quote: "God damned the Israelis for destroying Lebanon! "

[no_to_war_economy]

We began to talk and I asked him if the Israeli plan of bombing the Lebanese in order to force them to pressure Hezbollah out of the south of their country was working. Was it turning the Lebanese against Hezbollah?

He promptly stood up, forcing me to step back.

"More Lebanese are now with Hezbollah than ever before," he yelled while pointing to the sky as his eyes widened in fury, "God damned the Israelis for destroying Lebanon! They will never destroy our spirit! The resistance is an idea, and you can never kill off an idea!"

He was mad with rage. And why shouldn't he have been?

But this man, who should be perhaps tending a field, playing with his grandchildren, sharing meals with his wife as the sun set, was raging at a journalist in Damascus because everything he knew is now smoldering rubble.

War stops life. War stops everything.



http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/archives/lebanon/000426.php

[babylonsister]

1. What a poignant quote: War stops life. War stops everything. nt

[plessy123]

2. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon, they agreed to end Hezbollah

They haven't. It's just grown since 2000 and has now attacked Israel.

I would hope if a country kidnapped our soldiers and started bombing us, we would do the same.

Peace is great, but you can't let people walk all over you.

[Clark2008]

3. I wouldn't kill hundreds for two soldiers. No.

That's ridiculous.

And, that's not even what this is about. It's about agression.

[Mr_Spock]

5. I was curious, who started the bombing after the kidnapping?

I am not clear on this - do you know the answer?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. you conveniently ignore the repeated assassinations and attacks

by ISRAEL leading up to this mess.
The provocations were growing, purposeful and done with US knowledge and approval. Now, watch for this to expand to Syria and Iran, the real plan behind the plan.

[zanne]

14. I supported Israel most of my life.

I argued with people that Israel had the right to exist and they had to defend themselves from countries who were being aggressive toward them. Then, Sharon was elected and everything changed for me. For awhile, I was just sad about Sharon's hawkish views. Then I saw him becoming a bully. It came to a point where I had to look at the situation in a more objective manner. Instead of reacting emotionally, I had to react objectively and look at the facts. I still think that Israel has the right to exist, but Israel isn't innocent anymore just because it's Israel. That's not enough. I'm sorry if you're emotionally attached and you think we're against you. We're not.

[eridani]

16. There was no bombing until the Israelis started it

Kidnapping is a crime and should be treated as such, not an act of war.

[Mr_Spock]

4. It's such a shame. And so many posts getting lots of votes but few replies

...because folks are afraid to post their opinions for fear of being viciously attacked if they don't precisely word their post as not to offend anyone.

War has changed DU.

[Spazito]

6. He speaks the truth....

"More Lebanese are now with Hezbollah than ever before," he yelled"

Israel must know this so what is the REAL purpose in all this? It surely isn't to boost support for Hezbollah yet that is the result and if I, a mere casual observer knew that would be the result, there certainly is no question Israel and the US knew it too.

[alcibiades_mystery]

8. Israel not only miscalculated badly, they also bit off more than they

could chew.

This misadventure will rank as one of the worst policy blunders of the last fifty years.

It's not that they knew it would go this way. They didn't. They thought it would go another way, and it hasn't. That's why all the news pushing the now laughably discredited narrative that the Lebanese were blaming all on Hezbollah in the first few days of the bombing.

[Spazito]

9. How could they not have known though, they would only have to

look at Iraq to see what happens when you invade and occupy a sovereign country and, add to that, what happened and what is happening in Afghanistan, first when the Russians were there and now with the multinational forces that are there.

Did not the same thing happen during their last invasion and occupation of Lebanon as well? From what I have read, Hezbollah was "born" during that occupation and has grown ever since.

I agree with the rest of your post, just don't agree with your contention that Israel didn't know.

[Lerkfish]

11. ethnic cleansing, I suppose.

there is no political objective to be gained, they've concentrated on infrastructure and non-military targets, they've shelled refugee camps.

I'm at a loss to determine the motive unless it be extermination of Lebanese and preventing them from ever rebuilding.

[Igel]

10. It took journalists a long time in Iraq

to realize that when they reported who was killed or who did the killing, saying something about the people was important.

They managed to figure out "Kurd" vs "Sunni Arab" fairly quickly, but that's not a surprise: journalists understand ethnic rivalry and hatred.

Jamail knows better, I would assume. But he still can't bring himself to say important things, if they'd weaken his story. If the guy is a Shi'ite from the south, he's likely a Hezbollah supporter; having a Hezbollah supporter say more Lebanese are behind Hezbollah than ever before isn't necessarily a statement of fact. Having a Christian or Druze refugee from elsewhere would possibly say something meaningful.

It's rather like the significance of official estimate for the number of civilian Lebanese casualties. Since I found out that the guy releasing the casualty numbers is Shi'ite, from a party allied with Hezbollah, and which staged a walk-out in solidarity with Hezbollah last winter, crippling the central government until Siniora submitted and said he was proud of Hezbollah as "the resistance", and dropped talk of it as a "militia", I have to entertain the notion that the number reported is spun somehow.

[stepnw1f]

12. So Depressing... and I am Losing my cool

over this too.

[koochman]

13. I love Dahr Jamail

They will never destroy our spirit!

[Az_lefty]

15. Don't blame Israel too much...

it's becoming very clear the bush regime is behind this. Israel is doind exactly what the shrub wants.