Hezbollah night-vision gear manufactured in Britain

[9th Engineer]

I'm supprised that Israel hasn't just snapped and issued an ultimatum to Lebanon to the tune of 'unless you immediately disarm and disband Hizbollah we will concider you complicit in their actions. If you refuse to cooperate we will be forced to declare war on the Lebanese state itself". At least then they can do this like a normal war. Does anyone have any idea as to WHY Lebanon would not at least demand that Hizbollah change their objective to something that can actually be accomplished like "the removal of Israeli citizens and forces from all post-1947 Lebanese territory". Israel is NOT GOING ANYWHERE, so as long as anyone is dedicated to their complete destruction this is never going to end.

[tw]

Originally Posted by 9th Engineer

Does anyone have any idea as to WHY Lebanon would not at least demand that Hizbollah change their objective to something that can actually be accomplished like "the removal of Israeli citizens and forces from all post-1947 Lebanese territory".

That is what Israel was trying to accomplish in its seventh invasion; where the Israeli Air Force attacked innocent targets such as Beirut Airport and even northern cities in Akkar province. Israel cannot do as you have suggested because of what happened in their sixth invasion of Lebanon. People are too opposed to what is the ultimate and classic right wing extremist solution to problems.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah is not a significant problem to justify an eight invasion. Hezbollah drove Israel out of Lebanon to end the sixth invasion. Enough intelligent people remember that fact.

Hezbollah's hyped objectives are negotiation points. All sides have extremist rhetoric. Once Israel decides to return to a mentality that permitted the Oslo Accords, then we will all be 'surprised' at how quickly all that rhetoric changes. Since Israel does not talk to Hezbollah and since the US is also so right wing wacko now, then we will continue to hear propaganda type rhetoric about the destruction of Israel and evil Arabs. Unfortunately not enough people are dying so extremist right wing wacko solutions (air force bombing of all Lebanon) are still advocated.

Your post suffers too much from what Peter Jennings worried about. Americans get too much 'one sided' reporting amplified by AIPAC propaganda. Too many confuse pictures and proclamations, stated only for propaganda purposes, with real world intent. You somehow think force will solve things? That is the wacko right wing agenda.

Until negotiations break out, we will continue to hear how evil the other side is. Propaganda. Nothing more. Meanwhile, the UN can barely find troops for a ceasefire because neither Israel nor Hezbollah yet wants to negotiate. A situation so volatile that troops are only entering under a UN Chapter Six mandate - which is an admission that those troops are toothless. A UN admission that neither side wants peace yet. A situation that means not enough people have died. The death numbers must be higher and equal on both sides for negotiations to break out. Currently, death rates are nothing more than death rates on highways - trivial.

Without negotiations, then advocate massive deaths as an only solution. The disagreement is trivial; made only worse because right wing extremists on both sides always see solutions only in war and not in negotiations.