Lina,
It is very very scary to go through nightmare again.
People sometimes have to sacrifice.
As Sayed Hasan said, imagine that Sameer Al Qintar (who is not Sheii by the way, he is Dorzi, and he has been in prison for about 30 years) is your father/brother??
What will your raction be???
My country, dignity, freedom, and children's future is more improtant than my life.
Did you really think that the world will care for us??
Not in this life time.
You were mad at Nasrallah for dragging the people of lebanon inte his conflict with Israel, but in same time you are mad at the world and you try to drag the world into that ridicolous conflict?
I am from Denmark.
Please explain to me why Denmark should say or do any more, than Jordan wanna interfere in territorial conflicts between India and Pakistan.
I'm really sorry if I sound harsh now, but the reason to the mess in your region is more than anything else that you expect others to deal with problems that are yours.
If you decide to take responsabillity deal with your own problems there is a chance to solve them.
Really - try it!
Lina,
I grew up in a democracy. It is all I have ever known, and all my parents have ever known. One thing you learn - hopefully before you're old enough to vote - is that your political opinions matter, your vote matters, and you have to live with whoever you elect, for better or worse.
Germans in their fledgling democracy voted for Hitler in 1933. Between 1939 and 1945, they came to understand that, while satifying your hatred and bloodlust may feel good in the short term, like a cocaine rush, in the long term it turns out bad for you. Now they beat down hatred whenever they see it.
Japan, though they didn't elect Hirohito, learned the same lesson.
You can rage and seethe all you want, but once you pick a fight, you can't unpick it, and you can't blame the other party for fighting back.
We in America have known for a long time that war is hell, and that while your national interest or a higher moral calling may necessitate violence, ego gratification (the flip side of avoiding humiliation) does not. Making war to make yourself feel better, in the long run, will make you feel worse.
I assure you that Israel - subjected to repeated wars of attempted extermination and genocide - does not make war for the fun of it. They make war because they feel they have no choice.
Perhaps the rank and file Palestinian feels the same way, but that does not explain why the aerial assault on Israel proper continued to have popular support after Israel left Gaza. It does not explain why Hisbollah won in local elections in southern Lebanon after Israel withdrew.
Shebaa Farms? Come on. That's ego gratification.
It's only by bringing home just how miserable war is, that just maybe the Gazans and the south Lebanese will decide that, despite the fact that it feels good to blow up a pizzeria or an apartment building full of Jews, it's just not worth it. Maybe they'll boot out Hamas and Hizbollah. Maybe they'll elect someone who maybe doesn't like Jews and doesn't like Israel, but figures it's best to ignore them for the sake of developing their countries.
As Golda Meir said it so long ago, there will be peace when Arab women love their children more than they hate us. And not until. I hope it happens soon.
Everybody is special, not just arabs.
Israelis are people, not demons.
Your enemy is your folklore and conditioning.
The Western world is SICKSICKSICK of death worshipping, egocentric arab victimania.
If you want the world to be different and better then change it. Stop trying to destroy everything and everybody just because they disagree with you.
I think Adrian above actually does have a valid point. Forced peace brought from the outside can't last if there's no will to have a peace in the region itself, not only on the surface and in rhetorics but in the minds of warring parties. Now, despite all the sane and admirable voices such as Lina, both sides of the Middle East conflict, or better said, too big a portion of their populations, lack that inner will.
Thus, there's little the outside world can do except to offer humanitarian assistance if needed. What else could the outside world do? Bring troops in and get accused for being an occupying force..? Adrian's Denmark should defend Lebanon and Syria when some months ago Danish embassies were burnt in both because of some, huh, cartoons (not the best way of acquiring new friends, by the way, for times of crises)..?
BlooklynJon, there are other bad guys out there than just your World War II enemies and the enemies of your most loyal ME ally 
. I seriously think Lina's smart blog is far more an equal look at the problems than what you and Sean Shalor write above.
Lina, keep up your great blog. It's one of the most interesting reads in the whole blogosphere!
Greetings from the peaceful Finland 
.
Peaceful Finland,
Maybe so. My point is that people living in dictatorships can have whatever opinion they want. It doesn't matter. If you want to burn with rage at the other it's fine. It won't affect your life at all.
It changes in a democracy. In a democracy, you're stuck with whoever you, as a society, elect. If you want to elect a party that burns with hate, that's your prerogative. But in a democracy, you get to experience the blowback. Once you've experienced the unpleasant consequences of a bad choice, you're perhaps less likely to make it again (e.g. Germany, 1933). Unless, of course, you believe that you're suffering is better than the alternative (ego/humiliation) or you believe there will be compensation in the future for suffering in the present (72 virgins). In which case, we could be in for a long and unpleasant ride.
But the Israelis, love 'em or hate 'em, have no choice but to fight. The only other alternative is death. The Arabs, on the other hand, can suffer a little embarassment, put down the swords, and develop their countries, their economies, and their people.
Aboud said it best:
"My country, dignity, freedom, and children's future is more improtant than my life."
This is exactly what Golda Meir is talking about. At the exact point when his dignity is less important than his life, we can have peace. I hope to g-d it comes soon, for all of us.
BrooklynJon, I think we do more or less agree here. Yeah, Israel has to defend itself in order to survive but we can always debate how much is enough - there's a debate on that among Israelis as well which is a healthy sign of democracy.
However, I think in the most recent, ongoing chapter in the long history of ME conflicts, both sides have committed errors caused by the fact that it's ah so great to show your electorate that you're such a tough guy. Huh! This applies both to Hamas and Hizbollah (however nasty they are and they are nasty, they're also political parties which have successfully taken part in elections and will run again) and Israel - new PM there with no significant military background unlike many of his predecessors eager to show he's got muscles as well.
The problem with that is that while that might get politicians voted out of their offices, it also kills innocent civilians.
It's a tactic with proven success in the past. The tougher the mass murderer Putin is in Chechnya the more popular he gets and your president was also re-elected despite (thanks to?) Iraq.
When we recently had here a popular vote on the greatest Finn ever, many in the Top 10 were World War II era politicians, war heroes or other tough guys as well, for the good or bad.
The world would be a better place if rational self defence was unanimously backed by the electorate but macho war rhetorics and disproportionate showing of muscle brought down politicians. (This comment is not towards any single world leader but a general observation.)
Feel free to call me an Old Europe wimp .
Lina:
Jordan's PEACE with Israel began the day it stopped shooting at Israel.(1967.) Jordan's complete freedom from Israeli attacks began the moment it supressed the PLO and prevented it from waging war on Israel from Jordanian territoy. (After the PLO's failed coup against the Monarchy.) That was two generations ago.
The west bank would now be part of Jordan if Jordan had not joined Egypt and Syria in the 1967 war. Peace with Israel was and is ALWAYS available. Gaza would never have been Israeli occupied if Nasser hadn't remilitarized Sinai after the '56 ceasefire. (Nasser kicked out the UN peacekeepers who had stood between Egypt and Israel for ten years.) And Israel would not hve attacked Lebanon if Hezballah weren't waging war from Lebanese territory.
It is very sad that Lebanon has not yet been able to supress Hezballah. This crisis may acheive that. Hezballah has 23 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's Majlis--20%. If the other 80% of Lebanese don't want H. to drag them into war, then they must control H.: as Jordan controled the PLO.
Lebanon couldn't resolve the last round of civil war because the Syrians still had protection from the Soviet Union backing up their meddling. The US was not as free to act in the 70's or 80's as it was in the 50's and 60's or is today. Iran is not the SU. The US now CAN back the Lebanese majority against H. and against Syria--if the Lebanese majority chooses to demand peace and supress Hezballah. Syria will assasinate Lebanese politicians, but Assad will not act openly if Lebanon stands against it, because
Assad doesn't want to give the US a cassus belli in Lebanon like the cassus belli Saddam gave th US in Kuwait. Lebanon's army can be rebuilt. Lebanon can control its own borders. And not another Israeli (or Syrian) soldier or shell or aircraft need ever enter Lebanon again.
All it takes is Lebanese politicians willing to be martyrs for peace
No candles for the Israeli civilians being subjected to indiscriminate rocket attacks in Tiberias, Safed, Haifa, Sderot, Kiryat Shemona, etc....? Of course not. They asked for it because of the stupidity of their government in actually withdrawing to the internationally recognized borders with Lebanon and with Gaza. They should just accept the fact that withdrawing from from Gaza means Hamas can shell Sderot with impunity and that Hezbollah should be allowed to take potshots across the border when Iranian and Syrian policy dictates.
In a nutshell this Middle east has been hijacked by extremists from both sides. Israeli war planes today killed 9 children amongst a convoy of cars trying to flee from the bombings in the south. Was that justified as "self defense"?
We all know that Hizbullah is fighting for Iran and Syria and sacrificing lebanon in that process. However, the continuous humilation of the innocent palestinians and the destruction of infrastructure in Palestine and Lebanon means the destruction of basic rights of living. This is just causing more recruitment for Hizbullah and hamas.
Why the world is not giving the decent Lebanses PM any chance?
There will always be extremists in Israel praying for extremists in Palestine and Lebanon to strike to hit back and vice versa. The only way out is to take the tools of hatred out of the hands of extremists.
Lina,
Your letter is very refreshing. Whether one is on the Israeli side or the Arab side (and unfortunately that is reality, I just wish people were on the side for humans and thats that) your letter touches on a more broad reality society is faced with: APATHY.
No one cares any more. People are selfish and only care for themselves. So selfish that it comes to the point where people do no even know the name of their own vice president, and believe me, some of those people are my students, unfortunately.
We need more people like you who are young, politically and socially aware, and are active, getting together and creating dialogue. Maybe we may not see peace in our life time, but with hard work like yours and other young people, maybe we can see peace in our childrens' life time.
God Bless you!
Salam Alaikum..
Being a true Muslim isnt Extreme.. Being fighting to take our land back which the Isreali's claim that its theirs.. isnt Extreme..
We dont need the world .. The world wont do anything.. The one we need is the one who is in control of this world.. this one that created us and gave us souls.. The one who sent us Prophets to Guide us the right Path.. The one who is able to give victory and give loss... The One and only One "Alah... LA ILAHA ILA ALAH"
May Alah help our Muslim brothers Against the Terrorism of the Isreali and jewish people..
And may Alah rip them apart and let us get them from where they wouldnt know.. Ameen ..
"Makaro wo Makar ALah wo Alah khair il Makereen"
For those who think Isreal land is for Jews study History..
And For those who's gonna reply and they dont know about Islam .. I advise u to investigate about it.. to know what I mean.. and what my faith mean.. And what my Belief mean .. And What ALAH tought us so from his Prophet PBUH and his Holy book.. And in that way ull know in what perspective i think..
May peace be with you All..
First point: democratic reform does not consist solely of holding elections. If the parties involved don't accept the premise that political soverignty lies with the people, then democracy will fail. Germany learned this the hard way in the 1930's, the Palestinian Territories are learning it with Hamas, and Lebanon, sadly, with Hezbellah (which did not see fit to put their declaration of war before a representative body of Lebanese. What does that tell you?)
A Jordanian intelligence officer recently interviewed by the New York Times put it starkly: Islamist parties regard democratic reform like toilet paper--to be used once, then thrown away.
Finally, I agree that Leftist nostalgia is counter-productive. Che Guevera was a complex figure, more than the communist equivalent of a rock star. His passion and activist spirit are to be admired, even if his preference for totalitarian systems is repellent. (Recommended reading: Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson ).
One comment i specifically laughed at the one that says israel don't make war for the fun but coz they have no choice.
While the first part is correct, they dont do it for fun they do it to protect their illegal occupation.
The second part (that they have no choice). please explain to me why do they feel obliged to kill reporters, or US citizen activist Rachel under a bulldozer, or an israeli captain in the army would kill a 9 year old girl with 21 BULLETS...yes 21 bullets (army salute????) or the countless genocides on civilians, some of them while praying?
Muslims condemn terrorism, don't think we werent crying when we saw innocent people fall when the towers fell, or when any civilian dies on hands of a bomber. Do u think this is what our religion teaches us!?! We fight terrorism together when u can c that muslims are faithful people with the right for freedom like anyone else.
If India sent troops to control England with force, and succeeded.(funny ya, but pls imagine it). Then few years later of violent control, they allowed indian people by the thousands to come in and take the british peoples' properties and land. Is that occupation? YES, it is. So after 50 years of failing resistance, does it change the fact that Indians still occupy England? NO it doesnt.
israel have been in palestine for over 50 years now. The new generation of the world might mistakingly conclude its an israeli land...but please refer to history. All the locals there are from europe, USA, Africa..etc. Brought in by the great britain empire back then. It's a fact..READ!
If they dont do war for fun, we also dont resist for fun.
We have homes and children to protect. Think again.
VERVE
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