A great insight and a great reality check, A war of honor…

John Tierney, armchair political analysis of the latest conflict in the Middle East in this week op column, is nothing but a tired conservative self-fulfilling prophecy. His oversimplification claims that the strong Hezbollah fighter’s resistance to the Israeli military superiority is all about honor and saving faces. He fumed, “These terrorists consider themselves men of honor they fight he explains “to gain respect of the local honor group, family, the extended clan, the tripe, the religious sect.” … “ This traditional meaning of Middle Eastern perception of honor is different than how western understand it” he said; the western honor is “honor by-merit, epitomize by the Victorian ideal of gentleman who earn his reputation by working hard, playing fair, defending the weak and fighting for his country” . If the truth is the first causality of wars, historical perspective comes close second. Looking at the latest Israeli overwhelming military reaction out of the context of the overall Arab Israeli conflict is disserving. In wars he claims that the western honor is based on defending the week and playing by the rules. Are the Israelis playing fair and by the rules, when they never adhered to any international laws since UN 242 resolution to withdraw from all occupied territories, or do their troops fight by-merit honor? When using their Military machines superiorities in destroying a weak democratic country for a few kidnapped solder. How about the American invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq just to get ready of one man; Ben Lading or Saddam. What is more tribal honor than that? Abu Ghraib fiasco and Guantanamo trickery are a fine symbol of western honor and Cheverly indeed. In the last 60 years, Israel fought a half dozen wars with the Arabs, won most of them, the Arabs solders never showed any furies fight for honor, and didn’t real care about clan honor or extended family respect or shame, because these were conducted under their corrupt political elites rhetoric. As we saw the Egyptian Army in 65, 76 wars, and the Iraqis Arms didn’t even challenge the Americans in 91 and 2003 golf war series. But when Israeli occupied Egypt in 67, the well motivated Egyptian Army later in 1973 war gave their lives to liberate their own country from the Israelis occupation. And when the American occupied Iraq in 2003 war, we saw the fierce resistance of the Iraqi insurgences. Each war has its own political dynamic hardly explained by this business of honor rule which only applies in school yards bullies and street corners fights. Hezbollah or Hamas, or Iraqis insurgents they are like it or not national movements fighting for their rights to save their country from foreign occupiers not their faces. This is not a culture war as Mr. Tierney and his conservative views would like us to believe, if you really wants to raises the culture card in this war, here is a peaceful Arabic culture concept that may help us to understand wars in the conflict in the Middle East; the concept of “Haram”, (forbidden) which has a religious meaning; eating pork or drinking alcohols is Haram, but the culture meaning of “Haram” in which I’m interested, which means it forbidden to abuse power, that it is dishonorable act for the stronger to use his/her overwhelming power to win a concession from the week, but giving concession seems an alienate concept in the west and for the Israelis generals in particular. After more than 60 years of Israeli national security obsession, that built soly on the doctrine of military superiority over all Arabs and now Iran combined. Now for the Arab street, Israel lost its legitimacy as an Arab neighbor who could be trusted to a civilized behavior in a moment of crisis. Ahmed Tharwat/ Minnetonka

Host and Producer of the Arab American TV show belahdan

www.Belahdan.com

Come on Gordo - you know Hamas has been caught red-handed hiding ordinance in red-cross ambulances - is this news to you? This is so typical of the Islamofacist apologists: they applaud "resistence" techniques - such as hiding weapons under a mosque or hospital, and then when the Jews strike these weapons, they're called monsters: how could they strike a mosque? How could they hot a school?

I blame the Arabs for resorting to these techniques - they made their bed - now they will die in it...

In the late 19th century an Irish-American group called the Fenian brotherhood was formed, which today would be called "terrorist". These people made military raids on Canada in at least five instances. While there are many differences between this and what is happening in the Middle East, a few things are common. Many Americans supported their political goals (freeing Ireland from British domination) and many in the US government turned a blind eye to this group arming itself. If Canada had decided to retaliate against civilians the way Israel has, how would you feel?

The words of a Canadian United Nations observer written just days before he was killed in an Israeli bombing of a UN post in Lebanon are evidence Hezbollah was using the post as a "shield" to fire rockets into Israel, says a former UN commander in Bosnia. Those words, written in an e-mail dated just nine days ago, offer a possible explanation as to why the post -- which according to UN officials was clearly marked and known to Israeli forces -- was hit by Israel on Tuesday night, said retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie yesterday.

http://www.newscloud.com/redir/70718

Hezbollah does hide among the civilian populace. Everyone knows that, everyone that is, except for the ignorant and misguided Mr. Prothero. In fact the civilians among whom they tend to hide, offer comfort and protection to Hezbollah and are in many cases part of the problem. Meanwhile, what is Hezbollahs reason for attacking Israel in the first place? Prisoners? The Shebaa Farms? This is the excuse for them to start a war?

Back in the 1800s the wild west was a lawless area where killings and vendettas were commonplace. Eventually however, the United States sent in the army, they set up courts to try people who broke the law. Thus stability and the rule of law was brought to the west. Lebanon today is the wild west and it has been so since the Lebanese started their Civil war back in '75. We need to put in place a regime where petty criminals like Hezbollah are never given weapons, never given comfort and never apologized for. There is never going to be peace until groups like Hezbollah are outlawed and destroyed. As for Israel, there is no doubt in anyone who has any sense of justice, that they should do whatever is necessary to destroy Hezbollah since they are nothing more than criminals who have dishonored Muhammad and Allah by their cowardice.

Sulieman the Magnificent