Bush's Shrinking Safety Zone

[Undertoad]

A vast majority of Israelis are in favor of the current action, which has little to do with Palestinians except when Hez missiles land in the West Bank. I've read that the Israeli peace movement that favors that approach to the Pals, is in favor of the current approach to Hezbollah.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

A vast majority of Israelis are in favor of the current action,

Depends on which action. Also the vast majority of Israelis don't want another invasion of Lebanon. Viewing from an informed Israeli perspective, that war without invasion is stupid. Either invade with troops on the ground OR do the only thing that was ever going to create peace. Hippikos has repeatedly made the important points. For example, too many in The Cellar want to view everything in terms of them and us. But as Hippikos demonstrates, it is mostly the fringe groups - the minority - that destroy peace often due to total ignorance and 'big dic' mentalities. So many of 'they' have different perspectives.

Currently we have Israel with a right to defend itself. Having a right means it should be exercised? Exercising that right means it is a solution. Yes according to extremists who always want war (despite what they claim). Extremist 'need for revenge' is accurate as long as the viewpoint is 'them and us' / 'black and white'. Today Israeli warplanes attacked the city of Tripoli. Do you know where Tripoli is? It is in the most northern part of Lebanon. Like Tyre in the south, these cities have nothing to do with Hezbollah. Attacking innocents makes no sense if peace is the objective. Why are innocents (not Hezbollah) being attacked? Just another example of 'Them verses us' / 'good verses evil' / 'black and white' thinking that only pushes everyone into the ranks of extremists. The 'big dic' mentality is alive and well.

Attack on Tripoli only makes more people want war. Attack on Tripoli only justifies more attacks on Israel. Israel attacked Tripoli. That alone justified 1000 more missiles against Israel. And yet Israelis are not so deceived by the 'fog of war' as to not even understand that they are only making more future wars necessary. The 'fog of war' or people too caught up in their rights to seek intelligent thought means more war and peace never possible. This is the situation that extremists love because it empowers extremists and recruits for extremists.

The problem: Israel responded to a kidnapping by attacking innocent Lebanese. Hezbollah, whose mission was defined by the defense of Lebanon, then did what they must do - as defined by their reason to exist. Hezbollah fired unguided missiles into Israel doing almost no damage. This leads to more innocent Lebanese murdered by the hundreds and a few Israelis killed by unguided missiles. Nothing useful accomplished if peace is the objective. More hate created - more extremists recruited - and all is fully justified in rights and the 'big dic' mentality of revenge. Israeli attacks on the innocent are exactly what extremists want.

Who are these extremists? Anti-humanity Israelis and Christian Zionists (also called American evangelicals) are some of those who want to destroy the world, if for no other reason, because they are dumbed down by a 'big dic' mentality - the fog of war. Yes, what Israel is doing is even what Osama bin Laden wants.

How does the informed Israeli instead react? First, the problem is not the 90% of Lebanon who are being attacked, made homeless, and are attacked only because they are all dirty Arabs. The tactical objective is only those Hezbollah missile. Therefore the Israeli army should move in up to the Letani River and expect Israeli casualties in the thousands. IOW either you confront the problem now - or live with it. Second, number of dead Israeli army troops becomes irrelevant once that tactical objective is necessary. An informed Israeli that wants to end this missile problem orders cannon fodder forward to take out those missiles with the only weapon that can do it - ground troops. Massive Israeli deaths in are totally acceptable because the objective is that important.

Don't like the thinking? Sorry. But if the objective is important, then a few thousand Israel dead is justified. Welcome to what extremists would create. Instead attack other innocents with airplanes. It will not solve anything but recruits and empowers the extremists.

Even Likud types fear that invasion because it will then drive centrists back to centrist positions - intelligent thought. Intelligent Israelis would then wake up and appreciate why the 'big dic' mentality only means more war - will never create peace and will always keep extremists in power.

Which brings us to the other solution. Negotiation. Only way to reduce violence - to stop recruiting for the enemy - is to negotiate. Arab league has the only viable offer to settle this - Seven points. And then 20 years of Hezbollah missiles in diminished numbers eventually means peace. Yes, 20 years of extremists trying to create more war - and war not created because no smoking gun exists. Notice that is completely contrary to the 'big dic' mentality. They are only trivial unguided missiles. Ignore them. Only then can peace be at hand. 20 years of minor violence necessary to undo what the 'big dic' mentality - attacking innocent Lebanese - has created.

But again, the 'big dic' mentality of "they killed one of us" will not let this happen. You want to live in Northern Israel? Fine. Expect some to be killed by trivial Hezbollah missiles and eventually Hezbollah has no more purpose because Israel still does not invade. Those unguided missiles are a threat like traffic accidents. Don't respond with a 'big dic' and the problem goes away. Negotiate and eventually the region becomes safe even for an international peace force and for people who would then remove Hezbollah.

That is the informed Israeli position. It will not happen. Too many just don't understand that a few dead neighbors is 'life normal' and is not a 'smoking gun' to justify war. Eventually, peace can happen as the ranks of centrists grow and the ranks of extremists diminish. This begins the only way to create peace. Negotiation complete with periodic and acceptable extremist violence is the only way peace is going to happen. Too many - and that especially includes American Christian Zionists - instead are enthralled by a 'big dic' mentality. To them, the right of revenge means revenge must alway be taken. That extremist 'big dic' agenda means more extremistis in power and more recruits to extremist ranks - and constant war.

Why was Tipoli attacked? Clearly not to stop Hezbollah. And if you don't know where Tripoli is, then that attack was acceptable. Extremism is alive and well - and murdering the other 90% of innocent Lebanese.