Bein Adam Lchavero

Bein Adam Lchavairo is a blog dealing with interpersonal relations within the Jewish community and the interactions of the Jewish and Gentile worlds. We're new. Be gentle.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The Hezbollah 2006 Recruitment Drive Has Now Ended.

So the UN has stepped in and a multinational task force is on the way. As the War winds down, I'm trying to figure something out. Bear with me here:

What was the point of this conflict?

Now before I get a flurry of comments accusing me of being a Naturai Kartanik and a self-Hating Jew, let me expand on that question.

Israel was cowardly and cravenly attacked by Hezbollah. Anyone who disputes this has issues with reality. Israel had every right to retaliate, and possibly an obligation.

However, I can't see where the retaliation chosen actually helped anything.

Hezbollah's manipulations have made Israel, in the eyes of many out there, looks like bloodthirsty imperialists. By hiding in populated areas, they pretty much ensured that any attack was going to take out a ton of civilians. Staged photos made it look like even more died. Let's not even talk about Reuters' photos gilding the lily by manipulating photographs - I suppose they figure an action-movie fed audience expects more smoke and debris. In the court of public opinion, Hezbollah has won a slight victory.

Israel didn't get the soldiers back. Israel didn't destroy Hezabollah. Israel did, however, cause enough damage to plant hate and resentment for themselves on the streets of Lebanon. I guarantee you that Hezbollah will be taking advantage of that hate. Especially now that the mythical, undefeated Nation of Israel has been shown to have clay feet.

It doesn't matter what President Bush says, Hezbollah won this conflict. They got what they wanted � a chance to make Israel look like a bunch of babykillers. Inept babykillers.

The Jewish people are supposed to be a light unto the nations of the world.

We failed this time, folks.


I confess, I'm angry. I'm angry that this war happened at all. I'm angry at the failure of the nations of the world to see the Middle East as anything but a chessboard filled with only pawns. I'm angry at the violence inherent in man that causes people to think negotiation can happen with a knife to the neck and that lives are something you can trade like cattle. I'm angry at nations that decry terror and then do more damage to a nation in a month then a flock of suicide bombers could. I'm angry at so-called religious leaders who use other's faith to fuel their own agenda.

Maybe I'll make more sense when I've gotten over being angry.

It just hit me.

The UN Resolution for the Cease-fire is 1701.

The Enterprise's registry number is NCC-1701.

Could we be witnessing the birth of the Federation?