Infact, Hizbollah most certainly is part of the government. It is a political party. Hizbollah is actually arabic for "Party of Allah" and holds seets in the Lebanese Government

Perhaps you didn't read what I wrote? Once again. Hizbollah over the past many years has been attackin Israeli's, both military AND CIVILIAN accross the boarder with mortar and rocket fire. We were justefide back then to react to it, but never did. The kidnapping of TWO (not 4, a little loose on the facts again?) was the final act of a whole series of attacks until we finaly decided to do something.
And if you are still disturbed by the fact that we are reacting to the kidnapping of soldiers, who's job is dangerous by definition, then as far as you are concerned blame Israel's actions on the barage of rockets that hizbollah shot into the civilian towns of Kiriyat Shmonah, Metulah, etc that morning BEFORE the actual kidnaping took place. Or do those civilians not count?

"it makes no difference in my book if the innocents are killed needlesly by a rocked or a precision guided bomb"
Does it make any difference to you if one was targeting civilians and the other wasn't? If not then it is a sad state of afairs. It is the diference between premeditated murder and unintentional killing. If you believe that israel intends to cause civilian deaths, well then ignorance is bliss. Obviously israel is aware that sometimes civilians will die, but see's that as a minus not a plus but the risk must be taken. If you disagee with that logic then please note that if not for that very logic, you would now be speeking German and be walking funny because if America and England etc etc had refrained from strikes because there may have been civilian casulaties then the final score of WWII would have been: Nazi's 1 - You 0.

I know a pilot in our airforce. Every target the are given, is after teams of intellegence have gone over its relevance. Pilots, once on there way to a target have orders to abort the mission if they see gethering around their target. THOSE ARE THEIR ORDERS!.
Every dead body seems like an innocent civilian once its dead. And every building seems like a building no matter what was going on inside it. But these things are not done lightly. And the real entire picture is not one you'll see on Sky News.

It would be nice for people to diferentiate between right and wrong and have the back bone to stand up for it. And if that is what you have done, If your values equate us to terrorists then we will never at all see eye to eye. We are on completely different continents of morality.
A philosophy that absolutely every dispute can be solved without the use of violence will always lose to an opponent who is completely intent on violence, in which case the violent agressor becomes the winner and so I regard such a philosophy as imoral in itself.

I think you are wearing rose coloured glasses with blinkers on the sides. There are so many facts that you are willing to ignore,
Oh well.

If the US cuts ties with Israel, they will be surrounded by Islamic nations that want Israel destroyed. Backed into a corner like that, they'd be much more likely to escalate the war and exercise the nuclear option.

Not good.

If the US cuts ties with Israel, they will be surrounded by Islamic nations that want Israel destroyed. Backed into a corner like that, they'd be much more likely to escalate the war and exercise the nuclear option.

Not good.

They WANT IT to escalate. They keep saying Syria and Iran next, from behind the safety of their big executive desks and pampered bellies.

But they send the poor to do their fighting, as always.

DMT

From where I'm sitting as in Israeli, being the first to go, the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapen is not one I'm warming up to, to say the least.

the two can't even be discussed together

not really. governments are not accountable for actions of criminal groups on their territory. if lebanese army attacked israel, im sure the reactions of internationaly community would be much different.

However, so long as Israel does not include in its agenda the complete Anhialation of one country or another, the two can't even be discussed together

If it came down to it, Israel would destroy it before the end if they had to...

If the middle east is completely destroyed in a burning mass of nuclear destruction, will the oil still be good? I'm not sure what radioactive gasoline will do to the warranty on my car.

Some more food for thought: There is a Biblical scenario that readily implies NBC protocols. If your interested, I'd be happy to find it.

Well hello again.

Ok. Firstly I would like to appologize to you for my earlier comment.
Points you should consider. Noy only The Hizbollah members of government, but other members as well are openly in favour...including on television... of hezbollahs activities. So you really need not doubt... they go on record for you.
(After offering to put Lebanese army in South the lebanese prime minister was asked if this means the hizbollah would not be allowed there, he said no. Two weeks ago on TV he even congratulated Hasan Nasrallah)

You are right, it may have been wiser to use the bombardment prior to the kidnapping as the official excuse, rather than the kidnapping itself. It would make more sense in the eyes of the world. As a nation however, the kidnapping hurts us far far worse than the rockets do.

In your opinion, is a civilian building used to house rockets being fired into Israel, in some cases the rockets being fired themselves from the underground parking of that building ( caught on tape and even aired on CNN) still a civilian building?

I would like an expert, cause I am certainly not, to tell me whether if the allied forces acted with the strategic 'morals' you propose if WWII would have been won. Anyone?

As far as the pilots go. Yes you can see the target from the air incredibly clearly. And if you then assume that the pilots 'go blind' temporarily then you are implying that the people of israel themselves are themselves all murderers, and even disobey orders in order to be so. Furthermore, missions have actually been aborted for this reason, and many of them. If you would prefer to believe I'm lying then so be it. But if you believe I am a lier then why would we discuss this?

I dont know if Hamas actually did it. All I know is that they took responsibility for it and are making the demands.

Aggresors. LOL

I'm not sure what American media reports of the terretories. But I'm curious to know how since you are also in America, What is your point of reference to say that they are not reporting acurately?

I have been taught to think that way? I was born and bread in South Africa, left at the age of 18. Sorry to disapoint, what you interpret as anti-arabic hate, is not exactly first order of the day of South African education.

no. governments are accountable for the actions of thier citizens, criminal or not. this is no new idea the fact that lebannon showed and inabilty to riegn in hezbollah is a primary reason for the invasion. it also constitutes just cause under any just war theory.
same principle in climbing access, if a collection of individuals, be they a nation-state or a group of climbers fail to self-regulate to an extant that they damage the interest of other, the said group should expect to have regualtion forced on them by anyone with the force to do so.
also this sovereign state stuff is getting old, nice PC crap aside, soveriegnty is not granted by polticians, it's bought and proved in blood always has been and always will be, until lebannon can police their people and defend their borders, they are less than sovereign.

[intolerant]
The 'International Community' just wants appeasment, just like the 1930s. last time that happend 6 million jews died. and sorry to be blunt but last time that happend it took a lot of dead american boys to clean up the mess made by "the international (european) community". Appeasment never works. Europe saw the riots caused by muslims in france last year, and it scared them, and they think appeasment will work. it's a shame they are willing to appease a genocidle madman for the second time in a century. but again it's no suprise that the contiant that watched the holocaust and by and large did nothing, would stand by and let the arabs finish the job.
[/intolerant]

the roman empire crubmbled quite miserably in the end. as did the soviet union (who was also pretty much on the offence).