Globe and Mail: Israel slaps air, naval blockade on Lebanon. ⇒
13 July 2006, lunch time
They imposed the air blockade by blowing up the runways at the airport in Beirut. I can understand Israel's desire to get their soldiers back, but this all seems a bit much. They've kill many civilians now trying to solve this problem. (More at the BBC.)
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
I’ve been watching the situation over the last couple of weeks with growing anxiety. Over the last few years there were setbacks, certainly, but there was also progress, and it seemed like things were slowly getting better. I actually felt that Hamas being elected in Palestine would improve things by legitimizing the organization and forcing it it to start growing up.
But this last few weeks it looks like things are really regressing. I can’t place it, but from the beginning there has been a tone to Israel’s actions that frightens me. The Palestinian groups have never really had any institutional legitimacy, and so we never really expected them to feel the need to play nice. But the Israeli government always seemed at least to have to pretend to play nice, or hide their ugliness. Now it’s just… well shit, they are just sending the military into Lebanon. Just seems like they aren’t remotely concerned about international backlash.
I guess part of me thinks that this apparent change in attitude derives from US actions over the last few years. The increased rhetoric about protecting the “homeland” (god I hate that word) at all costs, the use of military force without international sanction – it seems to me that the Israelis are not unaffected by these things. They are merely following our (the US) lead.
And it doesn’t seem to be helping anything at all, now does it?
I feel guilty that I am relieved that I now live in a city and am not driving as much, since gas prices won’t as dramatically affect me for a while.
by Ben on July 13 2006, 12:50 pm #
Or could it be that Israel sits in the middle of a number of countries that hate them and would gladly slaughter every single Israeli then.
If Israel couldn’t defend itself, the Arabic countries would happily have ground them into dust.
The Lebanese government let’s an armed militia run loose on Israel’s northern border. Knowing full well it will cause trouble.
Don’t let all your anti-US sentiment taint everything. If anything, Israel truly has been a seriously abused country.
by Victor on July 13 2006, 6:35 pm #
I am far beyond believing that either side in the Arab/Israeli conflict is the superlatively aggrieved party. I wouldn’t defend the actions of either side. Yes, Israel is an abused country. Yes, Israel was carved out of the land occupied by equally abused Arabs. So what?
I was criticizing one side of the issue, but I wouldn’t want that to be taken as supporting the other side. There is an obvious difference of scale when considering the kidnapping of two people, which any other sufficiently armed and motivated people on earth could pull off, and the bombing of a sovereign nation, which is being conducted by a national air force. My point was that diplomacy is clearly off the table here, and I do think that that could be influenced by the US tendency toward ‘protect’ first and ask questions later.
I’m not anti-US, I’m anti-stupid.
by Ben on July 13 2006, 7:17 pm #
The “so”, is that I disagree. I don’t think it’s stupid. I think that Israel should stand up for itself here and I support their actions.
I’m not swayed by your arguments re: scale. If the only time you feel that Israel would be justified to stand up for itself is when it’s been beaten to crap, I disagree.
by Victor on July 13 2006, 7:37 pm #
You’re right. If the Israeli government attempted to use diplomatic means, the support of its allies, or any of that other pussy crap to try to gain the cooperation of the Lebanese government before it invaded, the terrorists would win.
I mean, by tomorrow Hezbollah might have kidnapped all of Israel. And been beaten to complete and utter crap.
Scale and diplomacy aren’t relevant at all, I agree.
by Ben on July 13 2006, 7:42 pm #
The offensive, which has killed more than 60 Lebanese civilians since Wednesday, follows the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah.
by ramanan on July 14 2006, 1:02 pm #
For their part Hezbollah continued to fire rockets into Israel, which have killed at least two Israelis in the past two days.
by Ben on July 14 2006, 1:39 pm #