what do American citizens think about what's going on in Lebanon right now?

Question

or what's going on between Lebanon and Israel

Answer 1

I think it is unfortunate that there are terrorists in the world who are quick to incite conflict, then rather than fight in the open as true men would do, hide behind innocents so as to increase the death toll in an effort to gain sympathy for their cause.

What do I think? I think this could all end today if Lebanon would take a stand against terrorists hiding in their land.

What do I think? I think Israel will not stop until the terrorists are vanquished.

What do I think? I think we have to stand behind our allies with unquestioning loyalty for their situation.

What do I think? I think if Americans had to experience the fear of terrorism that Israel has faced every day for almost fifty years the world would truly run red with blood.

What do I think? I think it is easy for people to sit here and blame Israel when so many posters don't have the faintest glimmer of a clue about the true history of this conflict.

What do I think? I think free speech or not we should all just shut up about Israel and attend to our own affairs of state, and matters of war.

Any more questions?

Eric: Thank you for proving my point about no historical understanding of the conflict. If you think this is completely about 2 kidnapped soldiers you are truly lost. Also, I guess you missed all those daily reports from the outrageous news media about the rocket attacks being launched by Hezbollah from civillian population centers in Lebanon.
I noticed you also cited Spain in your comments. Yopu appear to me to be a person who thinks that terrorists are big warm misunderstood fuzzies. If we just leave them alone they will leave us alone. Guess you missed that outrageous news media report about what happened in Spain after they voted for a terrorist friendly government, then pulled their troops out of Iraq.

Answer 2

I think that Americans, under similar circumstances, would defend their country just like Israel is doing. I don't understand why the Lebanese army is not sent south to destroy the Hezbollah terrorists. If they didn't allow the Hezbollah terrorists safe haven in Lebanon, the Lebanese could live in peace. By the way, Lebanon is not a muslim country. The ruling government is composed of Christians, muslims, and Druze.

Answer 3

It's actually Israel and Hezbollah, not Lebanon. I think its great. I thank God that Israel is standing up to a terrorist group. Those people are evil plain and simple and need to be dealt with. They have had years to conform to peaceful lifestyles and they refuse. Since they can't live without feeling the need to kill others, then they shouldn't live. We have an obligation to protect ourselves and innocent civilians by ridding the world of these nut jobs.

Answer 4

The United States should stop giving money, weapons and military training to Israel.

Answer 5

Honestly, anymore, I don't care.

I don't have a vested interest in either side. Not related to anyone there, not Jewish, not Arab. To me, it just looks like two groups of people determined to fight until they can't fight any more. It doesn't really seem they really want peace, only peace through annihilation of the enemy.

All I've come to care about now, in that respect, as that we're not involved. Let them have their damn war, so long as I'm not in it.

Answer 6

I'll tell you one thing. The rest of the world is outraged. The media here in the US is outrageous. And not free by the way. They tell us that Saudi Arabia and Egypt support Israeli actions. By Saudi Arabia and Egypt, they mean the couple of dozen corrupt rulers and their henchmen. Just like Spain supported the US War in Iraq when polls showed that 97% of Spaniards opposed the US even before going in. Americans are the most uninformed populace in the world. The average North Korean probably knows as much about the world as the 'educated' American. Oh, I for one, think what's going on in Lebanon is a freakin' horrorshow. A renegade group kidnaps 2 soldiers and the response is to bomb bridges, apartments, the airport and seaports and kill already 300 people?
Someone wrote that he doesn't care because we're not involved. Okay, a very simple question here? We know where the Katushya rockets come from. The media tell us every few minutes. Where do you think Israel's Helfire, Sidewinder and Patriot missiles, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters, F-15 and -16 fighter jets and M16s come from? From all of us, who obeyingly pay our taxes and supply Israel with over $15 million per day.

http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/israel050602.html

U.S. Arms Transfers and Security Assistance to Israel


An Arms Trade Resource Center Fact Sheet
by William D. Hartung and Frida Berrigan
May 6, 2002

U.S. press coverage of Israeli attacks on the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian towns on the West Bank often treat the U.S. government as either an innocent bystander or an honest broker in the current conflict, often without giving a full sense of the importance of the United States role as a supplier of arms, aid, and military technology to Israel. In its role as Israel’s primary arms supplier, the United States could exert significant potential leverage over Israeli behavior in the conflict, if it chooses to do so.

Military and Economic Aid

Since 1976, Israel had been the largest annual recipient of U.S. foreign assistance. According to a November 2001 Congressional Research Service report, Israel: U.S. Foreign Assistance, U.S. aid to Israel in the last half century has totaled a whopping $81.3 billion.

In recent years, Israel remains the top recipient of U.S. military and economic assistance. The most commonly cited figure is $3 billion a year, with about $1.8 billion a year in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants from the Department of Defense and an additional $1.2 billion a year in Economic Support Funds (ESF) from the Department of State. In the last decade FMF grants to Israel have totaled $18.2 billion. In fact, 17% of all U.S. foreign aid is earmarked for Israel.

For 2003, the Bush administration is proposing that Israel receive $2.76 billion in foreign aid, with $2.1 billion in FMF and $600 million in ESF. An additional $28 million will go to Israel for the purchase U.S. manufactured counter terrorism equipment.

Weapons Sales and Grants

Israel is one of the United State’s largest arms importers. In the last decade, the United States has sold Israel $7.2 billion in weaponry and military equipment, $762 million through Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), more than $6.5 billion through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program.

In fact, Israel is so devoted to U.S. military hardware that it has the world's largest fleet of F-16s outside the U.S., currently possessing more than 200 jets. Another 102 F-16s are on order from Lockheed Martin.

The United States has also underwritten Israel’s domestic armaments industry, by giving:

$1.3 billion to develop the Lavi aircraft (cancelled)
$625 million to develop and deploy the Arrow anti-missile missile (an ongoing project)
$200 million to develop the Merkava tank (operative); the latest version, the Merkava 4, uses a German V-12 diesel engine produced under license in the U.S. by General Dynamics
$130 million to develop the high-energy laser anti-missile system (ongoing).
While overall aid to Israel is slated to decrease over the next five years, military aid will increase significantly. One of President Clinton’s last acts was to sign an agreement with Israel, phasing out the ESF by 2008. At the same time, FMF funds to Israel will increase $60 million each year, reaching $2.4 billion by 2008.

Free Weapons to Israel

The U.S. also gives Israel weapons and ammunition as part of the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program, providing these articles completely free of charge. Between 1994-2001 the U.S. provided many weapons through this program, including:

64,744 M-16A1 rifles
2,469 M-204 grenade launchers
1,500 M-2 .50 caliber machine guns
.30 caliber, .50 caliber, and 20mm ammunition

Answer 7

I am just waiting for world war three.

Answer 8

Innocents are dying.

Answer 9

the media is loving it
the people are hating it

Answer 10

THE END IS NEAR!