Iran Must Pay Family of Blast Victim, Court Says

[Herschel]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8738-2003Jul17.html

"The government of Iran must pay $313 million to the children of an American woman killed in a 1997 suicide bombing that tore apart a Jerusalem market where she had been shopping, a federal judge ruled yesterday.

The decision for the family of Leah Stern yielded the second-largest award to U.S. citizens in a series of lawsuits filed against countries accused of sponsoring terrorism.

The decision came the same day that the State Department pressed Congress to place a limit of a few hundred thousand dollars each on the compensation that victims of future terrorist attacks could receive.

In the Stern case, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said he found the evidence "overwhelming" that Iran's military had trained the commanders of the Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as Hamas, and that these commanders arranged the 1997 market bombing. The judge said there is also clear evidence that Iran's government had paid millions of dollars to sponsor the group's attacks and the purchase of sophisticated bombing supplies."

Iran supporting terror and threatening Israel with their missles. Hopefully they go the way of Iraq.

[ex_jew]

1. So "hopefully"

Iran is convicted on the basis of bogus evidence and then invaded at a loss of multiple thousand lives, followed by an indeterminate period of chaos, looting, lawlessness, lack of electricity, water and food, occupation by a foreign power, its natural resources stolen by others and its elected government thrown in the trash ? Is that what you hope for ? Should we first try to strangle its population through a cruel regime of sanctions, no-fly zones etc. ?
Spell it out man ! Tell us what you really hope to see ! Be honest about the appropriate penalty for training terrorists, and explain why the U.S. doesn't deserve similar treatment.

[Herschel]

5. Look at the article

Iran was proven to be aiding terrorists against Israel! Iran threatens Israel with missles capable of reaching her citizens. It develops nuclear capability. You think this could never be a threat to America? If regime change is necessary, so be it. The threat must somehow be removed. America is not guilty or terror. You know that. Now stop.

[ex_jew]

7. Sorry, but I don't buy the pre-emptive thing at all

Pakistan's missiles threaten India. Russia's missiles threaten us. Our missiles threaten anyone we care to threaten. "Threat removal" is not an option. So the point is that we're going to need a way to co-exist despite the fact of threatening missiles.

Regarding terrorism, what I would hope for is a principle of proportionality. Suppose I blow up your bus. Is the proper thing now to destroy my entire society ? Doing so seems to imply that a hair of your head is worth more than the lives of all my people. And I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS. Do you ?

Does it surprise me that Jews who have lived for thousands of years with threats to their existence now seem to have completely lost that ability ? I suppose it shouldn't. But scourging the earth of every potential enemy seems futile and foolhardy.

[Herschel]

8. On your examples

Pakistan is India's concern. India is wisely cooperating with Israel. Russia is very unlikely to use it's missle's against America or Israel. Our missles? Are our missles threatening us? Please! If you blow up my bus, you are a murderer, and you must be eliminated. When has a society been destroyed for a bus? If you value the lives of your people, hands off my hair. The Jewish people remain threatened. Israel did not look for this enemy. Iran presented itself.

[ex_jew]

13. OK, so the Jewish people remain threatened !

Again I ask -do you want the full Iraqi treatment for Iran ? That's what you said.

When you say "hands off my hair" what are you prepared to do if I don't comply ? Kill me ? Lay waste to the country where I live ? Have some friendly bully rub you out ? BTW, the US is just about FINISHED as a superpower, thanks in large part to our excellent Iraqi adventure. We can't threaten ANYONE in the conventional sense of invading them and removing their government. We're all tied down chasing rainbows in Iraq, so even if we WERE threatened by Iran (which we're not) I'd be really surprised to see us make a move against them. Perhaps the friends of Israel should have considered things more deeply before selling the Iraq war as a glorious quick victory.

This idea of taking out everybody that is perceived as a threat is MADNESS ! Uncertainty about the future of an individual or a polity is inherent in the human situation. If you are unable to deal with this, perhaps the SAMSON option (i.e. killing your enemies even at the cost of your own life) is the only way out. It's too bad.

[Herschel]

15. Iran must be first confronted diplomatically

As Iraq was. The steps after that are up to Iran. For hands off my hair, I mean killers will be eliminated. Strike me, you will be rubbed. Threats will be confronted. America is more dominant than ever! Finished? Please! Sadaam is gone, be happy.

[ex_jew]

17. I wish I could share your enthusiasm !

NT

[Darranar]

2. 313 Million!

Gosh! Shouldn't that go to some Israeli institution that helps those harmed in the terror attacks, like Magen David Adom?

[Herschel]

4. You raise a good point, my friend

Fortuneately, we already aid Israel. I hope this aid would ultimately help the victims.

[Gimel]

11. The court awarded money

This money is not likely to show up any time soon, if ever. It is rather a gesture .... It may be intended also as a warning for govenments which fund tertorism and terrorists. Iran is on Bush's short list for elimination, or at least for regime change. As thy are finding out in Iraq, it isn't an easy show to run.

[Darranar]

12. Of course...

But that gesture is flawed if it implies that everything Iran has ever done for the suicide bbombers culminated in this attack.

[Aidoneus]

3. "Hopefully they go the way of Iraq"

Please explain to me why the US should be doing Israel's dirty work..?

Can other countries like Guatemala and El Salvador start suing us for the horrible massacres carried out by proxy forces, or should this just apply to Israel's rivals?

[Herschel]

6. Israel and America are joined at the heart

This is the reality you must know to understand the actions of these two. A rival of Israel is a rival of America, and the opposite. Think of Israel as a state in the union.

[Aidoneus]

10. I'd rather not..

but that's all rather interesting.

Taking the precedent at face value, how about reversing the roles:--would, say, the Lebanese, have the right to sue the US too? Thousands of American-made bombs were dropped by Israeli pilots on civilian areas in Lebanon, can they get a check too? I have a friend whose family was bombed out of Lebanon by the '82 invasion, I need to know whether I should tell her to call up a lawyer..

[Herschel]

9. Iran arms elite forces with missile capable of reaching Israel

http://www.canada.com/news/story.asp?id=163FC462-A471-4100-8026-24808A2C53DF

"Iran equipped its elite revolutionary guards Sunday with a locally made ballistic missile - the Shahab-3 - capable of reaching Israel and U.S. forces stationed in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

The missile was inaugurated during a military parade before Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is in charge of the country's armed forces, state-run Tehran television reported.

"Today, the Iranian nation and armed forces . . . is prepared to stand up to the enemy with a firm resolve anywhere," Khamenei was quoted as saying."

And America and Israel will stand against you. Shall we wait for American forces to be struck or Israeli citizens to be blown up?

[StevenLee]

14. I don't think Israel should....

be shaking in their boots...I mean...Iran can hit Israel sure... but Israel has enough nukes to blow up the world a couple times over...
:nuke:

[Herschel]

16. Israel is constantly the target of attacks

Tell me how her arsenal protects her from these. Better to eliminate the Iranian threat than wait until a strike is done, and Israel must take very strong measures.

[StevenLee]

18. I'm thinking....

the reason they have those missiles is because Israel and The US have the Nukes... I see nothing wrong with weapons for defence... If Iran were insane enough to attack Israel...they would feel it 100 times over...
and you are right... Israel's arsenal has done little to stop attacks... and maybe this is an important fact...

[Gimel]

19. It is undesirable

For either of these events to occur would be undesirable to say the least. Israel is not "shaking in their boots" but is keeping a watchful eye on the events here. The Iranian threat could even grow to the planned development of stage 5 and 6. The stage 6 missile has a 10,000 mile range which could hit the east coast of the US.