Israel Under Fire
Do we in the United States really know what living under the constant threat of war is really like? Of course not. But as I read an opinion article from Susan Goodman, writing for the Jerusalem Post, I am intrigued how people will cling to any semblance of peace, even the illusion of peace in order to escape the mental state of fatigue which accompanies war. Israel even gave up the Gaza strip claiming the forfeiture would bring about a lasting peace. But this Neville Chamberlain way of thinking only encourages further attacks. Peace can not come at ANY price.
THIS IS MY first war. Though it’s not as if there has ever been the sort of peace here that I knew back in the UK. But my arrival - I’ve lived here for almost two years - coincided with a quieter phase in hostilities. It was of course an illusion, one we welcomed with open arms.
It was sweet and, like the balmy days of an English summer, you thought it would last forever.
When I arrived in this land at peace I soon accepted, as the norm, security guards rummaging through my bag. I learned that we all freeze for a moment as an ambulance goes by.
One for a baby, two for a road accident, and three for… I learned the mantra and counted screaming sirens quietly to myself, just like everyone else.
We lived like all other peoples do, preoccupied with the challenges and banalities of everyday life. We buried our heads in the sands of tranquility.
This is Israel under siege. The people have been under the constant state of war for so long, they inevitably dream of peace at almost any price. Even if it means looking the other direction while the enemies of Israel fortify their rocket placements for another attack.
THE HIZBULLAH rocket emplacements in southern Lebanon were no secret; the accumulated weaponry… the terrorist infrastructure… all assembled with Syrian sponsorship. All ignored.
The international community would never have tolerated a preemptive strike. And so we waited. We waited for the Katyushas to kill and for soldiers to be kidnapped. It’s the price we pay for international rhetoric that throws us crumbs of condolence.
How long would we have accepted such a situation as this. When the Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba it sent such terror in the Kennedy administration that they demanded the weapons systems removed at once. And yet Israel is expected to wait until they are attacked before responding. But then, if Israel is attacked, someone has to die before it is considered a real attack by the international community.
Showers of Kassam rockets arrived. We ignored them. The international media designated them “home-made” bombs, as if this reduced them to nothing more than a display of firecrackers. And, anyway, no one was usually killed.
How long does Israel need to pull their punches while Hezbollah continues to launch missile attacks with the aid of Iran? For so long Iran has feigned ignorance. And now they can continue this charade no longer.
London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat quotes senior Iranian army official as saying Islamic republic’s Revolutionary Guard set up dozens of advanced rocket, missile bases in Lebanon Valley and along border with Israel.
London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat quoted a senior Iranian army official as saying that The Islamic republic’s Revolutionary Guard set up dozens of advanced rocket and missile bases in the Lebanon Valley and along the border with Israel.
Between 1992 and 2005 Hizbullah received some 11,500 missiles and rockets, 400 short and mid-range artillery shells as well as rocket launchers. (Hat tip: Meryl Yourish.com)
Is Iran really wanting to throw their hat in the right with Israel? I think it would be a big mistake, as big as the one Hezbollah made when they kidnapped Israeli soldiers.
So what does Israel do now? If the IDF wipes out all or most of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, it would make it far easier for Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to regain control over the region. Perhaps then Israel could have the peace it so desperately desires.
What is interesting is all the charges by both national leaders and some bloggers that Israel is responding too aggressively. That in a sense, the US is partly at fault for selling so many of these advanced weapons to Israel. How should Israel respond? Biff Babonie at the Angry Republican nips this charge in the bud.
There is one valid charge against Israel that some bloggers have. This charge is also shared by Russia’s Putin. Putin said: “… it was unacceptable to try to reach political goals through abductions and strikes against an independent state. In this context we consider Israel’s concerns to be justified, At the same time, the use of force should be balanced.” (snip)
Think of it this way… If all wars were fought with “equal force.” These wars would never end. They would continue forever. Wars end because someone gives up and someone else wins. (Or both sides give up and a truce is formed.)
Isn’t that the truth. I say let Israel take care of Hezbollah now, once and for all. One thing the left has not learned is peace at any price usually costs the one who caves in. Israel can have its peace after it eliminates those who have declared war on its people.
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