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Het negeren van de Bedreiging van Raketten Katyusha
15 Juli 2006 -- Voeg deze post aan del.icio.us toe Het schijnt dat sommige mensen, in het bijzonder Arabische politici en individuen aan de linkerkant van het politieke spectrum, veronachtzamen om raketten te vermelden Katyusha wanneer het bespreken van de huidige situatie in het Midden-Oosten. Israël heeft geschat dat 10.000 tot 12.000 raketten Katyusha zijn gericht op hun land minstens zes jaar, aangezien Israël zich van Zuidelijk Libanon terugtrok. Hezbollah, een terroristengroep het van wie mandaat op zich het vormen Israël moest dwingen om Libanon te verlaten, bestaat nog en wordt krachtiger (minstens tot Israël het is recente verrichtingen begon).
Voor zij die deze Israëlische ramingen niet geloven, moet één slechts het nieuws lezen - het aantal raketten die van Libanon in Israël tijdens vorige week in brand worden gestoken nadert 1.000. Deze raketten hebben scores van Israëlische steden en steden, met inbegrip van Haifa geraakt, Nahariya, Safed, Mahanayim, Hatzor, Ben Ami, Karmiel. Moshav Kfar Hitim, Tiberias, Migdal, Evron, Abu Snan, Yesod Ha’ma’ala, Bar’am, Kiryat Shmona, Mahanayim, Horfesh, Biranit, Meron, Ma’alot, Matat, near Rosh Pina, Sasa, Pki’in, Misgav Am, Metula, Beit Hillel, Shar Yishuv and near Kibbutz Hagoshrim and Kibbutz Ma’ayan Baruch (Jerusalem Post).
Uninformed people might be wondering why so few Israeli citizens have been injured in these rocket attacks, and the answer is simple. Israel, because of it’s numerous wars, requires all houses to have bomb shelters in them. Also, early warning systems are used to tell people when there is imminent danger. Thus, while the missiles have caused much destruction, they have not claimed to many lives. However, unfortunately, it is human nature to compare two sides of a war by the number of human lives lost. This is wrong for two reasons.
- Hezbollah’s intent is to kill as many people as possible (even if they’re not doing it) and to ultimately destroy Israel. Israel’s intent is to destroy Hezbollah’s capacity to wage war and to make the Lebanese government responsible for the actions of Hezbollah, which is operating in its country. It is not unreasonable for Israel to expect Lebanon to take responsibility.
- It doesn’t take into account the tactic on both sides. Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups, make a habit of planning their “activities” in the middle of civilian areas. They do this because they know that if they are hit, civilians will be killed. Thus, Israel has to think twice before targetting those individuals organizing terror acts, and if they do attack the terrorists, there is likely to be “collateral damage” (i.e. innocent people killed). On the other hand, Israel warns it’s citizens before an attack is imminent and they have time to prepare and get into their bomb shelters.
To put it simply - Hezbollah’s goals are to maximize casualties on both sides, whereas Israel’s goal is to minimize casualties on both sides, while incapacitating the enemy.
If Israel was not equiped with bomb shelters, the casualties would no doubt be higher. Would that make people think that his conflict is more equal? If so, shame on those people. I think they know in their hearts that if Hezbollah could, it would be causing a lot more damage than it has.
Tags:bomb shelters , hezbollah , katyusha rockets , lebanese government , lebanon
July 16th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
This is truly an article based on ignorance, and it is obvious it was written by someone of Israeli descent. I do believe that what Hezbollah did was just plain stupid. When i saw Israel destroy the bridges i thought, well i saw this coming and i would think that any other country would do the same, but Israel has no regard for the lives and wellbeing of the Lebanese people. so far they have killed over 100 civilians, 40 being “accidental” which is rather hard to believe that a country so advanced in their military technology could mistake 40 women and children to be Hezbollah soldiers. For a nation which is supposed to be considered civil they seem to be doing things that are very immoral such as cutting off necessary resources from entering Lebanon and crushing the infrastructure of the entire country. So now the Israeli government can say we didn’t kill the Lebanese people, the fact that they starved is what killed them, so we are not liable. So before you start mouthing off and stating how great Israel is, how about you take a goodlong look at what theyre doing, seems like it has a strong resemblance to a nation during the 40’s that wanted to conquer the world doesn’t it?
July 16th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
I don’t know where to start with such a blindly ignorant comment as that made by Wes above. I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but it appears as though it is not coming from a reliable source. First of all, I am not Israeli or of Israeli descent. Secondly, Israel destroyed bridges to prevent Hezbollah from exporting the kidnapped Israelis to Syria and Iran.
Yes, they have killed 40 civilians and that is truly regrettable. I shed no tear for the killing of those who are members of Hezbollah. As the old adage says “Live by the sword, die by the sword”. These people choose to be in the line of work they’re in and must suffer the consequences if their enemy is better than them. Further, many civilians were killed because Hezbollah and other terror groups make a habit of working in civilian areas, in order to make their opponents think twice about pursuing them. In these cases, Israel probably weighed their options and figured taking out the top members of Hezbollah was the important issue. There are 10,000 missiles still aimed at Israel - do you condone that? Hezbollah wants war - that’s their reason for being.
Israel’s reason for “cutting off necessary resources from entering Lebanon” is because those “necessary resources” often come from the same places that provide weapons to Hezbollah. How do you prevent weapons, but allow medical goods and food through the border? If you have a way of doing that, let me know. Unfortunately, terrorist groups take advantage of good will and use it to get their supplies too. Therein lies the problem.
Do you not think Lebanon is at all responsible for Hezbollah? A terrorist group is operating from their country and they’ve done nothing to dismantle it. 10,000 missiles pointing at their neighbour is not an action that the Lebanese government should allow or condone. If they want to prevent Israel from attacking, they only have to do one thing - crush Hezbollah. If they do that, Israel will happily withdraw and know that their border is safe. As long as Hezbollah exists and operates from Lebanon, Israel has every right, by international law, to prevent the attacks on their country. The kidnappings were an act of war - they were done over an international border.
As for your comment that what Israel is doing “has a resemblance to a nation during the 40���s that wanted to conquer the world”, I am disgusted by this comparison. Firstly, Germany had a stated intention of conquering the world - Israel doesn’t. Germany controlled the governments of the nations they attacked - Israel has no intention of doing so. Israel has had 5 wars started against it over the last 58 years, Germany’s neighbours didn’t have any such threats against it. Nazi Germany killed 2700 innocent, unarmed Jews daily during the 6 years of the Holocaust - Israel has killed 2.4 Palestinians daily since the beginning of the intifadah, started by the Palestinans. Many of the Palestinians were armed an on their way to committing terrorist acts.
What comparisons do you see? I hardly see any!
July 16th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
What hezbollah has done is unfortunate. They have infact done something that shouldnt’t have been done, and i am NOT trying to defend them. I even understand why the bridges in the south were destroyed. What i am criticizing is how Israel, a supposed example of a just and fair democracy, can allow that many people to die. Let me ask you something, and i infact do wish for you to answer with the best response you have, why does israel insist on bombing the airport 3 times? i understood the first time, but why repeatedly? Just now i saw on the news that the port in tripoli was attacked again as well yet that port has nothing there, the ships haven’t been used in 15 years, so why after destroying it once would they destroy the remains? and are you familiar with the civil war that tok place in Lebanon 20 years ago? well if the lebanese army tries to fight with hezbollah, a group with a million supporters, then likely there will be another civil war which in my opinion is the last thing the country needs.
o and the comparison i made was made because i regularly see, hear, and read of illegal mass murders ordered by the Israeli government, such as one i read about when Israel last entered Lebanon and bombed a UN building full of 500 Lebanese that lost their homes, ariel sharon was meant to go to court for that…but i think we all know what became of him. By my knowledge Hitler was also known for burning his opponents to the ground, isn’t Israel doing the same now to Lebanon? O and im sorry to tell you, but when the war began with Israel and Palistine, Israel did swear on the deaths of all the palistinians…genocide, one of Hitler’s favourites…
July 16th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
shame shame shame on you, i make posts that are not offensive in anyway yet instead i post facts and PROVE to you why you are wrong and you delete them. shame how if no one agrees with you ideas then their opinion does not exist. pitiful, bow ur head down in shame
July 17th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
Actually Wes, I haven’t deleted your comments - I just haven’t approved them yet. We get a lot of spam here, so we have to take the precautionary measure of queuing everything up and accepting it when we have time. We’re not a big international organization with tonnes of resources, so unfortunately you’re going to have to wait.
I don’t know you Wes, but given your comments here, you jump to conclusions way too quickly. That goes with reference to us and the conflict in the Middle East. Stop jumping to conclusions - it’s clouding your judgement.
July 17th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
“What hezbollah has done is unfortunate.”
I’m glad that you acknowledge that.
“why does israel insist on bombing the airport 3 times?”
I honestly don’t have a good answer for you, because I’m not privy to the information that the Israeli Defence Forces has. Perhaps planes were still landing with weapons from Syria and Iran? Who knows - I just know that whatever reason Israel had for bombing the airport three times was a good reason.
“why after destroying it once would they destroy the remains?”
Again, since I’m not privy to the information the Israeli Defence Forces has, I can’t answer the question for you. But surely there is a reason - there always is. Perhaps Tripoli hasn’t been used commercially for 15 years, but how do you know that’s not how Hezbollah gets their missiles? Israeli intelligence is better than you can imagine.
“there will be another civil war which in my opinion is the last thing the country needs.”
A civil war in Lebanon is not Israel’s concern. 10,000+ missiles aimed at it from Lebanon is Israel’s concern. Lebanon has the responsibility to control it’s territory. If it is unable or not willing to do that, what’s the point of having sovereignty?
“Israel last entered Lebanon and bombed a UN building full of 500 Lebanese that lost their homes”
I believe you’re talking about Sabra and Shatilla. Yes, that was an unfortunate situation, but it’s not as you described. The massacre was carried out by the Christian Phalangist Militia, an ally of Israel. The Palestinian refugees had slaughtered the Christians and the Militia was out to get revenge. Israel stupidly gave them cover, which is why Ariel Sharon was found INDIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for the even. The Israeli army didn’t lay a finger on the refugees in that situation. Please get your facts straight before you throw accusations. You obviously know very little except what is fed to you, and until you learn more, you should lay off the accusations.
“By my knowledge Hitler was also known for burning his opponents to the ground, isn���t Israel doing the same now to Lebanon?”
As I’ve said many, many times before, there is no comparison between Israel and the Nazis, and it’s a shame you even find it in your heart to say that. During the Holocaust, 2700 innocent, unarmed Jews were killed daily, and that figure doesn’t count the Gypsies, gays, and others that the Nazis hated. The Jews didn’t provoke war. On the other hand, Israel has a very specific goal in their bombing and it will be finished quickly. Hezbollah has fired about 1000 missiles at Israel, a fact that you haven’t even acknowleged in your many comments. How can you compare Israel to the Nazis? You obviously know little about current events and the Holocaust, so perhaps you should stop making a fool out of yourself and learn the horrors of the Holocaust.
“Israel did swear on the deaths of all the palistinians���genocide, one of Hitler���s favourites��� ”
Where did you pull that one from? Israel has never been involved with genocide, and you know that. Again, 2700 Jews were killed daily during the Holocaust. In contrast to the Palestinians, 2.4 were killed daily, the majority armed and dangerous. How dare you compare the two.