Arab Despots, Not Israel, Are Now Under A Greater Threat

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 8-4-2006 | Jonathan Steele

[blam]

Arab despots, not Israel, are now under a greater threat

Hizbullah's resistance to the region's military superpower will cause tremors in Egypt and Jordan - and even Syria

Jonathan Steele in Tyre
Friday August 4, 2006
The Guardian (UK)

Unlike good children, Israel's drones are heard but not seen. Officially called unmanned aerial vehicles, these "eyes in the sky" circle south Lebanon day and night. Between six and 12 feet long, they are little more than cameras and a motor.

They usually fly too high to be spotted, but they make a noise so loud you cannot forget it, like a swarm of wasps on a summer afternoon. Their engines give the impression of being souped up, both as a warning to any Hizbullah rocket-launcher that Big Brother has you in his sights but also as a device to intimidate and madden an entire population - what torturers call "white noise".

Glued to the monitors that display live pictures from these irritating machines, Israel's targeteers behold a fearsome picture. Whether it touches their consciences I do not know, but what unfolds before them is a tableau of massive devastation. Forget, for a moment, the columns of cars with refugees streaming north. Ignore, if you will, the corpses rotting in the open. Just concentrate on the physical inventory - roads disfigured by bomb craters, towns made uninhabitable, shopping parades gutted, houses collapsed like souffles gone horribly wrong. For two days this week Israel offered a "humanitarian" pause.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Whether it touches their consciences I do not know, but what unfolds before them is a tableau of massive devastation.

The author lost me here.

Is he talking about Lebanon or Israel?

[expatpat]

It's the Guardian -- shouldn't be hard to guess!

[Mariner]

Flowery words...but way off mark.

To conclude that the West (specifically US/UK) have lost ANYTHING for supporting Israel is insanity, pure and simple.

Same to suggest that Hezbollah has, or will, win anything.

[okie01]

Israel's Lebanese adventure, and the Bush/Blair folly in supporting it, have done the west damage that will last for many, many years.

In Mr. Steele's world, it would be so much more convenient if Israel just layed down and died...

[expatpat]

Hizbullah's victory may do less damage to Israel than to other Arab regimes. The success of a Shia insurgency will encourage other Shias around the region, including those in Saudi Arabia......But the Sunni/Shia issue should not be exaggerated. Hizbullah's appeal across the Arab world is a wider matter of Islamism and the struggle against corrupt despotism. Egypt and, to a lesser extent, Jordan - and even in the medium term Syria, which has backed and armed Hizbullah - will feel the shockwaves running through the Arab street.

Interesting twist.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Whether or not Israeli forces seek to occupy a strip of this territory north of the Israeli border over the coming days, they have already made it impossible for Lebanese to live in it for years to come.

I figure the Israelis found that preferable than having the territory just south of their border with Lebanon impossible to live in for years to come.

[mozarky2]

"Can Hizbullah's victory in Lebanon be the harbinger of other Arab victories to come?"

Huh? Hizbullah's VICTORY?? They got their a**es kicked and Israel's not done yet!

[blam]

Typical Guardian article:

"Israel's Lebanese adventure, and the Bush/Blair folly in supporting it, have done the west damage that will last for many, many years."

[Mike Darancette]

No such tide-turning will happen this time. Even if Israel were to kill or capture Hizbullah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, and destroy every Hizbullah rocket store, Hizbullah has won by holding out for three weeks and inflicting serious disruption and pain on Israel.

Hezbollah won by getting their country destroyed for two hostages? If they keep listening to Iran they will be living in a country that cannot feed it's vermin.

[AFreeBird]

If they keep listening to Iran they will be living in a country that cannot feed it's vermin.

Yea, and what about the rats, they've got to eat too.

[CurlyDave]

Israel's targeteers behold a fearsome picture. Whether it touches their consciences I do not know, but what unfolds before them is a tableau of massive devastation.

Seeing this in your enemy's lands sounds like a beautiful picture to me.

I am continually mystified as to why Israel drop leaflets and warns their enemies of impending airstrikes. All this does is allow the Hezbos time to escape.

If they were fighting a real war the casualty numbers would be much, much higher. I am convinced that 98% of the "civilians" hit are actually Hezbo, or at least Hezbo sympathizers. I do not understand the significance of destroying buildings without destroying the enemies in them. The Hezbos will regroup and commandeer undamaged buildings.

If you let vermin take up residence in your house, you may suffer from the extermination effort.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

I am convinced that 98% of the "civilians" hit are actually Hezbo, or at least Hezbo sympathizers.

I'm convinced that 98% of the civilians hit would like to leave, but are being prevented by Hezbollah, so they can be used as shields or propaganda.

[roadcat]

I am convinced that 98% of the "civilians" hit are actually Hezbo, or at least Hezbo sympathizers.

Same here, agree. After all, the Hezbos wear civilian clothes. When they die, the MSN says "poor civilians, boo-hoo". These arab cowards will never have my sympathy. Kill them, kill them all.

[appeal2]

The bar for victory has been set extremely low. If they can survive an air raid they won the battle. If they can indiscriminantly fire an obsolete rocket in the direction of an Isreali city they are unstoppable. In the mean time, hundreds if not 1000's of these terrorist have been sent to meet Allah. The whole place has become AWR, Allah's Waiting Room. And that is the ultimate victory, sending them all off to meet their maker.

[cpdiii]

To paraphrase the Chinese Warrior Sun Tse

When you are weak appear strong.
When you are strong appear weak.
When your enemy asks for a truce it is the time to attack.

[Captain Rhino]

The them being referred to is the Israeli operators of the drones.

As another post below notes, this is the UK Guardian. So there is no reason to expect anything except highly slanted, pro-anybody-who-is-against-Israel style reporting.

[Timeout]

Just incredible.

Israel has...already made [southern Lebanon] impossible to live in for years to come. That much is certain, even though other consequences of this invasion are still shrouded in the fog of peace.

This "invasion"! Crimey, I've always heard the expression "How soon they forget", but this has to be a new record.

[raygun]

How are they being "prevented" from leaving? What possibly could the Hez-Elbonians do against 20,000 or 30,000 refugess walking out of a combat zone? Mow 'em down? What kind of propaganda is that?

[Celtjew Libertarian]

How are they being "prevented" from leaving? What possibly could the Hez-Elbonians do against 20,000 or 30,000 refugees walking out of a combat zone?

Barricades and checkpoints with armed men at them, could do a lot. Terrorizing the citizens by making a few "examples" of them.

Mow 'em down? What kind of propaganda is that?

Why not? They'd blame it on Israel and 90% of the world would believe it.