I do not hate Israel and I do recognise the danger of Moslem radicalism, but what is now happening in Lebanon is shear madness. It is provoking an extension of war to the whole area and I would like to know who is pulling the strings! I cannot see that the Arabs have anything to gain. Their armies are not yet well enough trained or equipped, so that the suspicion must be on those looking for a new Middle-East. The statements coming from Hezbollah, might be compared with this translation of quote, reported to have come from Patrick Henry (* 29.05.1736, † 06. 06.1799). For America, Henry was a freedom fighter, for Britain a combatant without uniform. By today's standards, a terrorist!
"Is this life so precious or peace so sweet, that we would be ready to be slaves and placed in chains to pay for it? May God forbid it! I do not know what others would do, but as far as I am concerned give me freedom, or give me death."
But did the Hezbollah fighters really seek a full scale war, or were they only looking for an exchange of prisoners and have now been taken by surprise?

I dont think Hezbollah was seeking a full scale war, and they were probably only seeking an exchange of prisoners. Terrorists rarely think clearly about the consequences of what they're doing because they have a goal and they are willing to do anything to see it reached. This was the second set of kidnappings, and Israel finally said enough. Just because Hezbollah wasn't actively seeking to be attacked and removed from Lebanon doesn't mean that Israel isn't responding appropriately.

Englander2,

With your logic, I guess the Jews that rose up in the Warsaw ghetto are terrorists too? How about the French Resistance? Or the guerilla movement in the Philippines?

Originally Posted by englander2

But did the Hezbollah fighters really seek a full scale war, or were they only looking for an exchange of prisoners and have now been taken by surprise?

These scumbags want the total annihilation of Israel, but what they're getting is a kick in the teeth from a nation (and people) that won't take it anymore. +1 to Israel.

Exactly. The difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is the cause.

If Hezbollah were only trying to exchange prisioners why would they have stocked up with thousands of rockets to launch into Israel? They have started a war and Israel has responded with a war.

Where is the outrage when Hezbollah fires rockets at indiscriminate targets in Israel?

This seems to be a case of Israel being blamed for an attack from an enemy that wants to destroy them, not to mention the backing that Hezbollah is getting from outside interests.

Originally Posted by Maytime

These scumbags want the total annihilation of Israel, but what they're getting is a kick in the teeth from a nation (and people) that won't take it anymore. +1 to Israel.

Terrorism is defined as wanton and gratuitous violence. Warfare, to my understanding, is violence to achieve a political end, between two or more nations. In other words, war is violence applied with a purpose. Hezbollah engages in the former of the two actions, and negotiating with a terrorist group is preposterous.

Whether Hizbullah was looking for a big fight or not is a moot point because they got one, and I hope Israel wipes the floor with these guys.

On a related note, I was listening to NPR today and they had a program on called World Have Your Say (it's a BBC production). Anyways, they had kids on there from Lebanon that were like 14 years old saying that Hizbullah was defending them and they prayed for Hizbullah to be victorious. Scary stuff.

Originally Posted by theannoyingnoob

Whether Hizbullah was looking for a big fight or not is a moot point because they got one, and I hope Israel wipes the floor with these guys.

On a related note, I was listening to NPR today and they had a program on called World Have Your Say (it's a BBC production). Anyways, they had kids on there from Lebanon that were like 14 years old saying that Hizbullah was defending them and they prayed for Hizbullah to be victorious. Scary stuff.

Many people are raised with the beliefs of their family. I was raised in a Christian home and I try to practice Christianity. Those kids in Lebanon have been raised to believe that Israel is bad and that they are the enemy. Hatred might not be genetic, but it is taught by our families. In years gone by in the Southern U.S. (for the most part) we had the KKK that felt that Blacks were inferior, they still exist and teach others their hatred (fear).