British split with Bush as Israeli tanks roll in

The Observer (U.K.) ^ | 07/23/06 | Ned Temko, Conal Urquart, & Peter Beaumont

[Pokey78]

· Minister attacks disproportionate raids · Israeli PM rejects Blair restraint plea

Britain last night dramatically broke ranks with George Bush over the Lebanon crisis, publicly criticising Israel's military tactics and urging the Americans to 'understand' the price being paid by ordinary Lebanese civilians. The remarks, made in Beirut by the Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells, were the first public criticism by Britain of Israel's military campaign, and placed it at odds with Washington's strong support.

The Observer can also reveal that Tony Blair voiced deep concern about the escalating violence during a private telephone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, last week. But sources close to Blair said Olmert had replied that Israel faced a dire security threat from the Hizbollah militia and was determined to do everything necessary to defeat it.

[YOUGOTIT]

And we know that the EU supports the terrorist and not Israel. They would be happy if the terrorist took over the land of Israel because that is what will happen unless Israel gets rid of the terrorist Hezdevils, and Hamdogs.

[calex59]

I thought Blair was Prime minister of Britain. Wow, I guess I was mistaken. MSM will take any remark from anyone and attribute it to a whole nation. Way to go MSM, frickin' pukes!

[Go Gordon]

publicly criticising Israel's military tactics and urging the Americans to 'understand' the price being paid by ordinary Lebanese civilians.

Well then, the next time a terrorist group wants to rule, maybe the voting public will vote them out overwhelmingly. This is just a history lesson for the people of Lebanon and Palestine (as it may be). Accomodate terroists - pay the piper.

[goldstategop]

The British did not show "restraint" in the Falklands. Argentina never attacked the British Isles. Hezbollah has strafed and rocketed Israeli cities and Israel is determined to do everything in its power to repel that aggression. I'm sure Prime Minister Olmert did not detain Blair with a history lesson on what the British did in the 1930s when their army resorted to drastic measures to crush Arab terrorism in Palestine - measures Israel has not even begun to employ to deal with a far greater threat. So to sum things up, its time the UK got off its moral high horse. Israel is doing exactly what any other nation would do faced with the same set of circumstances.

(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies. )

[xzins]

Proportionality must be measured against the requirement that a war be winnable; i.e., the probability of success. In other words, if one doesn't possess sufficient force to win the war, then the effort is immoral, and never should have been undertaken.

That means that just war, while it requires proportionality, implies that proportionality is to be sacrificed somewhat at the altar of RESOLUTION.

Collateral damage is not the measure of proportionality, either. The measure of proportionality is "necessity to accomplish the task."

In other words, Harry Truman's decision to use atomics was both proportional and it ensured a proper probability of success.

[thundrey]

The British did not kill any civilians during the Falkland's war. That conflict is incomparible to the situation in the middle east...

[MikeA]

Shut up you Eurotrash fool. Let the real men finish this fight while you hand wring safely in London.

[Brimack34]

But they sure did a number on Mel Gibson.

[Jeff Head]

The UK needs to realize that Chamberlain's path is not the road to follow now...no more than it was in the late 1930s. They need a stalwart Churchill to step forward.

[goldstategop]

Argentina was just taking back land that never belonged to Britain but for a quirk of history. In contrast, Israelis are literally fighting for the survival of their country. They well understand the only choice the enemy is offering them is commit national suicide. Argentina had a territorial dispute with the UK. Hezbollah's raison d'etre is the complete destruction of the Jewish State. The two are not comparable of course but I raise it to show how of out place the British government's criticism is given the situation Israel is facing now.

(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies. )

[vbmoneyspender]

That conflict is incomparible to the situation in the middle east.

You are absoultely right. The grounds Israel has for going to war against Hezbollah an order of magnitude better than the very legitimate grounds Britain had for going to war against Argentina.

[Fred Nerks]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670642/posts

'Tory Homeland Security spokesman Patrick Mercer said: "There is little doubt that we are in danger from Hezbollah. I trust that the Government are more alive to this threat than they have been to other Islamist fundamentalist threats."'

The Brits are SCARED.

[Praxeus]

How many civvies did the Brit bombers take out in Dresden? Hamburg?

[mtbopfuyn]

This is Israel's fight. When it's Britain's fight, will they bow down to whatever Israel says? Nope, didn't think so.

[leadhead]

Memo to Tony- Love ya babe, but W is the decider. Live with it.

[thundrey]

You won't hear me saying that carpet-bombing German civilians was justified. Especially in the case of Dresden. It was a wicked act against civlians when the Nazi regime was already clearly doomed....

[Teacher317]

I can't imagine that a Brit Foreign Office Minister would stray far from the farm without a thumbs-up... but you never know.

[Teacher317]

The Brits are SCARED.

They should be. Have you seen and read about the free reign they've allowed the Muslims within their own borders?

[thundrey]

The days of Tony Blair's premiership are numbered, and everybody in the Labour Party knows it. His authority over his party members is not what it was....