Israel Does Not Have Right To Kill Civilians Simply Because It Is Afraid

[kpete]

Middle East Math
by
Larry C Johnson

For those of you keeping score at home, Israel has killed over 400 civilians in Lebanon compared with the forty plus Hezbollah has blown up in Israel. That's a ratio of almost ten to one. In addition, Israel has now whacked four UN peacekeepers, who hail from China, Canada, Austria, and Finland. Not exactly what you would call a positive contribution to coalition building. I'm sure the Chinese are willing to accept its soldiers being blown to bits by U.S. supplied Israeli delivered bombs. Then again, maybe not.

At least Israel is consistent. During the Intifada, Israeli forces killed scores more Palestianians compared to the number of Israelis murdered by Palestinain jihadists. Israel reported that 343 of its citizens died in terrorist strikes during the period of 2001 thru 2004. By contrast, 2,859 Palestinians were killed by Israel, including 527 children. In other words, Israel killed more children than all of the Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorists. So much for proportional response. While the United States public is largely willing to shut its eyes to this lethal disparity, the rest of the world is not likely to swallow this load of crap with a smile on its face. Under normal circumstances the United States, with its prestige intact, could run the tide of international public opinion and protect Israel. With its credibility in tatters, however, not even a George Bush shoulder massage can soothe these ruffled feathers.

I believe Israel has the right to defend itself but I also believe it does not have the right to indiscriminately kill civilians. The same standard applies to Hezbollah. If you can add numbers without engaging in political spin, you cannot sustain the argument that poor little Israel is fighting against the big bad terrorists when the body count of Lebanese civilians is so lopsided. Israel has the right to defend itself but it does not have the right to kill civilians simply because it is afraid.

This is why the international community needs to wake up and stop the needless loss of life of Israeli and Lebanese children. Is anyone there?

more at:
http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/07/middle_east_mat.html

[rman]

1. I think the international community is scared of the combined military

might of the only two nations of which the governments wholeheartedly support the current actions of Israel.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. And why the bloody hell not?

I mean, if the United States can do it in two different countries, why can't Israel do it in one?


(Oh, and in case it wasn't obvious... :sarcasm: :hi: )

[WinkyDink]

3. would it have been acceptable to you had Israel been extraordinarily

precise and killed 40 civilians?

Or is it that ANY Israeli response would have been deemed unjustifiable?

"By contrast, 2,859 Palestinians were killed by Israel, including 527 children.' LINK, PLEASE.

[Kagemusha]

5. I hope you noticed the poster didn't write the article.

Mr. Larry Johnson did. But, I don't recall those numbers being seriously in dispute anyway. It's the justification that's in dispute.

[TahitiNut]

6. Does it ever occur to anyone that KILLING isn't working?

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the behavior of a lunatic. If we're to assume that Israel isn't insane, then are we to assume a "different result" isn't what's expected? Are we led to the conclusion that SOMEBODY benefits from these deaths? Is there ANYONE who benefits from the continued killing who also has influence over this behavior?

Cui bono?

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

7. Here is a site: If Americans Knew

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/index.htm

[jonnyblitz]

8. very interesting. thanks for posting.

:hi:

[Little Star]

13. Link

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/factsheet/Palestinian_intifada_fact_sheet.htm

Google has more links.

[clydefrand]

4. You don't suppose that '*'

talked them into this do you? I mean, we send emergency shipments of weapons to them (the weapons must not take long to make, much quicker than mobile homes for Katrina victims), then send a little bit of meds to Lebanon - how does that make sense? But, then, '*' doesn't have to does he - actually if he ever makes sense of anything, many many people in this country could absolutely die of heart failure.

[Totallybushed]

9. When someone

bloodies your nose, you don't stop hitting them once you've bloodied their nose. You hit them until they stop fighting and give up.

Hezbollah targets civilians on purpose. Israel kills them accidentally while trying to kill Hezbollah. If Hezbollah would come out from behind their women's skirts, they wouldn't be getting them killed.

[shadowknows69]

10. and what if they're holding "their women" hostage?

Innocent death is innocent death no matter how you want to white wash it. Israel's military dwarfs hizbollah or Lebanon. They could show restraint. They're not targeting weapons systems they're destroying whole neighborhoods where "the enemy" MIGHT be hiding.

[Totallybushed]

11. So you should

die to protect their women? OK, if that's your choice.

[shadowknows69]

12. Yeah you know what.

A man of honor would die to protect a woman.

[Totallybushed]

14. Maybe so,

but what if he's attacking your women? Which women do you protect then? Yous or his? You can't protect both now, because if he kills you then he can go ahead and kill your women.

On edit: However, parallels from the personal to the nation don't always work. My fault for introducing one. How's this: Israel is in a state of war with Hezbollah. Lebanon has failed to control the acts of war of hezbollah. Under international law, Israel is entitled to protect itself even if some civilians get killed in the process. They are not reaqured to inflict only the same number of deaths as were inflicted on them.

This is not law-enforcement, but war.

[gulfcoastliberal]

15. But it's OK for Palestinian body bombers to kill kids?

Or for Hezbollah tolaunch rockets into civilian areas?

[EFerrari]

20. You haven't read this thread or checked the links, have you? n/t

[donco6]

21. The OP already said, "no." eom

[porphyrian]

16. Neither does anyone else.

Why single out Israel? There are Lebonese members of Hezbollah who have killed Israeli civilians out of fear and hatred, too. Pointing the finger solely at Israel appears bigotted, whether that's intentional or not.

[Skidmore]

18. Two wrongs don't make a right.

[porphyrian]

19. Exactly why Israel shouldn't be singled out in this. - n/t

[Balbus]

17. Only 40 Israeli citizens have been killed?

Oh, I get it, we're only counting the last 3 weeks. The tens of thousands of Israelis that have been killed by rockets, suicide bombs and car bombs in the past 20 years don't count. Let me update my scorecard...