Make no mistake about it, as things currently stand, Israel has lost its war with Hizb’allah. Despite Defense Minister Amir Peretz’s ludicrous announcement Sunday that Israel has won the war, not one single stated military objective has been met.
Two Israeli soldiers are still in captivity, Hizb’allah is demonstrating once again today that it is still very capable of pounding northern Israel, and IDF troops and armor are being taken out in worrying numbers by a well-armed and highly-trained enemy.
Some in Israel will point to the terms of the UN-imposed ceasefire, which calls for Hizb’allah to withdraw north of the Litani River, as an achievement. But who is naive enough to believe the terrorists will really withdraw? Or that a sympathetic French-led force and the Shi’ite-dominated Lebanese army will actually enforce that stipulation?
No. Israel has lost. And Hizb’allah knows it. More concerning, the wider Muslim world knows it.
For decades Israel’s deterrence was based on the Arabs’ belief that the IDF was simply too powerful to be beaten. But this conflict, which saw a small band of terrorists use easily-obtained anti-tank missiles to inflict crushing losses on a mighty military machine, has ended that myth.
Israel, so long as it fights by the world’s rules, can be beat. That lesson will not be lost on the Arabs and Iranians the next time they decide to pick a fight. And it won’t be long before they do.
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19 comments so far ↓
1 Laurel Shellabarger // Aug 13, 2006 at 8:08 pm
IIt is a sure thing that as long as Israel looks to the other nations rather than the Lord and His Word she will not accomplish her greatest desire….to be a nation living in peace.
If I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, how will this come about? Only by the intervention of the God of Israel!
In the meantime, the IDF, the Israelis, and the Land of Israel are in my prayers.
Laurel
2 Shirley Ives // Aug 13, 2006 at 11:29 pm
I donot pray for the peace of Israel. I pray for Israel to return to the God of Abraham, Issac and JAcob and turn from the nations who worship the god of oil. Iran is laughing at the world because the world wants what Iran has: oil and the nations of the world will sacrifice anything including Israel to get it. Isreal must turn from it’s secular government and ways and return to Adonai. It must depend completely on the Lord. Only then will there be the most remote possibility of peace in the land which the Lord has given to them.
3 Richard B. // Aug 14, 2006 at 1:30 am
Here’s what I fear. I fear that the UN, the U.S. and the EU have deferred a little war now for a much bigger one later. Half measures and a false peace will place Israel in greater danger than ever before. I read on the news how the IDF is getting it’s last licks in before the ceasefire takes full effect. Very cynical if you ask me. I fully agree with the previous two posters that Israel should rely on JHVH God for it’s peace, rather than some flim-flam truce Mr. Annan and Condi Rice have concocted behind closed doors. It is only the foolish and the naive who believe that this current bit of diplomacy will actually have any staying power.
4 billy // Aug 14, 2006 at 7:49 am
HI there, how is my enemies doing, i’m a lebanese living in australia, i saw this crazy war that your prime minister conducted against my people.
i’m just don’t understand how slaughtering childrens in south lebanon is not condemned by the average Israeli citizens.
i can’t understand how you guys are trying so hard to get the world’s symphasy by getting your childrens to write messages on the misslies before launching it and killing our childrens in their sleep.
did the lord of Ibrahim, the one that we all pray and believe in mention in his Torat these things.
can you please reply, because i really want to hear what is the logic behind murdering childrens by the israeli airforce.
5 joseph // Aug 14, 2006 at 10:43 am
Hi billy,
War is very cruel. There are no limits to acts of violence from both sides: so do not blame anybody for the death of innocent lives. You are in Australia now. I would recommend that you advice those young criminals who hide behind the Muslim faith to stop shooting innocent Aussies; to stop knifing innocent men; to stop raping innocent girls; to stop the car arson ; to stop burning shops that belong to christian Lebanese. You will never learn unless you respect other people for what they are. You teach your young ones to call our kids ‘Pigs’. Is this why we gave you Muslims from war thorn countries refuge? God will punish such people for seven generations. Peace be with you.
Youseff.
6 Stuart // Aug 14, 2006 at 11:20 am
Hi Billy,
One thing you forgot to mention was that hizbullah kidnapped two soldiers and killed eight others. why didnt you ask at your so called peace rally in Sydney on Saturday why no one called for hizbullah to stop firing missiles at Israel.
Have you ever thought that perhaps less people would die if the hizbollah had spent more time building bomb shelters instead of trying to hide bombs in civilian areas. Possibly less children would have died if you people had read the leaflets and gotten out when they could. Finally please go back to lebanon and ask a soldier from the IDF, perhaps they could really give you the answer you deserve
7 Rrrr...... // Aug 15, 2006 at 11:49 am
Hi guys. Please give me one answer.
Whom jewish, Christian and muslims prays…??
-> greate power of the universe who runs it.
-> who made the world and people
-> who sends her messangers (Adam (a.s) Musa (a.s) Isha(a.s) (jesus)(not dead but will return) ibrahim (a.s) (abraham) nooh (a.s) yusuf(a.s) dawud (a.s) and the m.s.a.w to earth to show people way.
All of jewish, christian and mulims know everything about each other from their holibooks. All the things was predicted before in all the holibooks Taurat (torah) Zaboor, Injil (bible) and kuran sarif and Muslims believe these all the books coz they all come from the god and sky but via prophets and messangers. All the religions believes in Saitaan and in GOD. So i dont know why people (jewish,muslims and christians) take their personals problems as religious problems and connect them with holi wars.
All knows that US,UK and all the countries want OIL and so they are attacking Middle east countries on the name of HOLI war. Do u think that US and all countries will attack the midle east after finishing OIL and other natural resourses from there?? Probably no.
US or other countries dont care about israel or any jewish or any muslim countryas they just care about their benifits.(oil, gold etc) They are just using israel as a gun and i can confidently say that when there will be no bullets in gun (oil in middle east) they wil leave israel alone to die between midle east.
This is truth that bani israel. (jewish) community is believed by the muslims but they have lost their way………….
Lets forget all the difference between Muslims, jewish and christian as we believes in same god and same prophets………
8 Fred // Aug 15, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Israel has lost everything in this war, morally no body simpatize with israel longer in europe, militarelly they lost, because what israel did in this war is killing children and innocent people, israel lost its friend, who stoped supporting an apartheid stat.
i was a israel friend, but no iam not.
YES to judaism, NO to sionisme witch is racisme, NO to apartheid stat of israel.
From a ex-friend of israel
9 Maria // Aug 15, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Israel is a rasist stat, the author of “Sofie’s world” who sold 25 millions examplars Jostein Gaarder said that the stat of israel has put an end to its self.is not ahmadi najad who said it is a famus Norwegian writer, he did not hate jew but he realistic,
NO stat has killed deliberatelly children in the world like israel.
No doby hate jews because of their beleive but hate their doing.
the state of israel can put pressure on arab and european leders but arab and european people hate this state of terror.
from an european who loves judaisme but hates Sionisme
10 jb // Aug 16, 2006 at 9:25 am
I fearfor the state of the world in the next 10 years. The tiny state of Israel (compared to its neighbors) has long been the scape goat for these other countries. Destroy Israel and the world will be better off, but everyone wants to be first. Iran has become very powerful thru the ideology that Hisbollah represents. It will sweep Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Chad, etc… Iran wishes to be an empire and Hizbollah is it’s arm reaching for you, and if you must be a shield than that’s it. It does not truly mourn your death, it will just get more people, then the nukes come and we all will perish.
Hate and the inability to co exist with others breaks the Heart of God, to see his children murder in his name is a crime he will be forced to impose the ultimate punishment. To hell you will go. One commandment we all should know is THOU SHALT NOT KILL. Man has courts for offenders BUT this mindless desire to destroy a nation of people, Jewish people is an abomination. Hitler murdered 6 million jews and 4 million christians for helping them. I see the goosestepping army of Iran today and think back on Hitler youth doing the same goosestep. If you are not afraid of Hizbollah now, you will be when they are ready to come for your kind next…because they will….their kind always comes for you eventually….even if you try to do as they demand you will never be good enough and so…..you will go the way of the Jews if they succeed and so will we all.
11 Stuart // Aug 16, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Jb, you are so right! But lets hope they come for Maria and Fred soon.
G-d bless Israel, make her stronger and stronger each day, may the world come to see the truth, that all Muslims are evil and must be stopped before their plan of world domination comes true.
12 Dakota darlin' // Aug 20, 2006 at 6:19 am
To: Rrrr… … In the Old Testament of the Bible the enemies of Israel were not atheists. They were referred to as idolaters or idol worshippers. They did worship a god, but a false god. We are plainly told that they did not accept Yahweh as their god. In at least one instance I can think of, when a group of idol worshippers is mentioned, the scripture describes some of their religious ornaments which they used to decorate their horses. The crescent being the most prominent of the ornaments. The god of these people had its roots of belief in a moon god. The crescent represents the crescent shape of the moon. I’m sure you know that islam’s symbol is the crescent, not the mennorah, star of David or the cross which are associated with the Jewish and Christian faiths. That is because islam’s belief has its roots in idol worship — not in Yahweh. If one would compare the personalities of Yahweh and Allah as represented in the Bible and in the qu’ran there are many differences.
13 Bert // Aug 22, 2006 at 6:54 pm
If you mean that Hisbollah won because they were not completely destroyed, you may have a point. If a doctor is unwilling to destroy a cancer because it would kill the patient - you could say the cancer won. (even if the cancer is the one to say so)
But clearly Hisbollah showed total incompetence. They launced 3000 rockets (not sure they read the manuals) and caused (regretable but) very little damage.
With a mear spec of its power Isreal almost destroyed the country’s entire infrastructure - and killed 1000, by accident.
Agreeing to a ceasfire, Isreal either demonstrates there is a point of destruction they abhore or that once again they showed restraint not to get caught in the Jihadi’s massacre/martyrdom trap.
Hisbollah could not win this conflict, regardless - but it is true that Isreal could lose, by not taking advantage of an opportunity.
Could Isreal have overrun Lebanon “without consequence”? Could they round up every Hisbo and jailed them? If so then lost.
If anything they lost because of an incorrect strategy, allowing Hisbollah to dig in. Isreal needed to draw the enemy out into a choosen battlefield that Isreal was willing to lay waste to.
I am not sure what strategy of taunting would have all of Hisbollah run into a town yelling “Jihad” so they could be annihilated. At least without plenty of women and children in tow.
14 Charles Wesley // Aug 23, 2006 at 3:00 am
Hezbollah is playing the news agency like a fine violin. They
are using our sympathies for children to make retaliatory actions extremely complicated to carry out. These people I believe staged those children and rockets knowing very well what would happen. And what an effective (ploy) that was.
The cowards set the timers and got out of harms way. That goes to show that no one can trust them . I have absolutly no reguard for them.
15 RAJ // Jan 2, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I am an Indian and strong supporter of jews. This does not mean i am a hindu fanatic. I just see things as they are i.e in black and white. And fact is Israel did not win the war but it did not loose either.
The so called brave soilders of Hizbollah hide behind civilians and in civivlian places and fire their rockets. And they call themseleves brave? I do not think Israel did anything wrong if it targetted these places and few civilians got killed. Afterall its no hidden fact that these civilians support them in their thoughts and actions.
I do not understand how the world expects Israel to follow rules of war when enemy is violating them. Despite this it was a very admirable thing that Israelis atleast had the decency to drop fliers in advance warning people of raid.Which army does that?
Despite this France criticiises Israel.
My questions to the world is
1) what should Israel do if their soilders are kidnapped and rockets hit Their land. Dont they have right to retaliate. Should they say “Oh well let them kills us and we will be good people” France unfortunately does not relaise the fanaticism of Muslims. One day they will repent.
2) If a neighbour tell you I am going to annihlate your family ,should we keep mum and hope he is lying. Similarly Iran threatens with annihlation and world expects to reslove this diplomatically. Seems the world has not learnt its lesson from hitler days.
Last but not the least it is important to note that these Islamic people want everyone to respect them but they will not repsect other religion. Other religions should convert to Islam or dies is their philosphy. No othe religion be it Vhristianity, Jews,Hindus or Buddhists preach that kind of hatred.
I srael is a country the world should be proud of because it is saving the world from the clutches of a cancer which may dont see or fail to recognise.
Lond live Israel and India
16 RAJ // Jan 2, 2007 at 5:20 pm
If the Hizbollah are so brave
Why do they hide behind women and children and fire their rockets? The so called brave figters hide and fight.
Why do their leaders even refuse to come out in the open? The sure do have a wrong defintiion of bravery.
And I found it real funny that despite all osses and acts of cowardice ( bravery in their words) they still declare they won war. Any true man who is really brave would have died in shame when he hides behind kids and fire rockets.
Israel could have inflicted damage a thousand times more that what they did ,but their decency and restraint is admirable.
17 MALAK M. // Apr 27, 2008 at 4:00 pm
some openion mentioned that hisbollah just hide around civilians,
but actaually thats not true i am lebanese and am a southern girl and i know just strate like that , that hisbollah sites are just away from people, and as far as the war started the sites that are near from people they asked people around them to leave their houses from the first day because of the probability that they might be heart ,but how isreal can deffend her self infront of media and people actually by those stupid lies but u know the one whos much stupid than isreal is that one who belive it without invastigating and seeing beyond the scene.
18 Jesse // May 22, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Doesn’t Pesachim 87b state: “Rabbi Eleazer said: The Holy One who is praised exiled Israel among the nations is so they can gather converts”. Why not just end the Dhimmitude in Israel and give Palestine complete equal individual rights?
“THERE IS NO GOD BUT MYSELF” “KNOWING THIS, WHO DARES WORSHIP THE FALSE GODS OF THE KORAN AND NEW TESTAMENT?”
-GOD
FROM THE QU’RET AL-YEZID
19 Jesse // May 22, 2008 at 9:25 pm
And Raj, I think there needs to a unity between the Hindu and Jewish community. Christian and Islamic perpetuation of anti-Semitism has gone on for too long! Unlike you however I’m only going to live once :D Hindus live more then once since they have a reincarnation doctrine. Still, oppression against Palestine’s just going to exasperate anti-Semitism there needs to be a unity of the world where full individual rights belong to all, and the minimum wage around the world will be just like that in the US.
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