The "hiding among civilians" myth?

Question

Israel claims it's justified in bombing civilians because Hezbollah mingles with them. In fact, the militant group doesn't trust its civilians and stays as far away from them as possible.

Throughout this now 16-day-old war, Israeli planes high above civilian areas make decisions on what to bomb. They send huge bombs capable of killing things for hundreds of meters around those targets to destroy them, and then blame the inevitable civilian deaths -- the Lebanese government says 600 civilians have been killed so far -- on "terrorists" who callously use the civilian infrastructure for protection.

But this claim is almost always false. My own reporting and that of other journalists reveals that in fact Hezbollah fighters -- as opposed to the much more numerous Hezbollah political members, and the vastly more numerous Hezbollah sympathizers -- avoid civilians like the plague. Much smarter and better trained than the PLO and Hamas fighters, they know that if they mingle with civilians, they will sooner or later be betrayed by collaborators -- as so many Palestinian militants have been.

Firas Al-Atraqchi

Answer 1

it is now the 22ed day of the attacks on lebanon and it is around 90 000 civilians r killed uptill now,
As its citizens are being killed, Israel is, yet again, inflicting death and destruction on Lebanon. It tries to portray this horror as necessary for its self-defence. Indeed, the casual observer might regard the rocket attacks on Israeli cities such as Haifa and my own home town, Nahariya, as justifying this claim.

While states should defend their citizens, states which fail this duty should be questioned and, if necessary, reconfigured. Israel is a state which, instead of defending its citizens, puts all of them, Jews as well as non-Jews, in danger.

What exactly is being defended by the violence in Gaza and Lebanon? Is it the citizens of Israel or the nature of the Israeli state? I suggest the latter. Israel's statehood is based on an unjust ideology which causes indignity and suffering for those who are classified as non-Jewish by either a religious or ethnic test. To hide this primordial immorality, Israel fosters an image of victimhood. Provoking violence, consciously or unconsciously, against which one must defend oneself is a key feature of the victim-mentality. By perpetuating such a tragic cycle, Israel is a terrorist state like no other.
personaly i believe that without Hizbullah defending Lebanon Israe would be in Beirut now just as 1982,

Answer 2

How would you know? If Hezbollah doesnt trust its own people and vice versa...then that further proves their own illegitimacy as "defenders of Lebanon". If they truly claim to fight for the people there must be reciprocative trust between them, otherwise then the Lebanese have as much to fear from Hezbollah as they have from Israel.

And again how would you know if all the dead are innocent civilians? The problem with that claim is that Hezbollah virtually never wears those military uniforms they use in parades when they decide to fight. So when those Israelis send their bombs over and when they hit stuff...its hard to tell anymore whether the dead were innocent or they were more Hezbollah Islamists. Your only chance of telling so would be if you were a forensic expert or psychic.

Nonetheless I find it stupid that the Israelis use 2000lb bombs to get one or two terrorists. I said it before and I'll say it again...there are better and less harmful ways of getting scumbags like Hezbollah.

Answer 3

I've said it before, I'll say it again- You can't hold a civilian population responsible for the actions of terrorists. There is no justice in killing civilians because of terrorists among them. When has it ever been acceptable to shoot a hostage? Besides that, how is it the US with all its technology and manpower can't identify terrorists but the peasants in Lebanon can. All Muslims must be in cohorts and deserve whatever Israel gives them right? Sounds more like you people have a bias and have forgotten what the constitution provides us. I just love how you people unquestionably support the war effort and killing terrorists with whatever collateral damage-but don't have the balls to get into the fight. As a soldier it is my responsibility to uphold and defend the meek not level as many city blocks as I want because terrorists could be there.

Answer 4

"My own reporting and that of other journalists reveals that in fact Hezbollah fighters"

You're a journalist? Really?

What J school did you attend?

To what new organization are you a member?

Did you witness the HezBULLies keeping away from civilians or are you taking credit for some other report?

Where are you attributions?

I thought that the civilians in Lebanon supported the HezBULLies. Why would they turn them in?

I've read some of your other questions. They lack a certain professionalism and smack of bias. Quite frankly, I don't believe a word of what you wrote.

Answer 5

Well what do you want Israel to do? Sit there and get bombarded w/ missles from Hezbollah?..

Lebanon has had its chance to act against Hezbollah but didnt and now Israel is finally starting to fight back..If Lebanon doesnt want so many civillian deaths, they should evacuate South Lebanon, because this war has barely started, Soon Syria and Iran will step in and then the USA and anyone who as a head on their shouldiers will step in to fight against these sand monkeys

Answer 6

Israel always has an excuse for the atrocities they commit. The most memorable to me is the claim that they were checking arabic jewish children for ringworm, and then dosing these dark skinned jews with leathal doses of radioation to kill and sterilize them. Its also worth pointing out that US tax dollars paid for this program that killed tens of thousands of Jewish children, all because they were dark skinned...

Answer 7

Then why do they wear those masks on their faces? Isn't it to hide among civilains so the IDF won't hunt them down like the terrorist scumbags that they are?

Answer 8

probably so but we know who controls the media

Answer 9

this is REALLY hard to believe.