In your opinion, which nation is wrongly acting as the aggressor: Isreal or Hezbollah? Why?

Question

I want opinions, not politics. Don't talk bad about the liberals or the conservatives. Facts and opinions about the attacks only.

Proportional response is obviously not going to be a factor in this battle. Do you think Hezbollah deserves proportional response after recieving a break and using it to afford more attacks?

Do you think Isreal should continue to consider the civillians as collateral damage, rather than sparing the civillians, only to have their own civillians slaghtered in return?

Answer 1

The real issue here is their irreconcilable difference. Hezbollah denies Israel's right to exist as a nation and believes that they may use any means to destroy Israel. Israel believes they have the right to exist as a nation. It is irrelevant which side is correct, conflict will continue (in some form) until either Israel is destroyed or until Hezbollah (and the nations which back them) recognize Israel's right to exist.

The UN resolution which guaranteed Israel's protection by Lebanon & the UN from Hezbollah attacks failed. It is unreasonable to expect Israel to stop its campaign against Hezbollah until a better plan can be implemented than the previous one.

"Proportional response" is a very bad concept. It implies that retribution is okay, but prevention is wrong. It is a policy which perpetrates the conflict by preventing a military conclusion. A diplomatic solution is clearly not possible until the nations which arm Hezbollah are held accountable, which they currently are not.

The problem is international interest is in treating the symptoms but making no attempt to cure the disease itself. I would place the blame on the UN and the International community for avoiding real answers.

Answer 2

This is reprinted from my response to a slightly different question in Politics & Government:

Iran has been supplying Hezbollah & training their soldiers for years. It is clear from the number, variety and quality of the weapons that Hezbollah was not planning on a defense but on a massive attack sometime in the future.

Israel (and Lebanon too) was lucky that Hezbollah jumped the gun with their cross-border attack which allowed Israel to take the offense. Otherwise, sometime in the near future, when Hezbollah was ready, & the Israel defense Forces were at home -- probably during a Jewish holiday as happened in 1973 -- Hezbollah would have erupted in a massive attack resulting in enormous Israeli casualties and possibly a much bigger war than we are seeing now.

Shiite Hezbollah is a creature of Iran & South Lebanon has become an Iranian satellite (just as Southern Iraq has become). The real enemy is Iran, which is seeking to dominate the middle east and is using hatred of Israel as a means to do so. The US unfortunately has assisted Iran by destroying the anti-Iranian Sunni government of Saddam Hussein. Iran is a far greater danger than Iraq ever was and HAS weapons of Mass destruction and is seeking to develop nuclear wepaons. Victories only encourage aggressive countries. If Hezbollah is seen to have achieved a success, Iran will quickly become much more aggressive -- just like Germany & Italy after their successes in Spain & Ethiopia. It will be only a matter of time that Iran will have to be taken out by force. This is truly a matter of life & death for Israel, and a matter of grave importance for the US and the Western democracies.

Answer 3

Hezbollah strted this mess and Israel should finish it, and decisively. The civilian population is and always will be part of the collateral damage of war, especially when the enemy hides among them for political gain. They hit the enemy, some civilians are lost, and the enemy inevitably will focus all attention on the civilian casualties. Sympathetic news agencies will do the same.

Proportinate response is not an issue. I agree with the use of overwhelming force. The response also needs to act as a deterrent for the future.

Answer 4

Both are wrong. War is Evil. Violence and hatred only bring about more violence and hatred. Hezbollah cannot be destroyed in this manner. Lebbonon is a nation of people who love martyrdom and Isreals attacks, which have caused disproportionate civillian casualties, will only further the extremist ideologies of Hezbollah.

The end never justify the means.

Answer 5

I think Israel is the aggressor in this case. Hezbollah doesn't have warships, they don have jets, they're not backed up by us.
look at the death tolls, and how much civillians have died on both sides. look at whos doin more damage and killin children. Why have israel not been able to drive hezbollah out of southern lebanon with the aid of the worlds best technology though because hezbollah is there and they're fighting israeli soldiers and they do their best not to target israeli civillians look at their civillian death toll

Answer 6

Hezbollah represent a threat not only to Israel but to Lebanon .
Let's not forget that insurgents such as the PLO have almost toppled other governments in the region (Jordan)
Hezbollah is a puppet of Iran and needs to be destroyed ,whats going to happen later on this month when sanctions come up against Iran . Does anyone think Hezbollah is going to sit on its hands ?

Answer 7

Israel occupied Lebanon in 1978 then 1982 ,they kidnapped 1000 of Lebanese because they resist for this occupation, after withdrawal in May 2000 some still in Israel jail, and some Lebanese land still occupied by Israel, what Hezbollah did kidnapping 2 soldiers to exchange, and they have the right to fight as resistance to liberate their land. But Israel (supported from western countries )reaction was exaggerated by destroying Lebanon infra-structure and killing 1000 civilians 50% children , gave the right to Hezbollah to send missiles on the north of Israel.

Answer 8

I would have to go on the fact that Isreal is the aggressor. They didn't give diplomacy enough time to get their two spies... errr soldiers.. back from Lebenon before launching an offensive over into lebaneese territory.

When Saddam Hussien stepped over the border into Kuiaet UN and NATO were quick to respond with force. Now Isreali troops have entered another country why no response?

Answer 9

Both of them. Hizbullah is an illegal armed organization attacking one sovereign nation from the territory of another. Israel is responding to these attacks by overreacting, conducting mass reprisals, and without enough discrimination between valid "military" and civilian targets. Even worse, their actions do not solve the situation, so they are counterproductive.

Both parties to this conflict are wrong. That Hizbullah's intentions are more wrong doesn't excuse israel exercising its far greater capacity for creating civilian casualties.

Answer 10

In My opinion Hezbollah started the whole thing by kidnapping Israels people. I personally don't understand what was going through their minds. What were they smoking that made them do that? They knew Israel would fight back!
The 2nd quesiton, I don't even understand.