Peres: "There is not any conflict between Israel and Lebanon."

[Mandate My Ass]

Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres appealed to the Lebanese people to disarm Hezbollah, and he spoke of seeing "the tough scenes from Lebanon, of your women and children fleeing these days on roads that lead to the unknown."

"As soon as the war ends, you will find in us what we really are, pursuers of peace, seekers of peace, seekers of hope," Peres said. "There is not any conflict between Israel and Lebanon."


http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15113446.htm

Then what the hell is falling out of the sky? Twinkies?

How many terrorists have you disarmed today? Some peace-loving country might find it necessary to bomb the shit out of your town if every John Q. Citizen doesn't forcibly disarm murdering militants who do their best to look and act just like you. You know, to show you how peaceful and gentle they are and to fill you with hope. A few dead family members, homelessness, depleted uranium, phosphorous burns and crushing poverty are small prices to pay to witness such paragons of virtue.

The Lebanese people are no more capable of disarming Hezbollah than of stopping the bombs falling on them by putting up an umbrella. What kind of insanity is this?

[nickinSTL]

1. right...tell that to the Lebanese civilians

you're bombing.

[Mandate My Ass]

2. He is!!!

what shocking callousness and gall.

[tridim]

3. There certainly is now. n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. spin spin spin spin

....

[smacky44]

18. Amazing isn't it, how they can say this shit with a straight face.

[Tom Joad]

5. Just excuse us as we make one-fifth of your population refugees,

its just what Israel does. Habits are hard to break.

[Cassandra]

6. He really needs to stop mixing and drinking...

his own kool-aid.

[Igel]

7. That's the current legal view.

Israel has not declared war on Lebanon; Lebanese governmental buildings are standing, and Lebanese government folk are simply other non-Hezbollah civilians. It's what gives Siniora's threats of having the Lebanese army enter the fray any teeth at all.

The general population falls into the category "caught in the crossfire", except that there's only any crossfire in the south.

As for the Lebanese people being unable to do anything ... it's been reported that tunnels have been dug inside villages. Had the villages said 'no', I wonder what Hezbollah would have done. Kill them? Cause them to starve?

[Mandate My Ass]

9. Legal view?

They're engaging in war but not calling it war. Is that supposed to mean something to the refugees and grieving families?

[Igel]

12. There is no state of war between

Lebanon and Israel. Or, rather, it's unclear if the ceasefire's been broken; I'm unaware of a peace treaty formally ending the 1948 war. Lebanon was, of course, at war with Israel.

"State of war" is a nice bit of legality. Who would Israel declare war against? Lebanon? For what? Syria? Jordan?

Hezbollah? The militia part is an NGO. "Declarations of war" from Hezbollah may produce bloodshed and destruction, but it's hardly a country. Occupying "Hezbollia" is a problem.

You've heard of asymmetrical warfare, welcome to asymmetrical politics. It's possible to be formally at war with a state, and yet never fire a shot. In this case it's possible to severely damage and kill hundreds, and yet not be formally at war because of the asymmetry.

[Scurrilous]

14. Court petition: Olmert must declare war

Meretz-Yahad Chairman Yossi Beilin demands High Court order government to officially declare state of emergency, so residents of north can be properly compensated for war damages

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3281330,00.html

<snip>

"Chairman of Meretz MK Yossi Beilin filed a petition to the High Court of Justice Tuesday against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's failure to officially declare the war in Lebanon, thus preventing northern residents from being able to collect compensation for war damages according to the law.

Beilin demanded that the court order the Olmert government to declare a state of emergency.

According the Beilin, the government was shirking its duty of orderly management and its financial obligation to reimburse households negatively affected by the war.

Beilin added that the government did not even discuss such a declaration of war, and no such message was delivered to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Likewise, no announcement of war was made at the Knesset plenum, in violation of Clause 40 of the Basic Law. According to the minister, as a repercussion of the failure to declare war, civilians in the north would not be compensated for direct and indirect war damages.

Meanwhile, the Movement for Quality Government approached the prime minister and defense minister demanding they declare a national crisis situation, to allow for the even distribution of the financial burden effected by the fighting in the north."

[leesa]

8. Then why are you murdering them?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. That's what the whites told the Indians.

Same crap different crapper.

[SoCalDem]

11. Were all those buidlings destroyed by fairy dust? n/t

[Clarkie1]

13. He's right. It is Hezbollah who hides among civilians.

The are cowards and murders, and must be expelled from South Lebanon. Lebanon will be a better place when the cancer is removed.

[Mandate My Ass]

15. Lebanon will be a burned out shell

with depleted uranium poisoning people for generations.

[Clarkie1]

16. It will be better than it was before Hezbollah was expelled.

And with an international force providing a buffer zone, international aid to the Lebanese government, and a Lebanese army stronger the the Hezbollah militia, there will be a real opportunity for peace in Lebanon.

[Mandate My Ass]

17. It's entire infrastructure is being destroyed

It will become a third world country with no hope. And where there's no hope, terrorists thrive.

Bush said the same thing about Iraq. It's soooooo much better there now.

[Clarkie1]

19. Not the entire infrastructure, and things can be rebuilt.

It doesn't take long. Less than a year with the proper assistance.

[Mandate My Ass]

20. You don't know any of this

It's merely your opinion and it's not convincing anybody.