Posted on 08/30/2006 7:21:01 AM PDT by Is2C
Survivors in Lebanon: 'What am I going to do?'
TYRE, Lebanon (CNN) -- In a village not far from Tyre, mine-clearing teams worked to destroy unexploded bombs, mortars and other weaponry scattered across the landscape.
"Do you think there will be another war again?" a young girl said as she ran up to me, her pink sunhat flopping in the breeze.
Her mother smiled dryly. "See what even the children are saying?" she said. "Their innocence is gone."
More than two weeks after a cease-fire in the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the effects of the war are seen in everyone here in Lebanon, in their faces, their expressions, their voices. Even their smiles. (Watch a young boy tour his devastated home -- 2:47)
In Nabatiye, I spoke with a group of men talking about the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict just meters away from a flattened building. The men said that no matter how many civilians were killed, no matter how much was destroyed, Lebanon would rebuild.
But that optimism is not echoed across all of Lebanon, not even across all the south, as people are forced to deal with all they have lost.
Just down the street was Ahmad Failaili, a 75-year-old women's clothing shop owner and dressmaker. His hands were covered in thick dust as he cleared away bits and pieces of his shop -- his livelihood reduced to a skeleton of a store.
He explained it is the fourth time he has had to rebuild. "This is the worst," he said.
His shop was not targeted, but severely damaged by the multiple bomb strikes nearby. (Watch Lebanon try to rebuild -- 2:57)
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
other links from this article:
"A Boys Broken Home"
"Lebanon Slow to Rebuild"
I am looking for a reality check.
- Didn't Hezbollah launch the first missle?
- Didn't Israel drop leaflets telling residents that their location was going to be bombed in order to give the civilians time to get out of harm's way?
- Isn't it documented Hezbollah launched missles from civilian-populated areas intentionally?
Where is the coverage of Israel? Where is the other side of the story?
I would appreciate any input from freepers regarding either why the Lebanese-only coverage is justified or why/if the Israeli side of the story is being ignored.
1. Israel became a state in 1312 B.C., two millennia before Islam.
2. Arab refugees from Israel began calling themselves "Palestinians" in 1967, two decades after (modern) Israeli statehood;
3. After conquering the land in 1272 B.C., Jews ruled it for a thousand years and maintained a continuous presence there for 3,300 years;
4. The only Arab rule following conquest in 633 B.C. lasted just 22 years;
5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem was the Jewish capital. It was never the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even under Jordanian rule, (east) Jerusalem was not made the capital, and no Arab leader came to visit it;
6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the bible, but not once is it mentioned in the Quran;
7. King David founded Jerusalem; Mohammed never set foot in it;
8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem; Muslims face Mecca. If they are between the two cities, Muslims pray facing Mecca, with their backs to Jerusalem;
9. In 1948, Arab leaders urged their people to leave, promising to cleanse the land of Jewish presence. 68% of them fled without ever setting eyes on an Israeli soldier;
10. Virtually the entire Jewish population of Muslim countries had to flee as the result of violence and pogroms;
11. Some 630,000 Arabs left Israel in 1948, while close to a million Jews were forced to leave the Muslim countries;
12. In spite of the vast territories at their disposal, Arab refugees were deliberately prevented from assimilating into their host countries. Of 100 million refugees following World War 2, they are the only group to have never integrated with their co-religionists. Most of the Jewish refugees from Europe and Arab lands were settled in Israel, a country no larger than New Jersey;
13. There are 22 Muslim countries, not counting Palestine. There is only one Jewish state. Arabs started all five wars against Israel, and lost every one of them;
14. Fatah and Hamas constitutions still call for the destruction of Israel. Israel ceded most of the west bank and all of Gaza to the Palestinian authority, and even provided it with arms;
15. During the Jordanian occupation, Jewish holy sites were vandalized and were off limits to Jews. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian holy sites are accessible to all faiths;
16. Out of 175 United Nations security council resolutions up to 1990, 97 were against Israel; out of 690 general assembly resolutions, 429 were against Israel;
18. The U.N. was silent when the Jordanians destroyed 58 synagogues in the old city of Jerusalem. It remained silent while Jordan systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the mount of olives, and it remained silent when Jordan enforced apartheid laws preventing Jews from accessing the temple mount and western wall.
13. There are 22 Muslim countries, not counting Palestine.
Some say you can be anti-Zionist without being antisemitic. If a person advocates eliminating all 22 Muslim countries and repopulating them with non-Muslims, wouldn't that person be anti-Muslim? I suppose it's theoretically possible, but it would be very reasonable to assume otherwise.
To prevent duplication, please do not alter the heading. Thank you.
Right on, Peach!
I don't know who you are Jessica, but you're 100% wrong about a lot of things you stated.
For instance: Fox News did NOT just exclusively report on the Israeli side of the story. Far from it. In fact, a lot of freepers were angry that FNC spent so much time reporting on the poor Palestinians and Lebanese people.
I'm sure other freepers will be happy to debate you on some of the errors in your post. I am not willing to enter into what would likely be a prolonged debate about this matter but will end by saying this.
When 5 Arab countries started an unprovoked war with Israel, Israel gained land. Maybe you don't understand the saying "To the victor go the spoils", but you should contemplate that saying just a tad before deciding that somehow Israel isn't entitled to any land they rightfully earned during a war.
Oh, and I see you just signed up here today. I doubt you'll be around long.
From the time of their first indoctrination in pre-school.
We don't support islamonazis or those that love them here. You sound brain washed.
Suffice to say, yes, Israel has been no saint.
But when muslims strap bombs to themselves or fly planes into buildings or lob rockets into cities -- all in order to deliberately target civilians -- they lose their case and certainly all of my sympathy.
Focus on education, infrastructure, and building a strong economy? Try to leave a better world for your children? Show everyone that Islam is the religion of peace and accept your neighbors different religious beliefs and work with them in the spirit of mutual cooperation for the betterment of both of your lives?
Screw that, the Jews must die!!!!!!!
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