This is part of a comment someone posted to this blog:
"But speaking from experience, I have found that fear can also act as a justification for our anger and irrationality, which gives us an incentive to cultivate it."
This is beautifully stated. This person is claiming my fear and irrationality is a response to and a stoke for my hatred of Israel.
I wholeheartedly agree that fear is a bad, bad thing, and leads to all kinds of evils, not just anger and irrationality, but hate and violence. I know I come off very much on the Lebanese side of this war (of course, because I was in Lebanon.) But I do think Hezbollah is just as disgusting as Israel. Of course, no one should be subjected to random bombings, especially with "shrapnel" in the bombs. And being a guerrilla militia, they hide their bombs in civilian houses. So of course, Israel has no choice but to kill civilians in order to go after their enemy. (And as a side note, many of these victims are Arab Palestinian--but of course, if doesn't matter who is the victim--no one should have to suffer like this.)
But, yes, I do defend Hizbollah. I say that they were created in 1982 as a response to the illegal Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Which many say was to control water. (When you go to the Jordan river, you can see where the water used to be. It's very low now because the Israelis have diverted the river for themselves, and they make sure that the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza don't get any, but that the settlers do.)
In that 18 years of Israeli occupation, the Israelis set up a prison where they would throw in anyone suspected of being Hibollah or connected with Hizballah-- without trial. So basically anybody could be thrown in. I went there last year, and I saw the medieval torture devices they were using in the year 2000. The Lebanese government/military couldn't rid themselves of the Israeli occupiers. Obviously, the US or the World wouldn't do anything.
So who succeeded in kicking them out?
Hizbollah. A little militia succeeded in kicking out one of the most powerful armies in the world. It is a national holiday in Lebanon--Liberation Day. That day in the year 2000, Lebanon was glued to their televisions as they saw these prisoners being liberated.
How can I defend murderers like Hizbollah??
Only because the world and the American media continues to defend murderers like Israel.
I will say they are both murderers. They are both committing evil acts. And they are both doing it to defend themselves.
Don't be a hypocrite, by calling me a hypocrite. Do I not have any Jewish friends? Please? Don't you know I went to Harvard? I've been to Hillel. I've even been to Shabat dinners in people's houses (as a Christian observer).
I have nothing against anyone. And believe I have a special respect and love for people who are truly seeking God, of any religion. There was a rabbi teaching at Harvard Hillel who was a wonderful spiritual advisor for me.
I know I come off as pro-Hezbollah, but I only do it as a response to a media that disgusts me and intelligent people I know who are still uncritical of the brainwashing they've received by the American media--Hizballah are terrorists, Israel is just defending itself, blah, blah.
And as for this simple solution in the last comment--Come on Jane, don't you see it's so simple, just have Hizballah back down and then it'll all stop.
I really wish they would.
But it's not that simple.
They won't back down. They aren't a little militia anymore. Unfortunatly, they have lots of weapons. They have secret, scary weapons, coming from Iran. Israel knows this. Israel knows how bad a land invasion will be, because they will probably lose.
Unfortunatly, I don't see a military/political solution to this situation.
Only God can step it. A moral leader of the likes of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who will look past national pride and say that physical force should only be countered by soul force.
As long as there are elections involved and leaders having to maintain their pride, the people of Israel and Lebanon will continue to suffer.
6 comments:
Harvard-educated? Wow! Jane, given this background, together with your level of maturity and personal experience in Lebanon, your credentials dwarf those of your readers.
Please, therefore, don't fall back on "Unfortunatly, I don't see a military/political solution to this situation."
We'd welcome an honest attempt on your part to propose a solution to the problem. Look at it as another exam. Thanks..
I, too, believe that Jane is uniquely qualified to sit down and do some serious analysis of the whole situation-- not just quick blogs, but real, dig-deep, multi-draft-to finished book (or whatever) writing. Using multiple interviews, research, personal experience-- or whatever route she chooses to take.
To anonymous and other readers-- I believe we have all seen that it is clear that Jane has a lot to work with just from the journaling in her blog. Perhaps by taking this journey in a slightly slower, more considererd fashion she will come up with some far-reaching answers that reflect upon her spiritual beliefs, as well as her respect for the average citizens of Lebanon and Israel.... along with a broad understanding of the complexity of the media coverage/leadership/govt issues involved.
I can also understand the desire to be DOING SOMETHING NOW to effect change-- rather than sitting and "passively" writing.
But either way-- actions or well-considered words-- both have staying power. KB
The murder of the US soldiers was okay, too, right? Ends justify means!
Give me a break, you're a nut. You're an English teacher, so stop pretending you have an enlightened view of terrorist organizations, military operations, religion, and "what is right". You're just as much of a blowhard as any other deluded fool.
Only because the world and the American media continues to defend murderers like Israel.
Actually, for what it's worth, my understanding is that the United States is one of the few countries which defends Israel in any substantive way. (Certainly the European countries have been less than wholehearted in their support). You could also make an argument for countries like China, who conduct arms sales with Israel. Still, even with American hegemony in any number of areas, they hardly constitute "the world."
May God Continue to bless you and yours.
Two things. While I don't doubt your sincerity regarding Israelis, I'm skeptical about people who respond to charges of anti-semitism by saying that they "have Jewish friends." Even people with deep-seated prejudices are known to have "exception" friends. I'm most definitely not accusing you of it, just speaking generally.
The other thing is, I wonder why you say that only people who have received a thorough brainwashing from the American media could classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. My understanding is that Hezbollah is, among other things, a civilian combat organization with political goals and a willingness to target civilians to achieve those ends. They may not be merely, or even primarily such an entity (since they are a social and state-political organaization as well), but given their actions as a militant group, it hardly seems insane that someone might classify them as such. Or do you just take issue with the word because it's so general and indiscriminately applied?
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