Middle East Education

[plural]

I'm seeing a whole lot of bullshit and misunderstanding around this whole Lebanon thing so I thought I'd provide some illumination. I'm going to avoid arguing one side or the other and address some basic realities in terms of whats going on in as neutral language as I can muster.

I've heard people say that "Israel shouldn't attack Lebanon proper for the acts of a terrorist group", or "instead of bombing, Israel should work with the Lebanese government to capture the terrorists and free their soldiers." If this was a problem between the US and Canada, both of those points would be exceedingly valid.
Unfortunatly this isn't.

The Hezbollah are not a terrorist group in the way you might think. They control roughly 40% of Lebanese territory. They hold seats in Parliament and have a position in the Executive cabinet. It is more than likely that they have more military strength than the Prime Minister of Lebanon.

What this means is that the Lebanese government is incapable of and unwilling to work with Israel to deal with the problem because the people who are committing these acts of violence are powerful members of the government.

The essential problem both the Palestinians and Lebanon have is that their administrations are unable to secure a monopoly of force. A monopoly of force is quite frankly the essential building block for statehood. Sure we have militant nutjobs in the US but the FBI can and has stomped on them whenever they step out of line.

I completely understand that in all likelihood neither Abbas (president of the PA) or Siniora (prime minister of Lebanon) are capable at this time of preventing all attacks on Israel by militants operating in their territory. However they are obliged to make the effort, something they have not done at the most basic of levels.

The government of a nation, any nation, is held responsible for the militant activities of its citizens, whether those activities are sanctioned by that government or not. Just as the people of a nation, any nation, are held responsible for the actions of its government, whether they agree with those actions or not.

Comments

[neorock.livejournal.com]

Rockets from the "sovereign" nation of Lebanon have been pounding an area in the north of Israel that houses two million people. Two million people live in fear of Katyusha rockets at any moment. Rockets designed, with the help of North Korea, in Iran, and shipped to southern Lebanon through Damascus. A few hours ago a grandmother and her four year old grandson were killed by a rocket. Hezb Allah sent their terrorists across the international border recognized by the United Nations and killed eight soldiers and kidnapped two. Two Israeli soldiers are in the hands of these people. If any other nation had rockets falling on a significant proportion of their population and had been attacked the way Israel was they would react in a similar if not harsher way. There is no question in my mind that the Lebanese government is fully responsible for what is quickly becoming a war. This government isn't doing anything to stop or prevent or condemn or say ANYTHING about these attacks.

The Lebanese government is supposed to have the monopoly on violence emanating from its territory. Especially when it comes to missiles being fired. Missiles fired from Lebanon, regardless of who is firing them, are the responsibility of the Lebanese government. The fact that Hezb Allah is part of this government and that they do whatever they want within this sovereign nation points to the pathetic state of the Lebanese government on one hand, and also does not free it from responsibility on the other. Missiles, terrorists, and terror emanating from Lebanon is unequivocally under the auspices of the Lebanese government. The only possible exceptions I might make are Syria and Iran. Targeting both of those nations is legitimate as well. Mr. Assad is as responsible for this war as Mr. Nasrallah and as the Lebanese government.

Rockets destroying and killing and threatening millions of Israelis is a declaration of war by Lebanon. Rockets over Haifa, Israel's third largest city is a red line which Hezb Allah crossed and from which there is no return short of a massive named operation to neutralize this threat.

Imagine missles over San Francisco, or New York, or Boston. Please imagine missiles bombarding 25% of American cities, American soldiers being kidnapped IN AMERICA, civilans dying. All while the Lebanese government chooses to allow if not condone the attacks coming from Lebanon. In no uncertain terms is this a call to war. You don't wait for UN resolutions when millions of your citizens are attacked. It is war.

I believe Israel is fully within its right to target these terrorists and the Lebanese infrastructure that supports them. Airports and air fields and roads and fuel depots used to bring in missiles and weapons and that could potentially be used to fly kidnapped Israeli citizens to Iran are legitimate targets. Munitions depots that are strategically placed within residential neighborhoods are legitimate targets. If you allow Hezb Allah to store Katyusha rockets in your home and have your 8 children living in that home, you are responsible for those children and for those missiles and when they are targeted it is your fault. You also are fully aware that you have missilies in your home. It isn't a secret. You can't miss dozens of 330mm Katyusha rockets sitting in your house. All of the causalities in Lebanon, as unfortunate as they are, and as painful as they are, are the direct responsibility of Hezb Allah and of the Lebanese government which allowed this declaration of war.