Israel airstrike kills 34 children and 12 others

This isn't the Andrea Yates thread, is it?

 

i have two questions:

1) if hezbollah, hamas and all of israels enemies threw down their arms right this second, would there still be a lebanon, a syria, an iran and a gaza?

2) if israel threw down its weapons right this second, would that country still exist?

 

a) yes.

b) hell no

 

Hebollah knows that western-influenced nations have rules against striking ambulances (not to mention houses of worship). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with the idea of using ambulances to transport weapons if you know it's against the other guy's rules. The rules of engagement regarding houses of worship goes something like this, IIRC: Once a group of combatants uses a house of worship as a place to coordinate its activities, it ceases to become a house of worship and is then considered to be a military operations center. I don't see why ambulances should be considered any different, so long as you have solid indication that the ambulance you're blowing up in fact is being used to carry rockets.

As for the UN, somebody please detail anything that organization has done effectively. I don't believe waiting for the UN to solve world problems is in anyone's best interest.

 

For the record, lest this turn into a another knights of the keyboard bloodfest: Nobody's right here. Everybody's wrong.

But I do believe that Israel has honestly negotiated with the Lebanese regarding the Golan Heights, to enormous political expense of the Israeli right wing among the settlers there.

They have shown at least a propensity to pay lip service to the idea of quelling the extremists in their own country in the interest of peace. No such actions exist on the either side, that I am aware of.

That said, Chuck ain't wrong. It's not the fault of a majority of the Lebanese population that they have had little to no representation in these matters for the last 80+ years. For that you have to go all the way back to the British.

I will say, if you've ever been to Northern Israel/ Southern Lebanon, the people who are living there are likely doing it for ideological reasons. I know the Israelis are: the Golan is full of Kibbutzim, still dreaming of beating their swords into plowshares as the Abrams tanks boom out rounds in the gloaming.

As I said earlier, when Israel gets mad enough, it will say fuck the PR war. When that happens, shit can get much, much worse than this.

And likely will.

 

Sorry, but I just can't resist.

Iraq, for all intents and purposes, threw down its arms (in the case of WMDs) . . . and we either didn't believe them or we didn't care.

I suspect the same would apply elsewhere.

 

not even close to a similar comparison, bte.

 

Well, it'll have to do until someone can explain how --- in real life --- a country can actually "throw down its arms" to the satisfaction of its enemies.

Can't be done . . . so the argument is silly.

 

That's not exactly the case. The internationally accepted Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC) state that any target with military value can be engaged. If the Israelis have reason to believe that missiles are being carried in ambulances, they are fair game.

A hospital is not fair game -- until the Iranians park a destroyer on top of it, then it's a legal target.

We -- as are the Israelies -- are playing by the rules. It's the enemy who is not.

 

Oh, balls.
Please consult the relative civilian casualty figures for details.
Ultimate US and Israeli interests in this mess are starting to diverge radically. And Secreatry Feckless doesn't seem to know how much.