Does the "with a smile" crack indicate that you wouldnt care about kidnapped american soldiers in such a situation? Your solution turns kidnapping into a perverse kind of sporting event.
No, the "with a smile" designation refers to the option that the Israelis would take. You kidnap mine, I'll kidnap yours and then trade you for them.
Hizbollsh took the Israeli soldiers to trade them for Lebanese prisoners in case you've forgotten. As Israel had made multiple hostage trades earlier in the mideast history, this shouldn't be a shock to anyone.
Some people would claim that making the trades to begin with were a mistake. I could add that trading a few Israelis for many Arab prisoners was a really, really stupid mistake.
The proposal to kidnap Hezbollah is a "compromise" approach. At least showing that Hezbollah will never gain anything by kidnapping Israelis.
Instead Israel has chosen to pummel south Lebanon. Hezbollah was happy to have an open war and Hezbollah perceives a benefit from having that open war.
While Hezbollah only had support in Lebanon in the south they now have 78% support throughout Lebanon. So Hezbollah wins there too. As you may know, Britain is also a supplier of weapons to Israel. But in a recent poll, 60% of Britains want to stop providing weapons to Israel. Hezbollah wins again.
While we might cheer the condemnation that Hezbollah received from certain Arab governments, the populace in those countries are supporting Hezbollah. Hezbollah wins again. If the Egyptian people get too uppity, the Egyptian government will either have to crack down on them or switch to supporting Hezbollah. And when Egypt has "elections", those who support Hezbollah or at least oppose Israel will have an edge. Hezbollah wins again.
In Lebanon, in the Arab world and around the world, Hezbollah wins; Israel loses.
The headlines in the Arab world: The Qana Massacre. Guess who wins.
It would have been nice if Israel wpicked a winning option, but they chose not to.
My post does not require a reply, you smug, sanctimonious, self important shmuck.
Your mother wears a babushka.
jttmab |
