Israel has violated the ceasefire with Lebanon over 7,000 times since the end of the 2006 war on Lebanon.
These violations include:
- Dropping poisonous balloons over Southern Lebanon causing 8 people to be rushed to the hospital after inhaling toxic fumes.
- Crossing into Lebanese territory and shooting at shepherds.
- Consistently violating Lebanese airspace, the most recent incident being on May 26th of this year.
- Crossing into Lebanese territory in an attempt to change the demarcation line between both countries.
- Consistently crossing into Lebanese territory and kidnapping random civilians and livestock.
P.S. there were over a million cluster bombs dropped on Southern Lebanon. To this day, Israel refuses to tell the Lebanese where they were dropped and children are constantly getting maimed by them. The most recent incident was on July 26 of this year when 9 year old Yaqoub Youssef Zreiq was injured by an unexploded bomb. These bombs look like toys... those kid friendly Israelis.
"What we did was insane and monstrous, we covered entire towns in cluster bombs," the head of an IDF rocket unit in Lebanon said regarding the use of cluster bombs and phosphorous shells during the war.
Quoting his battalion commander, the rocket unit head stated that the IDF fired around 1,800 cluster bombs, containing over 1.2 million cluster bomblets.
Here is a compilation of other violations not captured above.
I really want to know, where UNIFIL has been during all those violations? Perhaps it would be in Lebanon's best interest to get rid of UNIFIL and allow Hezbollah to secure the borders...
Update: I just did some fact checking on myself and found that Israel did give a map to the Lebanese 3 years later of the 1,000,000 + cluster bombs dropped, after years of the UN begging them to do so. Yes and how accurate could it be?
Yeah well seems that the Lebanese villagers in south Lebanon have been rebelling against the UNIFILS for some time now:
link to jamestown.org
If you don’t give justice to the people, the people will fight for their own justice. It was always forever thus.
In 2007, when Belgium criticized Israel for its use of cluster bombs on southern Lebanon, Israel retaliated by accusing Belgium of anti-Semitism. It didn’t do so directly, of course. But, more in a passive-aggressive manner; Israel, in fact, managed to squeeze out from Belgium a few billions of Euros. For what, you may ask? Reparations for WWII.
We all remember Belgium as a staunch supporter of the Axis.
Wasn’t hitler from Belgium originally?
;D
Wasn’t hitler from Belgium originally?
I thought he was one of those Litvaks.
Yup. Belgium was the #1 supplier of waffles, which kept the soldiers on the front lines well fed and ready for battle. I think the syrup was extra. If you wanted some, you had to bring your own.
“Belgium was the #1 supplier of waffles…”
They also supplied the boot soles…
The US Congress is now mulling the possibility of freezing military aid to Lebanon.
Keep on trimming those trees, boys.
Let it never be said that Israeli interests control the US Congress!
I saw that Avi:
Congress may pull Lebanon military aid
Rep. Klein: Border shooting will “certainly come up in conversations.” WASHINGTON – Some members of Congress are threatening to reassess US aid to the Lebanese military following its border clash with Israel on Tuesday. “To start shooting as they did – one person killed, one seriously injured – is a very serious move by the Lebanese army,” said Florida Rep. Ron Klein, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in response to a question from The Jerusalem Post.
link to jpost.com
I consider that a welcome development though, Lebanon can’t defend itself with the firecrackers they get from the U.S. anyway.
By his words, Rep. Ron Klein is a racist bigot:
“To start shooting as they did – one person killed, one seriously injured – is a very serious move by the Lebanese army,” said Florida Rep. Ron Klein, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in response to a question from The Jerusalem Post.
So according to him, it is only the IOF soldiers who count. What about the two Lebanese soldiers and the civilian journalist? Are they not human beings? Or does Rep. Ron Klein regard them as sub-human?
braciole- Who shot first? The Lebanese shot first, no? Or are we dealing with two different sets of facts?
Wondering Jew,
Can we apply the logic to Israel? Who came from around the world, riled up their distant cousins that were there and declared themselves a country? They are still occupying.
The story begins there….
Shooting warning shots in the air is not the same as shooting and killing. According to press reports, the Lebanese soldiers shot in the air. Israel retaliated by shooting directly at the Lebanese.
Still, after the exchange of gunfire, Israel put up a helicopter in the air and launched a missile toward a Lebanese army vehicle killing all its occupants including one journalist.
Not only did Israel provoke, but Israel sought to escalate the violence. It’s akin to running someone over in retaliation for his staring you down or getting in your face, as it were.
Either way, Israel’s behavior was unreasonable. But, knowing your Ziocaine kicks in when the subject matter is Israel, it’s no wonder that even when the facts are staring you straight in the face, you manage to see them through your special Zioglasses.
One week Ehud Barak is threatening Lebanon and Hezbollah, the next Lebanon is expected to stand down when Israeli troops cross over Gadder Ha-Ma’rechet Robert Fisk calls it the Technical Fence in English.
Meanwhile, you have said nothing about Israel’s repeated violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Talk about glasses, nay, I should amend that; make that blinders.
Go stand on the road near an Israeli military base dressed in traditional Arab dress and see what happens if you dangled over the fence to trim hedges. Or, try the research facility at Nakhal Sorek. Report back with any findings. By the way, what should we do if we don’t hear from you?
Facts. You have the audacity to talk about facts.
wondering jew – if children collecting scrap or farmers trying to cultivate their land within 300 metres of the border fence between that “open prison” Gaza and the occupied territory of their homeland, Palestine, then they are shot and killed by the thieves, murderers and war criminals who invaded and stole their land just as they have with Lebanon for extended periods in the past until they could take the pain that Hizbollah and others inflicted on them no more.
BTW, you remind me of one of my nephews a few years ago, when he was nine or so, who always complained that his elder brother always hit him first after he had spent hours taunting his elder brother. It worked a few times until my sister and her husband cottoned on to what was happening, Then his complaints were ignored completely even when they were justified. Your behaviour reminds me of that nephew so perhaps you should grow the fuck up up! Either that or you should change your user-name to infantile jew.
BTW, just where in my comment do I apportion blame, so who shot first is irrelevant. I just mentioned that that racist shit of an American politician was blind to the Lebanese casualties. Personally, I feel that all loss of human life of whatever race should be mourned and should not be tolerated and is wrong. Perhaps you can clarify; do you feel that somehow an Israeli life is worth more than a Lebanese life? If you do then perhaps you should change your user-name to racist jew or better still infantile racist jew.
WJ – as far as I can tell, all reports agree that the Lebanese shot first. However, they claim to have fired warning shots only. I don’t think there are any established facts beyond this. Depends on whom you believe
braciole- All life is precious and all life is equally precious. There is a question about who started the mortal killing and I assume from what I have read that the Lebanese started the mortal shooting. Based upon that assumption affixing blame on the side that started the mortal shooting is not an outrageous political reaction.
I don’t think calling me names improves the quality of this web site, perchance you care about the quality of this web site.
Except for a few Zionist nutjobs such as Pam Geller and some Israeli “intelligence” whackjob, I have seen no reports that the Lebabese did anything more than fire warning shots at the Israelis(although there was one report that the first shot was an RPG but I think we can discount that). As usual the Israeli response was grossly out of proportion and they recklessly fired on the Lebanese killing two soldiers and a journalist. At that point it would appear that the Lebanese fired back and hit two officers. So the fatal shooting originated with the Israelis. But that was never to point of my comment and you know it.
As for the accusation of name calling, I was suggesting that your chosen user name is a misrepresentation as you quite clearly follow the hasbara “party line” with your comments and I was merely suggesting a couple of more meaningful user names for you to consider.
Distancing one self from israeloamerica can only be a good thing in the long run.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Congress had that same immediate reaction to Israel’s “clashes” along all its borders over the years?
Based on my calculations, there seems to be a 62-year time delay between Congress’ reaction to Israel’s aggressions and its reactions to Lebanon’s alleged aggression. That ought to cause a rip in the time-space continuum.
By finally acting do you mean the act of murder that was committed today?
Who did the Israelis murder today, Max?
Anyway, having the graciousness to admit it and call Israeli murder by its right name is appreciated. Thanks
Why not murder the murderers?!
What else to do with murderers maxima? Give ‘em tea and cookies?!
“To this day, Israel refuses to tell the Lebanese where they were dropped and children are constantly getting maimed by them. The most recent incident was on July 26 of this year when 9 year old Yaqoub Youssef Zreiq was injured by an unexploded bomb. These bombs look like toys… those kid friendly Israelis.”
Very much a human-and-peace-loving-country, Israel is.
here’s a picture of the cluster bombs and the senator in 2006 who voted to stop the use of cluster bombs.
Cluster Bombs and the US Senate
2006 “Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Evan Bayh, supposed potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for President included themselves among the Nays.”
I just did some fact checking on myself and found that Israel did give a map to the Lebanese 3 years later of the 1,000,000 + cluster bombs dropped.
link to sbs.com.au
The problem with cluster bombs is that even if you have a map, the artillery fire can not be so accurate as to ensure you can find all the ordnance.
“… I just did some fact checking on myself and found that Israel did give a map to the Lebanese 3 years later of the 1,000,000 + cluster bombs dropped.”
The giving of maps was nothing other than another PR gimmick by Israel. Those maps proved to be flawed, incomplete, and absolutely useless.
Over 40 people have died because of the bomblets and over 300 seriously injured some with loss of limbs. In the last 4 years, 200,000 bomblets have been removed with another million remaining. At the current rate of discovery, it will take another 20 years, another 200 killed and another 1500 seriously injured before this Israeli show of humanity and Purity of Arms comes to an end.
Gotta say…if I was a Hezbollah,..or even a Lebanon military commander,
my idea of reasonable action would be kidnapping a IDF battalion and making them do that cute little hip hop dance they did in occupied Palestine all over the cluster bomb fields in Lebanon.
Why shoot ‘em when you can put them to good use on a clean up team.
Seham- All the cases that you cite seem to indicate a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. But the tree trimming was not a case of violating Lebanon’s sovereignty and therefore an Israeli deserved to die despite the fact that Lebanon agreed to abide by the Blue Line?! Doesn’t make sense. Because you, Israel, did wrong in those other cases therefore we have a right to do wrong in this case? Doesn’t make sense. Or are we not on the same page here?
Lebanon disputes the border at that point. To Lebanon, it was indeed a case of violating its sovereignty.
Let us recall that the UN also says the Shabaa Farms region does not belong to Israel, yet Israel would certainly shoot at any Lebanese or Syrian force that approached that border.
a reporter at the daily star interviewed the spokesperson for for unfil the day of the attack. the story changed by the next day.
i’m not buying a scenario where israel decides to trim bushes the day of this big speech. israel has a knack for timing missions (nov 4th) when populaces are focused on political gamechanging days. today:UNIFIL says Israelis were in their territory, Beirut refutes claim
yesterday
annie- The Israeli rush to cut down the tree is suspect, especially if Business Week’s report of an offer by the UN to do the trimming is true. Nonetheless, the UN has established a Blue line that as of this moment is the working border between Israel and Lebanon (despite whatever claims are existent). Therefore the act of shooting the Israelis was an act of aggression. What am I missing here?
Well, now we’re getting somewhere.
@wondering jew
“Nonetheless, the UN has established a Blue line”
True.
“that as of this moment is the working border between Israel and Lebanon”
Generally true, but in detail not true. See here:
“Therefore the act of shooting the Israelis was an act of aggression. What am I missing here?”
To manages these small disputed territories north of Israeli security fence but south of the blue line, UNIFIL is there to coordinate. That brings an obligation to Israel:
So Israel had the obligation to coordinate it’s work there with UNIFIL. UNIFIL said to Israel: “Stop. Wait until UNIFIL negotiated this with Lebanese army and gives green light.”
Israel ignored this UNIFIL request to halt activities until UNIFIL gave green light. Trimming a tree is not so urgent, that it could not wait for a few hours or a day until green light from Lebanese Army and subsequently UNIFIL comes. That was a deliberate Israeli provocation and violation of UNSC 1701. I bet it was pure arrogance of the commander.
As Lebanon has no means to counter such deliberate arrogant, provocative and lawbreaking Israeli behaviour with polical means in ICJ or UNSC, because Israel is not member or shielded by USA.
So what is left to Lebanon to make Israel stop such arrogant and provocative behaviour in breach of UNSC 1701, was escalation of force. Lebanon said, it did so by firing warning small arms shots in the air.
Israel took that as an act of aggression and reacted by another escalation of force: using heavy weaponry to attack targets in Lebanon. Lebanon fought back.
So what did Israel wrong? It did not wait for approval of UNIFIL to cut the trees. Why? My guess: it was sheer arrogance of an Israeli commander used to be a bully and used to get away with it. As he seems to be the highest ranking officer on site, it was probably the fault of the guy who is dead now.
That explains why Israel agreed to abide by the cease-fire shortly after.
Full cessation of hostilities (OP1) (violated by LAF)
Israel to withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon in parallel with Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deploying throughout the South (OP2) (Israel has no forces in Lebanon)
Hezbollah to be disarmed (OP3) (Violated)
Full control of Lebanon by the government of Lebanon (OP3)
No paramilitary forces, including (and implying) Hezbollah, will be south of the Litani River (OP8). (Violated)
Seham, why didn’t you feel the need to address the disarmament of Hezbollah or their reintegration South of the Litani?
Phil and his blog loose integrity by letting hacks like you, with clear agendas, post here.
“Seham, why didn’t you feel the need to address the disarmament of Hezbollah or their reintegration South of the Litani?”
A portion of Lebanon is still occupied, Shiba’a farms..Hizbullah did not disarm because Israel knows no borders, violates Lebanon’s sovereignty at will and the Lebanese army does shit. This time was the exception which confirms the rule.
- Full cessation of hostilities (OP1) (violated regularly by IDF – Air Force ais sovereinity violations, ground troops kidnapping random people – and even kidnapping goats )
- Israel to withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon in parallel with Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deploying throughout the South (OP2) (IDF still occupies Lebanese Territory in Northern Ghajar – and of course the Shebaa farms as well)
- Hezbollah to be disarmed (OP3) (The resolution does not require Hezbollah to be disarmed, see Resoution text text: “so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the Government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the Government of Lebanon” – Hisbollah is part on the government and has it weapons in consent with the government)
- No paramilitary forces, including (and implying) Hezbollah, will be south of the Litani River (OP8 – Hisbollah is according to Lebanese government no paramilitary force anymore, but part of Lebanese defense system)
“Seham, why didn’t you feel the need to address the disarmament of Hezbollah or their reintegration South of the Litani?”
Schwartzman: Hisbollah-coalition got in the last election 55% of the Lebanese votes. Hisbollah does not need to and will not disarm.
Lebanons problem is, that it has a neighbor in the south, whose long term policy towards Lebanon it’s “security chief” once described as following:
With such a neighbor Hezbollah should not disarm and let the south defenseless. So let’s turn to some more realistic and important questions:
- When will Israel pay compensation for waging wars of aggression against Lebanon?
- When will Israel pay compensation for occupation of Lebanon?
- When will the zionist apartheid regime constantly waging wars of aggression be disarmed?
80% of the Lebanese population is not in favour of Hizbullah disarming. The few that are asking for it within Lebanon are the IDF clones of Sabra-Shatilla fame but when Israel will have left what it’s now occupying, most of the Lebanese will go along with the disarming, but not before.
On the contrary Walid,
So long as teh Litani flows and Israel’s need for fresh water grows, will always pose a threat. In which case, Lebanon will always need Hebollah.
Shingo, this goes without saying. It’s expected that any disarming will come about if and when international guarantees will have been given to Lebanon that Israel will keep its thieving hands off Lebanon. But now with the prospect of vast reserves of gas off Lebanon’s shores and Israel having served notice on Lebanon that it wants it all for Israel, the prospects of Hizbullah ever disarming are very slim and everyone has Israel to thank for it.
Even still Walid,
Hezbollah are a part of the Lebanese government and as hariri said, a legitimate component of Lebanon’s military. There is no reaspon why Hezbollah should ever be disarmed.
“Therefore the act of shooting the Israelis was an act of aggression. What am I missing here? ”
That the Lebanese didn’t shoot Israelis until the Israelis started shooting at them. The Lebanese began by firing warning shots.
What are you missing? The concept of “provocation.”
Seham,
You are aware that the ambiguity of Hezbollah’s status in Lebanon, is one of the conditions that is escalating tensions in the region?
You yourself opportunistically describe Hezbollah as part of the Lebanese military, when addressing the contention that Hezbollah is in fundamental violation of the UN resolution prohibiting their arming south of the Litani. And, then you shift to regarding them as independant of the Lebanese military when their actions might be provocative and lead Lebanon as a whole into actual war.
No R.W., there is nothing ambiguous about the status of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Maybe in your Zionist fantasy land there is, but not in Lebanon.
The ambiguity of Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon stems directly from Israel’s brutal doctrines of “deterrence”. Hezbollah, in any normal parliamentary democracy, would be the governing party after the last elections. But the Lebanese know that their warmongering neighbor would use this as an excuse to call Lebanon a “terrorist state” and let loose the bombers.
Hezbollah, in a rare instance of having more concern for its country than its own political power (unlike Israeli politicians) has refrained from assuming the power that it could legitimately hold, for this reason.
If there is “nothing ambiguous about Hezbollah status”, perhaps you can clearly summarize its single legal status.
Is it a militia, a political party, a mercenary army, a proxy of Iran, a sober and consistent peaceseeking organization of idealists?
Is it me or is Witty asking more stupid questions than usual? I’m always conflicted about whether I should take the time to answer these questions knowing full well that when I make Witty look stupid he will disappear (like he always does) and only reappear on a different thread asking more stupid questions or ignore him and let him think he got the last word.
Seham, his own rhetoric, hell, the English language itself, is turning on him. He’s reached the limits of obfuscation, and can’t BS the facts here, and is retreating into nonsense, made up words and Freudian slips. (“I contest that Zionism and liberalism are complementary”) Since he has painted, or rather walled himself into a corner where he can’t show the rage and sense of betrayal he feels toward us, his descent into gibberish is all that’s left to him.
Why he wants to do this to himself in full public view I’ll never know, but I really doubt he, say, consults an intelligent Rabbi and asks him if it might be helping or hurting. At Greenwald’s, a Zionist once told me exactly how they regarded Rabbis: Hired help, contract laborers.
So Mooser, are you saying I should ignore him or what????
Wondering Jew,
I have never seen you get emotional like this when hundreds of people in Gaza were killed. Or the massacre on the Flotilla.
I can sense you seething.
Can you put yourself in our shoes for a second? That’s how we feel for our dead. Your Zionism revolves around Jews only. Time to hold on to Jewish values. Our Quran tells us that God told the Israelis that to kill one man is like killing the whole of humanity…time to reclaim that spirit.
Saleema- I have never denied the validity of the emotions of those who opposed the killing of the men on the flotilla or the people in Gaza. I think that there is plenty of room to blame Israel for a lot of actions. I wish the leaders of Israel had a lot more Buber in them and a lot less Ben gurion.
At times I believe that the leaders of Israel must have at least a little bit of Ben Gurion, but certainly the proportion of 99.999% Ben Gurion and .001% Buber is sad to use a passive word.
“I wish the leaders of Israel had a lot more Buber in them and a lot less Ben gurion.”
How very kind of you but coming after your admission you rather have Filipinos and Thais than Palestinians in Israel doesn’t show your Buber side by any stretch of the imagination..
thankgodimathiest,
Really? WJ said he’d rather have Filipinos, etc than Palestinians. He’s that afraid of the “demographic threat”?
WJ, did you really say that? REALLY?
wondering jew August 2, 2010 at 9:45 pm
I happen to favor unlimited immigration to Israel from Thailand and the Philipines and all non Muslim countries of the far east and I would grant the immigrants citizenship. Guess why? My bleeding heart? No, because I doubt there will be a two state solution and if there is a one state solution those immigrants will side with the Jews in the Knesset.
But spare me the- all democratic countries have open door policies. It’s just not true.
From the comments section on the post from August 2nd, “Israel to deport 100s of children”.
There you go Saleema
Tree beat me to it..
And notice the succulent addendum “and all non Muslim countries of the far east”..
Filipinos would never pose a threat to “the self-determination of Jews” in Israel. They would never threaten to become a majority of the population and engage in self-determination of their own. If they get uppity, they can always be deported back where they came from, along with their Israeli-born children.
Of course WJ prefers them.
“He’s that afraid of the “demographic threat”?
Not afraid enough to do the only thing he could possibly do about it, marry a Jewish woman who will have his Jewish children, and embroider their Jewish genes.
Yes, yes, WJ, we’ve all heard about your “needs” which somehow conflict with this essential mitzvah. But what could be so bad? You close your eyes, and think of Ben Gurion, or if you really want to simulate passion, Martin Buber.
TGIA- I have yet to convince one Zionist of my plan for mass immigration of Filipinos and Thais.
I agree this is not the Buber side of my imagination.
But I think that it’s not such a bad idea. I do not feel that a one state solution will work. I have no reason to believe that it will work. Although some Zionists oppose a one state solution because they fear the Jews losing primacy or certain laws favoring Jews being changed, I fear a one state solution because I fear the charter of Hamas (to encapsulate it in a phrase). Thus my solution of flooding the country with those who will not want to kick out the Jews and thus diluting the influence of the West Bank Palestinians in the new Knesset. To turn Israel into a multi cultural society rather than into an Arab dominated society. An Arab dominated society is something to fear (Hamas charter) a multi cultural society is something that can be developed over time and turn Israel into a more ideal place.
“Your Zionism revolves around Jews only”
No, Saleema, not at all, and it makes me pretty depressed that you see it that way. If his Zionism did revolve around Jews, we might be better off.
His Zionism revolves around his own ego and stunted sense of self-interest.
Nothing more, and deserves no more consideration than indecent exposure.
Look at WJ for someone whose Zionism revolves around Jews.
What probably happened in Lebanon was the idf decided on some target practice against some Lebanese that were observing them and the Lebanese fired back this time. The idf has a habit of taking shots at Arabs even when they are not trying to set up a war pretext or get a hate propaganda spike in the zionist run western corporate media.
The thing is if it’s true that the Israelis were responding to fire why did they shoot at the Lebanese posts/soldiers AND civilian homes..Many have been destroyed. It cannot be a mistake. Civilians were deliberately targeted..
Knowing how israelis are, they probably lied to the Lebanese about where they targeted the cluster munitions.
Hayate,
The Israelis told the Lebanese were the bombs were 3 years later after much insistence from the UN
link to sbs.com.au
But even still it can’t possibly be accurate, there is no way of saying with precision where over 1 million cluster bombs were dropped.
Hm…something with the quote didn’t work. I am talking about the clusterbombs and wanted to cite Seham, who wrote that Israel did not have given the ecact position of the dropped clusterbombs. Instead I quoted myself.
the quote thing doesn’t work the way the instructions beneath the comment box say it ought to work; it works the way the blockquote instruction normally works.
Gideon Levy in today’s Haaretz:
“On Tuesday morning, Israel requested “coordination” with UNIFIL to carry out another “exposing” operation on the border fence. UNIFIL asked the IDF to postpone the operation, because its commander is abroad. The IDF didn’t care. UNIFIL won’t stop us.”
The question then is why did the UNIFL discharge the Israelis from any wrongdoing?..
UNIFL’s mandate is within Lebanon, not within Israel. Atheist, do you need to coordinate with your neighbor to mow your own lawn?
“do you need to coordinate with your neighbor to mow your own lawn?”
Yes,if the neighbour has a vicious barking dog.
“do you need to coordinate with your neighbor to mow your own lawn?”
In that case why did they make a request?
“Israel requested “coordination” with UNIFIL to carry out another “exposing” operation on the border fence.”
Hah!
If they needed to coordinate and made a request isn’t that a proof that they were not entirely in “their”territory ?
Thinking skills schartwxzman?
You certainly do need to coordinate with your neighbor to trim overhanging tree branches.
“Atheist, do you need to coordinate with your neighbor to mow your own lawn?”
By law, you must co-ordinate with your neighbor in the trimming and/or care of trees which cross the property line, roots or branches.
So killing a soldier who is within Israel, is protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty?
You are a hack Seham.
The Israeli shelled civilian homes as well as Lebanese soldiers in their posts. Was that self defense?
The hacks are those who believe one single word israel says. Not to should be a law.
Yes, one would think that after occupying Lebanon for 18 years, and invading it 4 or 5 times, the Lebanese might have reason to be a bit distrustful of Israel.
What other country trims hedges along it’s borders? Anyone?
No schwartzy,
you are the ‘hack’, for blindly defending a country that has been itching for a war with Lebanon since their scurrying away in 2000, since their defeat in 2006……
You are a ‘hack’, for blindly defending a country that occupies, dehumanizes, murders, subjugates an indigenous population.
You are a ‘hack’, for many things, but foremost of those your complete and utter failure to grasp that Israel can do many wrongs, which in fact it has and which it must be held accountable for.
“So killing a soldier who is within Israel, is protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty?”
Think of it as LEbanon defending itself. You know, like the Israeli Commandos did against the flotilla in international waters.
Ha! Excellent comment Shingo:
Think of it as LEbanon defending itself. You know, like the Israeli Commandos did against the flotilla in international waters.
Shingo, Shingo, don’t you know that only Israel has the righttodefenditself?
The only reason that Lebanon is allowed weapons at all is to fight Hezbollah so Israeli soldiers won’t have to do it and be endangered attacking someone who can actually fight back.
How many Lebanese civilians has Israel killed, wounded and kidnapped on Lebanese soil? How many times a day does Israel violate sovereign Lebanese territory in overflights?
How many Israelis has Lebanon killed on Israeli soil?
Given the history of Israeli aggression, isn’t it reasonable for Lebanon to practice a bit of the preemptive strategy that Israel has employed on that border for the last 60+ years?
And I assume, Schwartz, that when Lebanon finally does manage to shoot down an Israeli overflight, you will stauchly defend its right to defend its sovereign territory and condemn the Israeli claim that this is “terrorist aggression.” Right?
Israel gets the most sophisticated and up-to-date offensive weapons that the US has ever manufactured and it is all for free while Lebanon has been getting the most basic weapons that are only suitable for internal security purposes.”
Israeli claim must be the joke of the century
Yes – but they know that the morons in Congress will believe it. Who are the real jokers? The Israeli government of the US Congress?
What bullshit! Armies exist to defend their countries from their enemies. In this case, the IDF soldiers have always been the enemies of Lebanon.
Who shot first? I was crossing through the Erez crossing into northern Gaza last week. The distance between the Erez crossing and the first Hamas checkpoint in northern Gaza is about a kilometre. Alongside the caged concrete pathway that visitors entering Gaza have to take were several groups of unarmed boys and young men collecting rubble, steel and concrete aggregates from the remains of homes and buildings destroyed during Cast Lead.
They were well within Israel’s self-declared 300 metre “security zone” and clearly visible to the Israeli soldiers stationed in the concrete pillar-box towers just about a hundred metres away. I’ve witnessed these kids being shot at before, when passing through, by the soldiers stationed in the towers, and wondered why the soldiers were not shooting at this particular moment as is their alleged policy.
It was clear that the kids were no threat and not fighters and it appeared that this policy is sometimes arbitrary and depends on the mood of the soldiers in the pill-boxes. After the group of journalists and NGOS had passed into northern Gaza two kids collecting rubble were shot right near the Erez border. So desperate are they to try and eke out a few shekels to survive by selling the rubble in the market.
On returning from Gaza we crossed the border via Beit Hanoun where several rockets had just been fired at Israel half an hour before hand unbeknown to us. Again in the area of no-man’s land between the crossings several groups of boys were collecting rubble metres apart and no shots were fired even though the missiles fired from a nearby vicinity had just hit Ahkelon.
However, we were amongst the last group of foreigners to pass through as the border closed shortly after for Shabbat. Several hours later another kid collecting rubble was shot in the exact same vicinity. I wondered if the presence of journalists and NGOs also influenced the decision of the Israelis not to shoot while we were there. Before being able to cross from one side to the other our movements are coordinated between the Palestinian Authority liaison office and Israeli security officials so they know well ahead of time who is crossing.
Now my point is if these kids had been a threat the Israelis would have shot them immediately. Following Israel’s logic re the Lebanese border incident, if the Israelis can shoot at kids well within their own territory of the Gaza strip who present no threat but are merely trying to survive, wouldn’t Hamas be perfectly justified in responding to this unprovoked Israeli aggression by launching a barrage of rockets at Israel in retaliation?
Superb example Miss Dee Mena,
I almost forgot about that. It just goes to show what insufferable hypoctites these Zionfascists are.
But this story will never be published and discussed widely in the press. only the stories that will help clarify Israel as the victim, are what most people in the US read about.
Even the racist south could not kill black children in the light of day. They had to wait for the dark of night to start their lynchings.
Miss Dee Mena
“wouldn’t Hamas be perfectly justified in responding to this unprovoked Israeli aggression by launching a barrage of rockets at Israel in retaliation?”
Justified, yes, but it wouldn’t help them and would provide the ziofascists with pr and pretext ammunition for more mass murder sprees. The rockets are ineffective. They don’t do anything to help Palestinians. If you’re going to attack, make it worth the inevitable reprisals, or better yet, effective enough to prevent the reprisals. Otherwise, many people suffer for no gain and the effort is wasted. When an attack will accomplish nothing of use for your side, it’s better to hold off on attacking till it will.
Great post, BTW.
“Perhaps it would be in Lebanon’s best interest to get rid of UNIFIL and allow Hezbollah to secure the borders… ”
Stated in the affirmation of international law?
Great piece, Seham. Thanks for putting that together. Israel also treats Lebanese airspace as if were an extension of its own airspace and actively seeks to prevent Lebanon from acquiring any sorts of weapons that might allow it to defend its sovereignty in the skies, threatening brutal violence if Lebanon were to acquire any serious air defense armaments.
This is the thing about the highly-touted IDF that I never got: I mean, anybody can be a hero and plucky and tough and (insert-IDF-cliched-adjective here) if you’ve got the best American military equipment that (US taxpayer) money can buy, especially if your neighbors don’t have it and are prevented from having it.
Go around the West Bank and what you quickly realize is that you are dealing with a lot of bullies with American guns who are playing cowboy and living out power (and Bible) fantasies among a population that has been caged and often literally beaten. There’s nothing heroic in that, but there is much that is pathetic, delusional and downright despicable.
In 2006, there was not military parity, but Hizbullah actually had some training and you saw what they did to the Israelis. In 1948, the Jordanians had the only credible military force among all the various fighting groups and that’s why the border of the West Bank is what it is today. Lebanon’s military is a joke and its airforce has like 2 helicopters. If I were an Israeli or a Zionist, the delusional militaristic hubris of the IDF would be a source of worry for me. If there were ever an actual fair fight in the Middle East, it’s not clear to me that the IDF would be as dominant as its boosters seem to presume.
I’ve seen stone-throwing Palestinian youths chase off armed Israeli border guards who had been trying to catch them on foot. Of course they returned about ten minutes later in their jeeps with reinforcements.
Yes Boulos,
As`ad had some interesting comments last night too:
The mood in Lebanon
There is a mood of anxiety in Lebanon. People are really concerned about the prospects of an Arab-Israeli war. A friend called me from South Lebanon yesterday because his wife was freaking out being there and wanted assurances from me that there is no war. I tell people who ask me daily that there is no war coming here, but that it is hard to prove. I had a long argument/discussion with Norman Finkelstein last week about this issue: he thinks that war is coming and I don’t. Don’t get me wrong: all sides are preparing but Israel does not have any more tricks up its dirty sleeves against Hizbullah. They tried all that they had and got humiliated back in 2006. Why would killing more Lebanese civilians and destroying many more buildings advance the Israeli cause, you would as. Israel ran out of options against Hizbullah a few years ago. The uncovering of wide network of Israeli spies in Lebanon is the biggest espionage story in the history of the Middle East conflict. Israel “uncovers” one Arab spy in Israel and it becomes a sensational international headline. Lebanon and its police–Lebanon for potato’s sake–are producing Israeli spies at the rate of one a week–and the international press is barely taking notice. This is big. This will set back all Israeli criminal espionage decades backwards. That is what Hasan Nasrallah meant about the “blind elephant.” Gulf tourists did not show up in large numbers this summer: partly due to anxieties about war and partly because the Gulf tourists now prefer Syria and Egypt because the people there don’t cheat them like the Lebanese do. A Lebanese can’t see a Saudi without seeing dollar signs over his/her head. It is pathetic. One should say more about Saudi Arabia: the ruling elite is fragmented more than ever. Every prince is practically running his own media and his own foreign policy.
Posted by As’ad at 9:26 PM
You think the Lebanese see dollar signs on Saudi tourists and Egyptians don’t?
I beg to differ – tourists are ripped off ALL OVER THE HOSTING WORLD regardless of nationality.
Taxi,
Dear, I didn’t write the comment, Angry Arab did.
Oh deary dreary me then, eh? Angry Arab? Didn’t see it. Still don’t. Nevermind.
Are you familiar with As’ad Abukhalil?
link to angryarab.blogspot.com
Shee akeed ya Seham.
But not accustomed to his micro name: As’ad.
Ask Barack Obama if there is going to be another war. He’s the only person in the world who can stop it, and I know he doesn’t have the balls.
Ah yes, potsherd, so many of us thought Obama had balls of gold.
But when he dropped his pants the night of our honeymoon, we saw nothing down his south but dry straws.
You thought they were the dog’s dangly bits but it turned out he lost his marbles? No wait, I must have taken a wrong turn in the sea of metaphors.
The zionists are hungering for another war, is this the lead up to it?
The commenters seem to love Hizballah and violence against Jews. I really can’t square it, these commenters aren’t progressive or liberal, they are Jew haters like any other. Cheerleaders for Nasrallah, and actuall terror-activists.
Just look at the comments, this isn’t about right and wrong, these commenters takes the war of ideas to the next logical step
I’ll ask again to take my comments off moderation in light of the cheerleading of this commenters. This goes against the comments policy and that of the nation institute
How’s that working for you, Max? The guys at the Nation Institute pick themselves up off the floor yet?
Max,
If you are interested here is the board of trustees of The Nation Institute.
link to nationinstitute.org
Ellen Chesler, the first on the list is an interesting character. She is actually member of the CFR. echesler@cfr.org
She would be a good place to start. Unfortunately they are not a call center, asking for their supervisor isn’t as effective. Too bad you are not a donor though, then you’d be heard.
Looks like the zionist way to fight for your right to spam.
It is my understand that this jerk-off was banned from MW, but he wrote a riveting piece on Zionism and the CFR:
link to rehmat1.wordpress.com
So, what is a board of trustee of Phil’s ‘parent organization’ doing as a member of the most powerful Zionist think tank…..
is Mondoweiss really a front for the ZOG?
@Schwartzman
Did you write that article you ink to and call yerk-off? It looks pretty much like a complement to your comments here.
Bandolero, ask some of the veterans about Rehmat, I heard he was banned but was a prolific commenter on here.
explain how a pro-zionist commenter is synonymous with that filth?
Hey, maxi-tunes, what’ wrong with Nasrallah? at least he seems of a lot more handsome than the Barak/Lieberman/Dagan/Yahoo and the rest of the thugs (ever listened to one of those jokers try to spin?). seems nassrallah can give a good speech too – and keep up the suspense. Besides, why shouldn’t we support him? in his own way Nasrallah is a bit of a muslim Che Guevara (who was no wilting lilly in the radicalism department BTW) . The main difference are the head coverings and…well, maybe the specifics of the religion. Oh yes, there’s also the fact that Nasrallah seems like a true Lebanese patriot. Now, what could be wrong with that? and how do you draw the arc from defending one’s country (Lebanon in this case) to lumping him with ‘terrorists” because he had some success doing that?
Maxima,
The overwhelming majority of people in the world do not believe that Hezb is a terrorist organization. Of course, I understand this is difficult for a Zionist such as yourself to wrap your head around. If you want to take a look at sheer number of innocent civilians slaughtered, extra-judicial assassinations, political warmongering, etc., there is nothing that compares between what Israel has done in its quest for more Arab land and what Hezb has done in defense of Lebanese territory. You just don’t get it, Maxima. You can cry all you want about Hezb being a terrorist organization until you are blue in the face but it’s not going to stop people from actually doing some research on their own, coming to their own conclusions, determining who the real aggressors are here. You and your lot have had a nice run though, defining who is and is not a terrorist so that it fits whatever Israeli/American whim of the moment, but this is over. You can’t control the internet.
That is utterly wishful thinking, Seham.
Lets ask another question.
Is Hezbollah at war with Israel?
what’s utterly wishful thinking? this?
The overwhelming majority of people in the world do not believe that Hezb is a terrorist organization.
i don’t believe hizzbollah is a terrorist organization. they are part of the elected government of lebanon and the army that protects them from israeli aggression.
unfil
What a stupid question.
That’s all that needs to be said, really.
Seham, what’s the source for the number 7000?
link to haaretz.com
LOL, Straight out of Nasrallah’s mouth, the most trusted man in the ME.
Lol Schwartman
Even if you don’t like him, because he’s opposing the racist state, you should ackknowledge, that Nasrallah is at least not as incredible as the guy who said ‘America is something that can easily be moved’.
“Straight out of Nasrallah’s mouth, the most trusted man in the ME.”
On the other hand, ex bouncer Lieberman doesn’t look like he’s taken seriously by some in Israel:
“Israeli art show’s portrayal of FM as a pig ”
TEL AVIV — A statuette of a pig stands at the centre of a Tel Aviv art show devoted to Israel’s firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that drew protests before it even opened on Thursday.
“I just wanted to make something very simple and clear. If you put it in the context of this exhibition, it’s obvious that Lieberman is a pig,” Israeli artist Zoya Cherkassky, 33, told AFP at the Beit Berl Art College gallery.”
link to google.com
Lieberman is a pile of shit, i won’t deny that. We agree on something.
Lets put the 7000 number into perspective. That is roughly 4.8 times a day since the 2006 War.
Here Press TV is talking about the 3rd overflight in a week:
link to presstv.ir
Someone is fudging the numbers.
Then wash your hands, sayanim/hasbarat. Especially under the fingernails, yours are filthy.
@Schwartzman
So, just let’s assume, your zionist style of truth were correct and one report from 2010 saying two times in one week occure an overflow violation would be representative. In four years that would amount to 400 deliberate Israeli violations.
So, what you want to tell us? I think 400 is a very large number and Israel should be punished and sanctioned for it. And when it comes to reality, Israel viollated airspace many more times in the first years and it’s not only violating airspace, but kidnapping people and even stealing goats in Libanon, what it all makes worse.
>>>>> True, Israel maintains that the area across the fence is its territory, and UNIFIL officially confirmed that yesterday. But a fence is a fence: In Gaza it’s enough to get near the fence for us to shoot to kill. In the West Bank the fence’s route bears no resemblance to the Green Line, and still Palestinians are forbidden from crossing it.
In Lebanon we made different rules: the fence is just a fence, we’re allowed to cross it and do whatever we like on the other side, sometimes in sovereign Lebanese territory. We can routinely fly in Lebanese airspace and sometimes invade as well. <<<<<
Yeah, that seems to sum it up pretty well…
P.S. there were over a million cluster bombs dropped on Southern Lebanon. To this day, Israel refuses to tell the Lebanese where they were dropped and children are constantly getting maimed by them. The most recent incident was on July 26 of this year when 9 year old Yaqoub Youssef Zreiq was injured by an unexploded bomb. These bombs look like toys… those kid friendly Israelis.
But, the conflict would be resolved if only the Arabs learned to love their children more than they hated the Jews.
Right. Any of these stories substantiated?