I don't expect it to happen by any means, but that would be the best possible solution.

If Israel were providing intelligence to the Lebanese government to take out terrorists sites, that would be an opportunity. If Israel were providing support for the Lebanese government to become independent of Syrian influences, that would be an opportunity. But Israel isn't about opportunities. Israel is trying to maintain some image of 'strength', by bombing the crap out of Lebanon and consequently destroying all the progress made by this fragile state over the last 16 years.
300 Lebanese have killed already, the vast majority civilians. There is nothing here for the Lebanese, or the world at large, to have anything but contempt for and condemnation of.

So what?. Ok, you know hear condemnation of Hezbollah. That help anything?

Didn't think so.

And I'll address the whole "but we warned you guys!!" tangent...

Anyway, to those who are a bit harsh on the Lebanese, I think I'll try my hand at a comparison:

Hey, someone is gonna bulldoze your neighborhood tomorrow, because a guy down the street shot some other dude. Didn’t you get the memos? You better clear out, period. If you try to fight this in any way, you are obviously stupid and should be condemned, because you got a warning. Nay, multiple warnings. And hey man, that other guy got shot. WHAT ABOUT HIM? Your neighborhood totally deserves to get bulldozed, because that other guy shot that one dude.

And on that tangent, jeeze, how cold hearted you are for not killing that one guy preemptively. It's not like you just recovered from cancer and that other guy who shot the one dude is bat friggin insane and has support from other neighborhoods. It’s not like you are incredibly weak and are trying to rebuild your strength from years and years of chemo. Shame on you! You know what, you should just burn your whole neighborhood yourself out of shame!

So now the family of the guy who got shot is searching your hood for that one guy, and you know, some of your neighbors get capped, but it’s all coo, I mean, this family has been under siege for years by that guy and his bully friends! So therefore, you all can just be seen as collateral. And again, how come you didn’t clear them all out. It’s ever so easy! Look how many other neighborhoods have been cleared of those guys! Oh, wait, none really have been because they are really entrenched and are a significant problem... but you know, you could set an example.

Look, I’ll make this simple: just die. It will make it easy for all of us.

Actually, that is a whole 'nother issue, but I'm going to say this: all this bloodshed?

Not

Worth

It.

They weren't wanted back, there was obvious friction, and any cultural analysis would have predicted this outcome. The idea to create Israel in that manner in that place was a stupid one that cost many lives on both sides. Yes, the Jewish people are a cultural group who should have and deserve a homeland like every other group does. I don't think anyone can agree this situation was worth it, or the manner it was done in flawless. There were riots and murders way back at the turn of the century over this crap! Wasn't that a warning that "hey, not a good idea at this time?". Yes, it was all legal. They bought the land, fair and square. But the smartest thing? I'm not so sure of that.

Infact, it almost boggles the mind that a group that is one of the most intellegent in the world who have produced maybe the greatest number of scientists, creators, thinkers, and all around smart-type-individuals could not have approached this situation in a better way. And they aren't warmongers either! They were just after a strip of land! The situation on a fundemental level doesn't make sense to me. All this death over a small sliver of land, for a country that didn't need to exist in that area, much less in that exact time frame. Sure, yeah, holy significance, promised land, worth this? Really? It just seems they were promised a huge struggle that they didn't deserve nor need.

All this really just isn't worth it, unless someone can prove otherwise. It's like a minority man moving into the middle of a haven of racists. So your granny used to own that home, is it worth the daily struggle? Yes, you've shown the world you can fight, but what do you win other than blood and tears?

So yes, the Israelites are guilty of a crime of sorts, that of not using their common sense. There is a bit of flak that they do deserve in that regaurd.

They just now captured some city? Slooooooow.

My friend, that's not what's happening at all. The UN isn't threatening Israel 'or else' whatsoever. They have asked the Israeli if they think a UN force in the area to help them disarm Hezbollah is a good idea. So, to work together and do something about the terrorists, so they're not 'completely ignoring the fact that Hezbollah is the cause of the problem'. You may be thinking too lowly of the UN.



For one, there have been very few casualties on Israel's side in this conflict, so far, compared to the number of Lebanese civilians that died. Secondly, you seem to suggest the international media is totally anti-Israeli. Where do you get this idea? We must be watching different channels for sure. Every single palestinian terrorist attack on Israel makes the news here.



Tell me about it. It's not about idealism. It's about better solutions. Israel isn't helping itself here. It's breeding terrorists with every passing second.

The severe bombings on one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods of Beirut, have totally destroyed a large area of multiple building blocks. No matter the 'warnings' they gave, this is a serious violation of the Geneva Convention, a war crime. Civilian areas may not be targeted:

[quote=Geneva Convention]

"The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack." and "The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character."[/quote]

Just as much as we can't ignore the acts of Hezbollah, we cannot turn a blind eye to this either. That's not called idealism, that's called Justice.



Again, you're making the wrong assumptions. The UN wants to help Israel. And Israel has already stated it is positive about the idea.

Oh, and one other thing, about 'who started it'...

What started the whole thing off is a totally unwarranted attack of the Israeli army on civilians on the beach in the Gaza strip, several weeks ago. In response to that, Hamas kidnapped an Israeli soldier. Then when Israel reataliated, Hezbollah kidnapped two soldiers as well. The rest is 'history'. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the terrorist's actions. But, just so you know it really 'started' with that incident in the Gaza strip.

The UN never 'asks'. A UN 'request' is the same thing as a demand.

And no, I'm not thinking too lowly of the UN. I've done my homework, trust me. The United Nations bears as much blame for this conflict as the Israelis, the Lebanese, or Hezbollah, for their overbearing ways, and their spinelessness in the face of risk.

But that's a debate for another thread. I've said my piece, and now I'll leave you to your politics .

Bull. Isreal has been under attack since it became a nation. I'm sure Hezbollah commited some of them, especially since they admit to doing so.

It all leads back to the two sons of Abraham, way back when.

Seriously. I have been closely following the situation the past year. There was a ceasefire from Hamas, and it was quite successful. The new Hamas government wanted to be taken seriously by Israel, and had promised to keep the militant wing of Hamas in check, and they pretty much lived up to it. There hadn't been any severe incidents from Hamas for about a year, untill the Israeli navy made that attack. I had expected Hamas to screw up, but this time around, it was the Israeli who broke the peace. (By mistake, is what they claimed). Of course Israel has been under attack for half a century. But I'm talking about the past year.

Please get your facts straight before you call 'bull' on me:

[quote=News Article]

Palestinians killed on Gaza beach

Seven people, including three children, have been killed by Israeli shells which hit a beach in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials say.

At least 30 people were wounded in the shelling, they say.

The Israeli military says it has halted all shelling of Gaza and has launched an inquiry into whether ground-based artillery could have been involved.

In a statement, the military wing of Hamas threatened to resume attacks on Israel in the wake of "massacres".

The group has been observing a self-imposed ceasefire for more than a year. (...)[/quote]

I know what I'm talking about.



...what can I say to convince you? It's the truth. They asked Israel if they need help, and Israel said 'yes'. It was a proposal. Here's another news article, then.

[quote=News Article]

Israelis back border force plan

Israel has said it supports the idea of a new international force in south Lebanon, as diplomatic attempts to end the Middle East crisis gather pace.

Defence Minister Amir Peretz suggested such a force could be led by Nato, an idea not yet raised during the crisis.

He spoke during a meeting with the German foreign minister. French and British ministers are also in Israel.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due in the region on Monday on a much-anticipated visit.

Mr Peretz said Israel wanted the Lebanese army deployed in the south to prevent Hezbollah from operating in the border area, from where it has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.

"But we understand that we are talking about a weak army and that in the mid-term period Israel will have to accept a multinational force," he told German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Combat experience

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had initially brushed aside the idea of a peacekeeping force, proposed by British PM Tony Blair and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

On Sunday he said a final decision was yet to be made, but any new force should have combat experience and be made up of European Union members. (...) [/quote]