There's an incredibly bratty kid who lives next door to me.  He regularly throws rocks at my dog, vandalizes my mailbox, makes prank calls, etc.  I've tried and tried to get him to stop, complained to his parents to no avail.  I hope you'll all stand with me in the step I plan to take next--I'm going to shoot the kid, and I've rented a bulldozer to destroy his house.

Israel's response is out of all proportion to the attacks of Hamas and Hezbollah and is not going to accomplish its stated goal of acquiring the return of the prisoners.  How is killing hundreds of Lebanese civilians a fair response to the killing of 7 Israeli soldiers and the kidnap of 2?  Israel has blockaded Lebanon by air and sea so its citizens cannot flee despite the fact that Israel is raining bombs onto Beirut.  Is this fair?

If Israel were really interested in obtaining the return of its soldiers, it would seek a peace settlement with Hezbollah in good faith.  I am NOT defending the actions of Hezbollah or Hamas or anyone else.  But if Israel wants peace, then it, as a democratic nation and not a militant band of fundamentalist criminals, has the responsibility to take the first step towards peace, and must not react to Hezbollah's provocations with the same malice that motivated Hezbollah's attack.

When you are 6 foot tall and a 4 year old kicks you in the balls, what is the right response?   Pound the 4 yr. old and his brothers ...  and sisters ... and his aunts and uncles and cousins?

Israel can't escape the bad PR.  

They are holding more Arabs than the terrorists are holding Israeli soldiers.   Only one side has modern fighter / strike aircraft.   Only one side has tanks.

I support Israel's efforts to root out terrorism 100%.   But I expect them to do it with some brains.   We didn't level Tim McVeighs hometown.  

NationMaster
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#98          Hong Kong          6,899,000

#101        Israel                  6,277,000

US has its own problems. Let Israel deal with its own. We have helped Israel enough. If you want, you and other neocons can volunteer in Israel instead of getting our troops to die for you.

"US has its own problems. Let Israel deal with its own."

That is what Bush is saying to New York.

I am supporting Israel, but people are trying to confuse the war with Lebanon with the war in Iraq, like Nick Culvuto. These wars are different, Israel was attacked and we weren't attacked by Iraq, and that's why I am going to support them.

There is an element of truth to both sides of this story.    True, Jews around the world have been persecuted for centuries, and Israel has a right to some Peace for it's people, but I for one, am tired of being an American who must turn their head and not look too deeply into Israeli bulldozers razing houses and areas of Palestine.  Who have to wonder WHY are we sending billions of dollars to Israel every year?   Surely they are able to support themselves?     Is it to provide them with the best weapons money can buy?    

The EU and every other country is condemning Israel's actions in Lebanon.   Why is the US the only country saying it's ok?    Something does not sit right with me about why Israel has become such an aggressor.    Someone above said the other middle east countries do not want peace, that is why they fight.     I find that hard to believe that a man will willingly give up his children's lives so easily, because they do not want peace.   It is time for Israel to show they are willing to meet half way.  That they will put their bulldozers away.   They will put their weapons down and try for peace over and over until it sticks.  A little humbleness would not hurt.

First put me marginally in the disproportionate camp. Quite aside from the millions of Lebanese at risk, Israel has cut off an estimated 25,000 Americans from escape.

Lebanon accepted Hezbollah into government, let their armed wing remain armed and effectively turned over South Lebanon to them. While collective punishment is a war crime, openly harboring an armed group that has attacked a neighboring country will ultimately prove that actions have consequences. Perhaps the Lebanese government did not believe they had the power to send government troops to the border, perhaps they had reason to believe that Syria would not allow that to happen. Well powerless or not they allowed a Party in Government to mount an armed attack on a neighboring state, and they are suffering some consequences.

But to return to the question. What 'support' are we supposed to be giving here? Because this worries me: "The US and George Bush also have a pivitol role to play here as well."

The hell we do, and certainly George should stay right out of this.  The very last thing this situation needs is a heaping helping of his bluster and bullshit. Beyond vetoing any UN Resolution that would impose an arms embargo (not that the US would pay attention anyway), the right thing for the US to do is to sit back and let the IDF and Hezbollah settle this one and just prary Syria doesn't send tanks across the border. (Although I think they Israelis could handle the Syrians)

Dor NeoCons and NeoDems one military disaster in Iraq just isn't enough.

But hey! If you screw up one war, just start another!

Closer to home....one thing's for sure. Wider war in the ME is going to be even worse for Lieberman's dying political career.

It is one thing to go into Southern Lebabon.

But why Beirut?  Lebanon's democracy is still very young, and it is just now emerging from the the dominance of Syria (and Syria's influence hasn't gone away yet)

It's time to do a reality check.  What should Israelis realistically expect from Islam while it steals, destroys and squats illegally on the property and terrtitory of an Islamic people?  Should it expect them to throw cream pies? or bombs?  It is rediculous to even consider support for Isreael.  It's all one big land grab, rolling out decade after decade.  They grab as much as they can and when the world can no longer tolerate it, they roll back an inch, only to roll miles forward a year later.

We believe that government authority is founded on the consent of the governed, and that doesn't include planted colonists.  Israel should not just repair to within its borders, it should shrink those borders until there is not one town or village being forced against its will to be a part of Israel.

If Israel cannot take the shelling etc., it should give back what it has stolen over the last 65 years.  There is not a dime's worth of difference between the Islamic terrorists of today and the Isreaeli terrorists of old.

If they refuse, an American administration should cancel its weapons Loan program and withdraw or destroy any tanks or jets or Isreaeli forces outside of its borders or on or under the sea.

And someday that is what its going to come down to because the threat to peace by Israel is intolerable.

Sorry to my Israeli supporting friends but this is just too much.

"What should Israelis realistically expect from Islam while it steals, destroys and squats illegally on the property and terrtitory of an Islamic people?"

Right on, brother.

Long past time too Americans returned its lands to Native Americans and went away.

But hey, didn't Jews inhabit the Middle East for millenia before there were Muslims?