislike Israel and don't think they have a right to exist, at least not where they are.
2. Israelis feel very strongly that not only do they have a right to exist, but they are located on "their" land. God gave it to them.
3. Israel has over the last few years, lightened up its foreign policy, at least in practice, removing troops from Gaza for instance.
4. Hamas, Hezbollah, and other anti-Israel forces (mostly financed by Syria and Iran) have taken this draw-down as a sign of weakness and continued to attack Israel with suicide bombers, short-range missiles and most recently with kidnappings.
5. Israel decided that enough is enough and after a recent raid by Hezbollah (during which two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped) Israel began a systematic destruction of their bases, artillery, infrastructure and escape routes.
The problem for the international community is that Hezbollah, like most terrorist organizations, doesn't live out in the woods somewhere. They set up shop, and conduct their missions of destruction from the heart of urban areas, amid innocent civilians. While Israel has some of the best weaponry in the world, these attacks can not help but injure and kill some innocent Lebanese people. But what Israel is doing, in my opinion, must be done.
The status-quo (Arabs hate Israel and long for its destruction, Israel maintains massive armament so as to deter outright attacks, but endures daily small attacks) can not be endured any longer. Iran is gaining in power and influence in the region everyday. As long as the current regime is in power there, it is not a question of if, but when, they will attack Israel. This conflict will indeed be a global one. That is why above all other reasons, this fight should be allowed to play out now.
Israel is largely a peaceful nation. It's people do not long for war. They long to be left alone, but that has not been their fate. The Iranian people are probably not a war-mongering people either, but their government is. For years they have made overt threats to Israel, the United States and many allies of those two nations. Up till now, those threats have largely been tough talk. Soon the time will come when that talk will have something behind it, nuclear weapons. A nuclear Iran is an even bigger threat than a nuclear North Korea. If this conflict is allowed to come to its natural conclusion now, before Iran has the capability to kill millions around the world, we as a nation, and a world will be much better off.
I am not suggesting that Israel is allowed to "clean house" driving its enemies into the sea, as they promised to do to Israel all those years ago. However they must be allowed to finish the job with Hezbollah. The group must be destroyed, so that the people of Lebanon, not an extremist regime, can determine the future of their country. And what of Iran, or Syria? If those countries should interfere with Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah, or Hamas, then they too should be made to pay the price for their continued interference in Israel's affairs. For too long, their support of Palestinian and Lebanese terrorism has gone unpunished, and unchecked. It is time to call them accountable. If Iran truly wants nuclear power, not for military reasons but to continued economic growth, then they must join the world of nations, accept Israel as a legitimate state, and cease hostilities, overt, covert and rhetorical against Israel and the United States.
But that's just not going to happen. Only when the citizens of Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon see that the hostility of their leaders will set them back, not lead them forward, will change begin to occur in the region. I hope for a peaceful middle east, but I fear a nuclear Iran more.
1. Arabs dislike Israel and don't think they have a right to exist, at least not where they are.
2. Israelis feel very strongly that not only do they have a right to exist, but they are located on "their" land. God gave it to them.
3. Israel has over the last few years, lightened up its foreign policy, at least in practice, removing troops from Gaza for instance.
4. Hamas, Hezbollah, and other anti-Israel forces (mostly financed by Syria and Iran) have taken this draw-down as a sign of weakness and continued to attack Israel with suicide bombers, short-range missiles and most recently with kidnappings.
5. Israel decided that enough is enough and after a recent raid by Hezbollah (during which two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped) Israel began a systematic destruction of their bases, artillery, infrastructure and escape routes.
The problem for the international community is that Hezbollah, like most terrorist organizations, doesn't live out in the woods somewhere. They set up shop, and conduct their missions of destruction from the heart of urban areas, amid innocent civilians. While Israel has some of the best weaponry in the world, these attacks can not help but injure and kill some innocent Lebanese people. But what Israel is doing, in my opinion, must be done.
The status-quo (Arabs hate Israel and long for its destruction, Israel maintains massive armament so as to deter outright attacks, but endures daily small attacks) can not be endured any longer. Iran is gaining in power and influence in the region everyday. As long as the current regime is in power there, it is not a question of if, but when, they will attack Israel. This conflict will indeed be a global one. That is why above all other reasons, this fight should be allowed to play out now.
Israel is largely a peaceful nation. It's people do not long for war. They long to be left alone, but that has not been their fate. The Iranian people are probably not a war-mongering people either, but their government is. For years they have made overt threats to Israel, the United States and many allies of those two nations. Up till now, those threats have largely been tough talk. Soon the time will come when that talk will have something behind it, nuclear weapons. A nuclear Iran is an even bigger threat than a nuclear North Korea. If this conflict is allowed to come to its natural conclusion now, before Iran has the capability to kill millions around the world, we as a nation, and a world will be much better off.
I am not suggesting that Israel is allowed to "clean house" driving its enemies into the sea, as they promised to do to Israel all those years ago. However they must be allowed to finish the job with Hezbollah. The group must be destroyed, so that the people of Lebanon, not an extremist regime, can determine the future of their country. And what of Iran, or Syria? If those countries should interfere with Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah, or Hamas, then they too should be made to pay the price for their continued interference in Israel's affairs. For too long, their support of Palestinian and Lebanese terrorism has gone unpunished, and unchecked. It is time to call them accountable. If Iran truly wants nuclear power, not for military reasons but to continued economic growth, then they must join the world of nations, accept Israel as a legitimate state, and cease hostilities, overt, covert and rhetorical against Israel and the United States.
But that's just not going to happen. Only when the citizens of Palestine, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon see that the hostility of their leaders will set them back, not lead them forward, will change begin to occur in the region. I hope for a peaceful middle east, but I fear a nuclear Iran more.
posted by Daddy Rogue at 3:51 PM
4 Comments:
The idea of a "proportionate response" is a pre 9/11 idea. I think it is clear that "proportionate responses" enflame the enemy, and stir up sentiment without actually injuring their attack capabilities. It is horrific that common Lebanese and Palestinian citizens have to pay the price for their leaders evil, but those leaders must be stopped, that evil must be destroyed. In the end, the Lebanese people should be better off, without strongmen to push them around, perhaps true democracy can actually flourish there.
when has a "propotionate response" ever been effective? think about it this way: you're in grade school, the school bully pushes you repeatedly everyday in the halls, one day after he pushes you one time and you haul off an kick him square in the nuts. now, this would be a result of built up hostility (a camel's bak scenario), but had you done this the first or even the second time the bully pushed you, he would not likely push you again.
my point is: a proprtionate response in a forever escalating situation such as the one on which israel is embroiled would do nothing to curb hostility. if you flick israel in the ear and they break your jaw for it you'll not likely flick that ear again...other folks might try to flick it later on but eventually other they will start to learn that you don't step up to the most powerful nation in the middle east without limping away.
My opinion is quite straightforward on this one just like Israel. The word is out "if you screw with Israel they will hunt you down wherever you go and take you out". And they have every right too. Innocent civilians be damned. They should get out of the way.
Harsh, Chuck, harsh. But sorta true none-the-less.
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