Have Israel gone too far this time?

Question

With the UN taking a month to decide on action to stop the war in Lebanon (even after one of it's installations was attacked!) I want peoples opinion of the Isreali army and their cowardly bombing of civilians when they are only faced with a rag-tag band of guerillas

Answer 1

Yes bombing of civilians is bad, but, then what of the suicide bombers and the car bombs that have been set off in Israel?

Isn't that also a war on civilians? Does anybody from the Muslim nations consider that a proxy war is being fought against a tiny country of determined people who have defeated the Arab might again and again?

And the phrasing of your Q is quite obvious that you want anti-Jewish answers, but look at something from all sids, before passing judgement.
I am not Jew, not American, not Muslim, I am a human.
st

Answer 2

No.
Suppose your neighbor throws every day fifty times dirt over your garden fence. What would you do?
Hezbollah did not use garbage but katyusa rockets, hitting the open fields, villages, kindergartens, synagogues, anything, ... since many years.
Recently there are killed so many civilians by the Israelian Defence Army. Of course: Hezbolla is not the army of Libanon. They are civilians. And they behave very as cowards: they act from between housing estates.
Th

Answer 3

I think, its not Israel, rather its the Bush Administration has gone too far, pitching down the humanity and all moral values in the name of fighting against terrorism.
Civilians, innocent or at guilt, are not important to them. They are in war only to benefit them. Israel is just an instrument here for being used by the US. Strategic and tactical road map is with GB in line with the interest of the US.
Most importantly, why the US has escalated the offensive by Israel! Has GB gone so mad? We the peace loving people cannot afford to believe it. GB, definitely, has got some long cherished end to meet with.
So, the problem is not with Israel, its the challenge of GB, the world is to fight against.

Answer 4

Yes, I suspect they have in this case.

Whilst the desire to protect their people is understandable, the reaction to Hezbollah capturing 2 of their soldiers is completely disproportionate. Especially since it's clear that the reason for the "kidnapping" was clearly not an act of war (as they've been claiming) but in fact so Hezbollah could negotiate a prisoner exchange to get back their own people, many of whom Israel has captured.

For those who are talking about rockets into Israel, etc. - the sequence of events was thus:
1. Hezbollah captures 2 Israeli soldiers in a cross border raid.
2. Israel declares it an act of war & begins air strikes & bombing of South Lebanon.
3. Hezbollah retaliates with the firing of rockets into Northern Israel.
4. Israel expands bombing, and ground offensive.

In addition to which, there can be no excuse for bombing a UN installation, charity vehicles attempting to deliver humanitarian aid, and civilians including children.

For those who don't know, it has been reported, and not denied by Israel, that charity vehicles (Israel was informed of their movements, and where they would be as per usual) were bombed and destroyed. No explanation has been given by Israel. Not only that but they have openly said any vehicles in the area will be deliberately bombed - effectively telling humanitarian aid organisations to "Get out"! How can they be allowed to get away with this - it runs contrary to all international humanitarian principles and norms?!

A UN installation would have been CLEARLY marked and location known to the Israeli government. And there can be no credible claim that it could be any kind of shelter for Hezbollah. Again, no explanation has been offered by Israel.

As for a bunch of leaflets being dropped shortly before the bombing telling people to get out of the area - how can that excuse bombing and killing civilians? The fact is they weren't dropped in enough time for the areas to be evacuated even with a co-ordinated, prepared response. And how would you feel if suddenly, due to something you have nothing to do with as a civilian, you suddenly get "ordered" by your aggressive neighbour's military to drop everything, leave behind all your worldly possessions & get out of the entire region of your country? Where were they supposed to go? Just start walking and sit out in some street or desert that an invading army deemed suitably out of their way for them? Also how were they supposed to get out anywhere when (again reported in the news and admitted by Israel) exit routes such as roads, bridges, etc. had been bombed and destroyed by Israeli warplanes in order to "prevent Hezbollah guerrillas escaping"?

Even if all that had not happened, international humanitarian laws must be respected, and even though an army may think enemy combatants may be hiding behind civilians, by law, it is NOT acceptable justification or excuse to bomb those buildings, killing civilians!

In addition to which, international humanitarian law has been violated by the bombing of a power plant, for which Israel has replied with no excuse/explanation. The deliberate destruction of power plants that support civilian infrastructure is forbidden by international humanitarian law, because it takes away vital life supporting infrastructure from civilians, putting their lives in misery.

It seems to me they have CLEARLY gone too far, and something must be done, faster to end the conflict. The only thing preventing a faster, more decisive response from the UN is the fact that the USA (and Tony Blair in typical Bush poodle fashion) has not condemned all the violence on BOTH sides, and called for an immediate ceasefire - sending the clear message to Israel that they are giving permission for them to achieve certain military goals on the ground, while buying them a little time by way of not calling for an immediate ceasefire and working on a longer term plan first instead.

Answer 5

rag tag band of guerrillas? that's not what Ive been reading. does Israel have their soldiers back? if not then they haven't gone far enough yet. isn't it cowardly and heartless to launch attacks from within a civilian area knowing your enemy will attack you anyway? this is a reel nice try muslim, but propaganda doesn't work with me.

Answer 6

They are trying to exterminate the other populations in the area. I know that's a strong word, but bombing civilians to make them flee their homes sounds like conquest to me. "Leave or we bomb!" Do they really need such firepower to depose of a few rocket batteries? A couple of well trained elite troops could do that much faster and cheaper. Lets remember that some other guys wanted "Lebensraum" a couple of decades ago...

Answer 7

Israel is getting rockets fired from HOUSES SCHOOLS ETC ETC
They are firing these rockets 60 miles into Israel
So if Israel go`s 80 miles INTO Lebanon
To create a buffer zone I do not blame them


Also if fire is returned to the position the ROCKETS are fired from then it is NOT ISRAELS fault that INNOCENT WOMEN & CHILDREN are in these PLACES it is the people who are FIRING FROM THERE who are causing this

Answer 8

What do call firing 2,500 rockets into civilian populations killing Israeli men, women and children? Just because the world don't see dismembered body parts of dead children in Israel doesn't mean it didn't happen. Israeli families grief in silence, in dignity unlike those who use dead children as propaganda. Hizbollah are the murderers of civilians - it's that plain and simple!

Answer 9

Hezbollah is hiding behind the civilians. They are firing rockets from civilian homes, then when those homes are destroyed they try to use civilian deaths as a propaganda tool. This is Hezbollah's fault not Israel.

Answer 10

Actually, I don't think they have gone too far. It is the civilians own fault when they are warned to leave the area because of the bombing. So they are NOT being cowards by bombing civilians, like I said it is the civilians own fault! The U.S warned them. So who is the one being the cowards? The CIVILIANS are! Israel is God's chosen people, whether you agree or not!