Most likely a question that will cause a debate/arguement. But I figured I would ask it anyways.

 

Is Israel a rogue state in the context of the typical view for the nationstates within the UN?

 

 

 

Why would they be? They were invaded by an enemy, and now are retaliating to take back their prisoners.

you mean they invaded an enemy...last time i checked beirut wasnt in israel

 

He meant what he said, Hezbollah crosed the border into israel..

 

 

Thank you time wrecker

so troops on both sides are on foreign soil...lets start the bloodbath already...what the hell are the waiting for...i want to see as many dead muslims as possible...they deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth forever just like the dinosaurs...there...is that argument more to everyone's liking?

 

 

?????? Here's how we determine if the state is a rogue state. Reasons for attacks is one, who is targeted. So Forth. (please no iraq discussion now bc i know if can be argued in that case) Lebanon attacked israel, israel responded. Normal warfare, israel not a rogue state. no one was syaing that war is good

 

Lebanon did not attack Israel. Hezbollah did.

 

 

But the lebanese govt for years have been complicit towards hezbollah, and have offered them protection and a place to run their organization. The lebanese govt is to blame as well

 

This is the kind of truth that most people know, but the leaders keep quiet. Most of the nations surrounding israel would like too see it fall to arabs asa, but do not wish to take on their army, or be involved in deadly conflict, but that doesn't mean they wouldnt mind seeing someone else do it. There are seasons why the Lebanese government didnt take out Hezbollah. These are the same reasons why Arifat never whiped out Hammas when Israel and the Palistinians were in a cease fire.

 

 

Oh, and to add, Major maves are usually made right before dawn.. so that would be around 9-11 tonight EST.. lets see where this goes next..

Legacy is 100 percent correct. Hezbollah is part of the government of Lebanon. Is that a hard concept? Think all you want about a rogue group and what not. They still are representative of their government and thus all of the blame falls on it. Israel was attacked first. What if Canada decided to kidnap some of our soldiers and bomb our northernmost cities? ANSWER THAT.

 

 

Thats exactly like the situation in Israel right now with Lebanon.

Legacy is 100 percent correct. Hezbollah is part of the government of Lebanon. Is that a hard concept? Think all you want about a rogue group and what not. They still are representative of their government and thus all of the blame falls on it. Israel was attacked first. What if Canada decided to kidnap some of our soldiers and bomb our northernmost cities? ANSWER THAT.

 

 

Thats exactly like the situation in Israel right now with Lebanon.

 

 

Thats the point everyoneon TV and online had been trying to make when defending israels action.. no one had the brains to give an example before... lol.

Most likely a question that will cause a debate/arguement. But I figured I would ask it anyways.

 

Is Israel a rogue state in the context of the typical view for the nationstates within the UN?

 

 

 

Why would they be? They were invaded by an enemy, and now are retaliating to take back their prisoners.

you mean they invaded an enemy...last time i checked beirut wasnt in israel

 

He meant what he said, Hezbollah crosed the border into israel..

 

 

Thank you time wrecker

so troops on both sides are on foreign soil...lets start the bloodbath already...what the hell are the waiting for...i want to see as many dead muslims as possible...they deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth forever just like the dinosaurs...there...is that argument more to everyone's liking?

 

 

?????? Here's how we determine if the state is a rogue state. Reasons for attacks is one, who is targeted. So Forth. (please no iraq discussion now bc i know if can be argued in that case) Lebanon attacked israel, israel responded. Normal warfare, israel not a rogue state. no one was syaing that war is good

 

Lebanon did not attack Israel. Hezbollah did.

 

 

But the lebanese govt for years have been complicit towards hezbollah, and have offered them protection and a place to run their organization. The lebanese govt is to blame as well

The Lebanese government has not been stable and independant enough to play that strong a role. Theyve been controlled to a strong degree by Syria and Iran. There were major reforms and pushes for more democracy in this country that were gradually taking place. The people were not making the extensive decisions to protect or be complicit towards Hezbollah. The assasination of Rafik al-Hariri really pushed the momentum against Hezbollah and Syria and towards a government that would have been less controlled by those countries and more towards its people. Israel has totally undermined this. The problem is that some people on this thread want to make Arab politics as simple as possible so that Israel is minimal its culpability.

 

The fact is, Beinfest has already come out and said Syria and Iran are more responsible but that the Lebanese people have to pay for this. And beinfest's example is absolutely not accurate. It would be more akin to saying what if the Christian right had kidnapped the Canadian PM because of some offensive movie. Can Canada bomb the crap out of us?

 

And nobody answered my earlier question: How is bombing Lebanon going to eventually lead to a peaceful resolution of this situation? Id like to know the line of logic.

As an outside observer looking at this I see the following:

 

1) Hezbollah went in and has started what they hope becomes a war.

2) Israel gets heavily militant and starts offensive campaign against Lebanon.

3) Lebanese government cannot control Hezbollah, which is a minority party sitting in the government.

4) Iran and Syria are fueling the fire by supplying Hezbollah.

5) Hezbollah is a parasite in the Nation-State of Lebanon.

6) Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt have all communicated to the American President that they agree with his call for peace, but that they cannot interfere with this conflict.

7) President Bush wants to stay out of this conflict and let the Israelis deal with it. Once Iran and Syria get involved with attacks that could trigger a defense agreement or treaty, then the US and International Community associated will jump in as appropriate...but somewhat unwillingly.

From the CIA World Factbook

Israel

Lebanon

 

Some news links (more being added continuously):

Reuters | AP Video | UPI

CNN | FOX News | MSNBC.com | ABC News | CBS News

BBC (video & radio) STATE-CONTROLLED

Al Jazeera

Al Hurra US-CONTROLLED (VOA)

Israel Broadcasting Authority (video & radio) STATE-CONTROLLED

Channel 2 Israel

Channel 10 Israel

Galei Zahal Israel

Palestine Satellite Channel

Palestine News Agency - Wafa STATE-CONTROLLED

Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC)

Al-Manar TV Lebanon HEZBOLLAH-CONTROLLED

Future TV Lebanon

Voice of Lebanon

Radio Delta Lebanon

Radio One Lebanon

Lebanese National News Agency STATE-CONTROLLED

Here is a question-if Lebanon and their government are responsible for this, then why are they not fighting back? Wouldnt any other soverign nation have declared war by now when they have been hit by missles? Why is Hezbollah the only one saying it is going to fight back and the only one sending missles back? Sounds more like a proxy war.

Here is a question-if Lebanon and their government are responsible for this, then why are they not fighting back? Wouldnt any other soverign nation have declared war by now when they have been hit by missles? Why is Hezbollah the only one saying it is going to fight back and the only one sending missles back? Sounds more like a proxy war.

It most probably is but its Israel setting an example that its not going to accept a country harboring a terrorist group and allowing it free reign militarily to attack.

 

 

(It is being the proxy war)

 

 

You should read the article I posted on like page 2 or 3 of the thread. Its a really interesting take on what many of us believe true.

Sorry if this was mentioned before...I'm not familiar with Middle Eastern politics and religions, but could you equate the Hezbollah and Lebanon to the Taliban and Afghanistan?

Sorry if this was mentioned before...I'm not familiar with Middle Eastern politics and religions, but could you equate the Hezbollah and Lebanon to the Taliban and Afghanistan?

 

 

Yeah, sure.

 

Hezbollah is a group recognized by the US as an extremist group...a euphemism for terrorists.

 

Although the Taliban never in my eyes contained the degree of influence which Hezbollah does.

 

Others may disagree, but if Hezbollah were so unpopular (as the Taliban was) there'd inevitably have been a coup by now.

Sorry if this was mentioned before...I'm not familiar with Middle Eastern politics and religions, but could you equate the Hezbollah and Lebanon to the Taliban and Afghanistan?

 

 

Yeah, sure.

 

Hezbollah is a group recognized by the US as an extremist group...a euphemism for terrorists.

 

Although the Taliban never in my eyes contained the degree of influence which Hezbollah does.

 

Others may disagree, but if Hezbollah were so unpopular (as the Taliban was) there'd inevitably have been a coup by now.

 

While they are both militant Islamic groups, there are many differences. Hezbollah is a Shia terrorist group operating within Lebanon with the support of Syria and Iran. They do not control Lebanon. The Taliban is a militant Sunni group. They actually ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and were removed from power through U.S. intervention, not a coup.

 

It is hard to say how this current conflict will effect Lebanon. Their is a fledgling coaltion of political partys that formed after the assassination of Rafik Hariri that has most of the seats in the Lebanese parliament and was trying to extricate itself from Syria's control. We shall see what happens when the dust settles, but I suspect this current action will not destroy Hezbollah and will destabilize the Hariri party. How much and whether Syria steps back in once all is said and done remains to be seen.

Mosaic: World News From The Middle East on LinkTV (DIRECTV ch. 375 & DISH Network ch. 9410)

 

Next show is at 10:30 AM ET with another show at 4:30 PM ET.

 

A list of broadcasters....from state-run, to terrorist-run, to privately-run.

I think the perfect example of political culture not changing in one generation is the French Revolution. They wanted the culture to change and it still didn't work. It takes a little bit of festering and stewing for real change to come about.

Well, the French are a special kind of creature. You have to give their revolution a bit of leeway because it's the one that set the precedent for bigtime ideological coups. Besides that, the culture did change eventually - it's just that they tried to switch immediately from crown to voting, and it failed miserably. In fact the French Revolution is a shining example to why giving people power who never had power before and don't know how to use it is a very bad idea.

Someone answer me this question: How should Israel go about returning its soldiers?

 

Keep in mind that Hezbollah has repeatedly said that they would only release the Israeli soldiers upon the return of Israeli held Hezbollah militants. Now consider that Israel had complied with such demands in the past, only to discover that the militant prisoners Israel exchanged were responsible for numerous Israeli citizen deaths via terrorist attacks.

 

If Israel were to comply with the Hezbollah demands, then they would in essence be endangering their own citizenry by subjecting them to future bombing. If they don't comply with Hezbollah demands, then Israeli soldiers are left in danger and almost certainly dead.

well the soldiers are a big deal, but they arent the only reason why this is going on. There is no way israel is going to do a prisoner exchange this time anyway, the demands are always 1000's or terrorists for the twosoldiers or something like that..

Well clearly the soldiers aren't the only reason, but that was the initial raid which caused the entire situation to escalate. Had Hezbollah not crossed the border to take the soldiers -- in itself casus belli -- then we wouldn't be where are.

How can anyone honestly think that continuing to bomb away is going to get these soldiers or improve the problem? Ok, you might and probably will end up destroying Hezbollah. But whats happening? They are going to go down guns blazing and fire away missles at Israel killing innocent people there.

 

And in the process youve killed how many innocent people? And how many people are so infuriated by the viewpoint that its ok for these people to be killed because Israel has gotta do what its gotta do? And how many of those people are now going to take up arms agaisnt Israel and say if its ok for innocent Lebanese to die, why isnt it ok for innocent Israelies to do? Hey, they gotta do what they gotta do to prevent innocents from dying right?

 

Has nobody ever heard the term pyrrhic victory before? Because thats exactly whats going down. You flexed your muscles and dug any hope of peace into a deep hole.

 

This is absolutely sickening.

How can anyone honestly think that continuing to bomb away is going to get these soldiers or improve the problem? Ok, you might and probably will end up destroying Hezbollah. But whats happening? They are going to go down guns blazing and fire away missles at Israel killing innocent people there.

 

And in the process youve killed how many innocent people? And how many people are so infuriated by the viewpoint that its ok for these people to be killed because Israel has gotta do what its gotta do? And how many of those people are now going to take up arms agaisnt Israel and say if its ok for innocent Lebanese to die, why isnt it ok for innocent Israelies to do? Hey, they gotta do what they gotta do to prevent innocents from dying right?

 

Has nobody ever heard the term pyrrhic victory before? Because thats exactly whats going down. You flexed your muscles and dug any hope of peace into a deep hole.

 

This is absolutely sickening.

 

The whole point of this operation is to destroy Hezbollah. We've killed maybe 100 civilians there. Wounded countless others. And you know what? Lebanon is at fault for not disarming Hezbollah. Israel is doing now what it should've before Barak had us pull back from Lebanon in 2000.

 

And I'd say Israel is doing a better job of not hurting civilians than Hezbollah and Hamas are doing.

 

 

sh*t happens in war. Civilians always die in war. No one wants an innocent to die except for the terrorists.

How can anyone honestly think that continuing to bomb away is going to get these soldiers or improve the problem? Ok, you might and probably will end up destroying Hezbollah. But whats happening? They are going to go down guns blazing and fire away missles at Israel killing innocent people there.

 

And in the process youve killed how many innocent people? And how many people are so infuriated by the viewpoint that its ok for these people to be killed because Israel has gotta do what its gotta do? And how many of those people are now going to take up arms agaisnt Israel and say if its ok for innocent Lebanese to die, why isnt it ok for innocent Israelies to do? Hey, they gotta do what they gotta do to prevent innocents from dying right?

 

Has nobody ever heard the term pyrrhic victory before? Because thats exactly whats going down. You flexed your muscles and dug any hope of peace into a deep hole.

 

This is absolutely sickening.

 

The whole point of this operation is to destroy Hezbollah. We've killed maybe 100 civilians there. Wounded countless others. And you know what? Lebanon is at fault for not disarming Hezbollah. Israel is doing now what it should've before Barak had us pull back from Lebanon in 2000.

 

And I'd say Israel is doing a better job of not hurting civilians than Hezbollah and Hamas are doing.

 

 

sh*t happens in war. Civilians always die in war. No one wants an innocent to die except for the terrorists.

Get out of the us vs. them mentality. Fighting Hezbollah is fine. The method has gone way too far. Bombing dense civilian neighborhoods is not ok. And it isnt forgiven because you gave a warning nor is it forgiven because Hezbollah, the real bad guys and not Lebanon, are worse. Youre just finding excuses for the civilian deaths. If you were in the shoes of the people being bombed right now, would you be that ok with this?

 

Answer me this-If it's ok to bomb the Lebanese people for at worst not disarming Hezbollah, why are you not bombing the countries that have aided and given support to Hezbollah? (And in reality the Lebanese people dont disarm Hezbollah because they cant and you know that. But you're in denial because you need to validate your excuse for what Israel is doing)

How can anyone honestly think that continuing to bomb away is going to get these soldiers or improve the problem? Ok, you might and probably will end up destroying Hezbollah. But whats happening? They are going to go down guns blazing and fire away missles at Israel killing innocent people there.

 

And in the process youve killed how many innocent people? And how many people are so infuriated by the viewpoint that its ok for these people to be killed because Israel has gotta do what its gotta do? And how many of those people are now going to take up arms agaisnt Israel and say if its ok for innocent Lebanese to die, why isnt it ok for innocent Israelies to do? Hey, they gotta do what they gotta do to prevent innocents from dying right?

 

Has nobody ever heard the term pyrrhic victory before? Because thats exactly whats going down. You flexed your muscles and dug any hope of peace into a deep hole.

 

This is absolutely sickening.

 

The whole point of this operation is to destroy Hezbollah. We've killed maybe 100 civilians there. Wounded countless others. And you know what? Lebanon is at fault for not disarming Hezbollah. Israel is doing now what it should've before Barak had us pull back from Lebanon in 2000.

 

And I'd say Israel is doing a better job of not hurting civilians than Hezbollah and Hamas are doing.

 

 

sh*t happens in war. Civilians always die in war. No one wants an innocent to die except for the terrorists.

Get out of the us vs. them mentality. Fighting Hezbollah is fine. The method has gone way too far. Bombing dense civilian neighborhoods is not ok. And it isnt forgiven because you gave a warning nor is it forgiven because Hezbollah, the real bad guys and not Lebanon, are worse. Youre just finding excuses for the civilian deaths. If you were in the shoes of the people being bombed right now, would you be that ok with this?

 

Answer me this-If it's ok to bomb the Lebanese people for at worst not disarming Hezbollah, why are you not bombing the countries that have aided and given support to Hezbollah? (And in reality the Lebanese people dont disarm Hezbollah because they cant and you know that. But you're in denial because you need to validate your excuse for what Israel is doing)

Why haven't we bombed them? Because if we bombed them, world war 3 would break out. Iran and Syria would attack Israel and Iraq and draw the US into the conflict. And I am not finding excuses for civilians dying. But sh*t in war happens. It has happened in every war since the dawn of time. It is perfectly fine to bomb where Hezbollah is.

How can anyone honestly think that continuing to bomb away is going to get these soldiers or improve the problem? Ok, you might and probably will end up destroying Hezbollah. But whats happening? They are going to go down guns blazing and fire away missles at Israel killing innocent people there.

 

And in the process youve killed how many innocent people? And how many people are so infuriated by the viewpoint that its ok for these people to be killed because Israel has gotta do what its gotta do? And how many of those people are now going to take up arms agaisnt Israel and say if its ok for innocent Lebanese to die, why isnt it ok for innocent Israelies to do? Hey, they gotta do what they gotta do to prevent innocents from dying right?

 

Has nobody ever heard the term pyrrhic victory before? Because thats exactly whats going down. You flexed your muscles and dug any hope of peace into a deep hole.

 

This is absolutely sickening.

 

The whole point of this operation is to destroy Hezbollah. We've killed maybe 100 civilians there. Wounded countless others. And you know what? Lebanon is at fault for not disarming Hezbollah. Israel is doing now what it should've before Barak had us pull back from Lebanon in 2000.

 

And I'd say Israel is doing a better job of not hurting civilians than Hezbollah and Hamas are doing.

 

 

sh*t happens in war. Civilians always die in war. No one wants an innocent to die except for the terrorists.

Get out of the us vs. them mentality. Fighting Hezbollah is fine. The method has gone way too far. Bombing dense civilian neighborhoods is not ok. And it isnt forgiven because you gave a warning nor is it forgiven because Hezbollah, the real bad guys and not Lebanon, are worse. Youre just finding excuses for the civilian deaths. If you were in the shoes of the people being bombed right now, would you be that ok with this?

 

Answer me this-If it's ok to bomb the Lebanese people for at worst not disarming Hezbollah, why are you not bombing the countries that have aided and given support to Hezbollah? (And in reality the Lebanese people dont disarm Hezbollah because they cant and you know that. But you're in denial because you need to validate your excuse for what Israel is doing)

Why haven't we bombed them? Because if we bombed them, world war 3 would break out. Iran and Syria would attack Israel and Iraq and draw the US into the conflict. And I am not finding excuses for civilians dying. But sh*t in war happens. It has happened in every war since the dawn of time. It is perfectly fine to bomb where Hezbollah is.

 

Right, so bomb those who cant defend themselves and have limited culpability because they are next to those you are going for. Then while claiming to fix the problem, dont do anything about those with greater culpability because they can defend themselves. And we wonder why countries want nuclear weapons. Plus whats to stop those countries from creating new proxies that cause Israel trouble once Israel is done punishing the Lebanese?

 

And you dont think terrorist groups use the "sh*t happens" in war doctrine? When you go with that reasoning, dont be upset when it comes back at you.

The chances Israel will destroy Hezbollah through a bombing campaign are slim to none. The only way Israel would even have a chance to do that is to carry out a full invasion of Lebanon and then maintain an occupation force. Even then I am not convinced they could destroy Hezbollah. Those that didn't stay behind to fight the Israelis through guerilla warfare would just relocate to Syria and bide their time.

 

The only people that can destroy Hezbollah are the Lebanese, and unfortunately this current action will weaken those who might eventually be inclined to do so or have the power to do so.

The chances Israel will destroy Hezbollah through a bombing campaign are slim to none. The only way Israel would even have a chance to do that is to carry out a full invasion of Lebanon and then maintain an occupation force. Even then I am not convinced they could destroy Hezbollah. Those that didn't stay behind to fight the Israelis through guerilla warfare would just relocate to Syria and bide their time.

 

The only people that can destroy Hezbollah are the Lebanese, and unfortunately this current action will weaken those who might eventually be inclined to do so or have the power to do so.

 

So this is not going to lead to the destruction of Hezbollah, or even if it is, it is not going to lead to Iran and Syria not waging a proxy war. So the threat against Israel will still exist. But we are to believe that this enormous bombardment of innocent people is somehow the answer(and it isnt just Hezbollah centers as Beinfest is claiming). And we keep being fed these superficial statements like Israel was invaded, Israel has to hit em, what goes around comes around, dont mess with Israel.

The chances Israel will destroy Hezbollah through a bombing campaign are slim to none. The only way Israel would even have a chance to do that is to carry out a full invasion of Lebanon and then maintain an occupation force. Even then I am not convinced they could destroy Hezbollah. Those that didn't stay behind to fight the Israelis through guerilla warfare would just relocate to Syria and bide their time.

 

The only people that can destroy Hezbollah are the Lebanese, and unfortunately this current action will weaken those who might eventually be inclined to do so or have the power to do so.

 

 

This is the truth. Good summary.

 

I don't think many would have blamed Israel for some limited retaliatory actions. In fact, if they had just stopped at blowing up the airport runway or whatever, I think many of the Lebanese would have been inclined to turn on Hezbollah, asking how Hezbollah could have brought this upon all the Lebanese. But at this point, with the blowing up of suburbs and sh*t, the Lebanese are just going to be like, screw that, and screw Israel. Some will think that Hezbollah was right, but even those that disagree with Hezbollah, they'll think that Israel is in the wrong. And so they will join in the fight against Israel, whether with guns or even just in their attitudes.

 

Israel's operations have absolutely no chance of succeeding. They know this. They must know this. If they don't know this, then they're frighteningly incompetent. If they do know this, then they know they are killing civilians for essentially no reason. Once again, Israel has fallen to the level of those they are fighting against, only they get to do it with bigger and badder weapons.

 

My question now is just how is this all going to end. Neither side is going to get a satisfactory outcome, so how many more people have to be killed, how many more countries have to be drawn into this senseless conflict, before some kind of ceasefire is reached.

And here is the toll of what beinfest likes to call war just being war.

 

 

 

(CNN) -- CNN.com asked readers affected by the attacks in the Middle East to send us their stories. Here is a sampling of the responses, some of which have been edited:

 

I am sitting in my kitchen eating a falafel, hearing the rockets whizzing overhead. Out in the blue sea I can see the Israeli warships block our port. My six children are terrified, and they are not able to go to school. We are all brothers and sisters in this world. May this war end soon.

Gavi Lewy-Neuman, Shcania, Israel

 

I'm Lebanese and I live in the U.S., but I came to Kuwait to visit my parents, and we were all planning on going back home to Lebanon to spend a wonderful summer, as we do every year. But the attacks happened. They destroyed the airports and destroyed every means of transportation for people in the southern villages and towns to leave.

 

I'm from a small village in the south called Ain-ebel. We do not support Hezbollah, but 15 Israeli missiles hit and destroyed my beautiful village. We are devastated. My relatives are there: my aunt, my cousins and my uncle -- not to mention those Lebanese who were supposed to spend two weeks in Ain-ebel for the summer and leave. Now these people are stuck, in constant fear, under attack. Hezbollah missiles were planted in our village, and they're firing from Ain-ebel's territory without the consent of the people who live there.

 

The roads that lead to Beirut are destroyed, the bridges that lead to Beirut are destroyed, and everyone is stuck there with no food, no electricity and no water. The people from that village are trying to help our families there by spreading the word that we, those people and towns that do not support Hezbollah or their actions, are innocent. People are hiding in the church, which was renovated not too long ago. It is a big church, but can it take Israeli missiles?

 

My relatives are scared of dying, are scared of ending up homeless again; we don't not want history to repeat itself. We have had enough. I call on the Lebanese all over the world and the U.N.: Please help my village survive this dreadful act of Hezbollah. I feel betrayed, that nobody is mentioning those people back in my village. Those who have no voice to be heard, I refuse to let them die in vain. Hezbollah is getting out of control to the point of declaring war against Israel, without the consent of the Lebanese government. They are destroying what Lebanon had been trying to rebuild for the past 10 years just for the lives of three prisoners, is it worth it?

 

I'm not there right now, but I can be their voice. Lebanon will live on. They are fighting each other on Lebanese soil, and this is immoral.Jean Kluck, Farmingdale, New York I am one of 6 students from Teaneck, New Jersey, who came to Israel for a three-week program from the UJA Federation of Bergen County to work in Nahariya in a day camp for Israelis, teaching them English. We were in Nahariya when the missiles started, and we heard the noises, and even witnessed a field that had been hit by a missile. We spent a total of about eight hours in a bomb shelter, four at night (Wednesday), and four again in the morning (Thursday), and were only then taken out when the roads were "safe enough" for a cab to take us. Where we are now is somewhat of a safer place, but we're still in the relative north. We constantly still hear the missiles hitting, and we see and hear the military planes and helicopters flying above. Initially we were going to be moved in Nazareth, but due to the escalating circumstances, our program has now been cancelled. Personally, I will still be staying in Israel until August 7 as previously planned, but I believe the rest of the kids on the program are being sent home. We're all hoping that the situation improves fast and that Israel and its people will no longer be in danger.

Mohammed Abu Sheikh, Beirut, Lebanon

 

My daughter was studying at the Lebanese American University in Beirut and is a student at Boston College. [The students] have escaped to Byblos with the clothes on their back. She called today in total desperation. The adjoining town of Junieh has been bombed, cell phone towers are down and the Christian enclave they were told would be a safe haven is now under attack. Her plea -- and that of all the students in her group -- was, "Please, mommy, don't let us die here. Everyone is now terrified and desperate. This Christian area of safety is under attack. When are we going to be evacuated?"

Dana K., Tempe, Arizona

 

I am of Armenian descent. I have all my relatives in Lebanon. My entire family, including my son and my little nephew, went to visit our relatives. I have been constantly calling them to make sure they are safe. I was frightened when I heard the port in Junieh was hit, because they were at the chalet in Junieh. I went crazy when I couldn't get ahold of them. When I finally got through, they told me they had escaped into a basement. My son was crying for me to help him. He's only 13. My nephews are 5 and 2. I also have a newborn niece. Can you please help us to find a quick escape? I heard Italy and other countries have been successful in taking their citizens.

Rose, Sarasota, Florida

 

My daughter Lana is going to be 14 on August 1. She went to Los Angeles to visit her father for part of the summer and then after one week got an invitation to go visit her father's relatives and cousins. I felt a bit hesitant, though she has been going to Beirut ever since she was a baby. This time she went with relatives of her grandparents, leaving to Beirut via Paris. I didn't want to disappoint her and say no, so I agreed when her father told me of the trip. I am now very concerned for her safety as well as the safety of the family she is with. They are wonderful people, and I know they are doing everything possible to comfort her. I myself used to go every summer and found Lebanon beautiful and its people full of life despite the past civil war and all of the hardship these people have suffered. As a mother, I feel so helpless and as a human being feel so sad that Lebanon must once again face possible ruin of its sovereignty and the strength it took so long to rebuild. Mr. Rafik Hariri would be so sad to see this country he loved and worked so hard to rebuild return to such a horrible past. May God help everyone reach peace and may God return my beautiful daughter safe and unharmed soon.

 

Sincerely, a mother wishing to hug her daughter and tell her how much she loves her.

Linda Hageali, Miami, Florida

 

My wife just spoke to her aunt in Carmiel, northern Israel. Her aunt just came back with her family from vacation only to find her new house hit with a Katyusha, which landed in her daughters' room. Had they not gone on vacation, her teenage daughters would have been dead.

Alex, Staten Island, New York

 

People are desperate. The telephone number posted only says the lines are full, call back later, and then clicks off. My beautiful daughter and family are trapped in southern Lebanon, in Sidon, now without even cell phone contact. Last news was Israel was bombing randomly in the region. This is unacceptable.

Brenda Rose, Montreal, Quebec

 

I am a Lebanese American currently staying at my family's country residence in Shemlan, Lebanon, located in the mountains above Beirut. My fiance and I came here with the intentions of writing our graduate school dissertations and enjoying the vibrant city life, beautiful beaches and natural beauty of Lebanon. We now find ourselves watching in disbelief as the bombs fall and smoke billows in the city below us. As I write this I am sitting in the garden, amidst three dozen olive trees, a symbol of peace that now seems so distant. We pray for a resolution and anxiously await news of evacuation.

Patricia Karjian, Shemlan, Lebanon

 

I am studying at a university in Jerusalem, but I live in Toronto. I want to say that the situation appears to be surprisingly normal here in Jerusalem. People are going about their daily routines as normal, and I am continuing my research and studies at the hospital. I also have a younger sister who is in Tel Aviv doing volunteer work for another week before returning to Toronto. She also hasn't noticed anything unusual there, but we are both keeping up-to-date with the situation. The current situation is in stark contrast to six years ago in Jerusalem, when I was also here during my first degree, during the initial phase of the Second Intifada. At that time, people here were much more affected by the suicide bombings in the city occurring on a near-daily basis. The fear of terror is nothing new to the people here, and I guess it shows in the way people are handling the current situation.

Benji Matta, Toronto, Ontario

 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/16/...ails/index.html