Lebanon's Tale, a Tragedy Foretold by Others. Can We Get a New Ending?

[McCamy Taylor]

OK, DU, I have heard from those who think that Israel can do no wrong and those who think that it can do no right. People who think that the Palestinians are oppressed masses have weighed in alongside those who think that they are bloodthirsty terrorists. Let me warn you right now, this thread will please none of you.

This thread is for people who look at the death and violence in Lebanon and feel sick all the way to the bottom of your souls.

Yesterday I posted a thread in which I raised a possible scenerio which conflicts with the one our MSM has been proclaiming for the last week. The Dogma of the present mideast crisis as they tell it is : Hamas kidnapped an Israeli soldier for no good reason, Israel responded militarily because it wanted its soldier back, Iran told Hezzbolah to kidnap TWO Israeli soldiers in order to distract the world from Iran's nuclear program, Irsael responded in self defense by declaring war on Lebanon.

To me, a writer of speculative fiction, this story just did not ring quite true. If I wrote a science fiction piece like this, I would be laughed at. So, I turned to Google and the International press and I came up with an alternative history: 1. Israel accidently killed a family of Palestinians picnicking on the Gaza Beach on June 10. Unwilling to admit that an error might have been made, they declared that a landmine killed them, in conflict with eyewitness testimony and other evidence. This sparked outrage in Israel, internationally and among Palestinians. 2. Hamas responded by attacking a military target and kidnapping a soldier 3. Israel responded by kidnapping nine members of Hamas's civilan government to use as bargaining tools to get back their soldier 4. Hezbollag responded by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers to use as bargaining pieces to get back the hostages held by Israel 5. Israel realized that this kidnapping hostages game was a losing one and they decided to hold the entire nation of Lebanon hostage instead and declared war.

Two different stories with the same outcome for Lebanon, and oh what a difference the two stories make for the Lebanese people.

There are, of course, other possibilities. It is possible that the NeoCons, who have been longing for a US war with Iran, persuaded or tricked its ideologic ally Israel into going to war with Lebanon, in hopes that Syria and Iran would step into the war, and the US would be forced to intervene to protect Israel. It is also possible that Bush-Cheney, who need mid east war for political reasons to distract from their failed political policies, deliberately did something to encourage Israel to invade Lebanon, like tell Israel "If you want to take care of that Hezbollah problem once and for all, we have your back." It is possible as some people on these boards suggest, that Palestinians cold bloodedly kill muslim women and children in order to pin the crimes on Israelis (though in my experience spiritually inclined human beings are very, very unlikely to do this---this was a communist and fascist tactic. Indeed, look at the bombing of Lebanon and recall which nation seems unconcerned that scores of innocents of dying each day. I refer to the USA, of course. This is because the Bush-Cheney administration is becoming imcreasingly fascist.)

Since there are infinite possibilities, I could spend hours creating different scenerios to explain how Lebanon got to its present crisis. For this is Lebanon's story. Not Israel's. Not Iran's. Not Palestine's. The country of Lebanon is being torn apart with the blessing of its ally, the United States, while the rest of the world watches in horror---but offers no aid, no comfort, no solution. because, in the story of the present world, the US is Hamlet, Lebanon is Guildenstern.

Much is made by people like Chris Matthews of the fact that Lebanon "allowed" Hezbollah to occupy its southern region. Few in the US seem to remember that Lebanon is a democracy and Hezbollah is part of that Democracy, because it won favor with the Lebanese for defending the people from Israel. Israel is not a good guy to Lebanon. Israel was an occupier for many years. Since the peace, Hezbollah has contributed to building the peaceful infrastructure in the south. Maybe it had sinister motives. Maybe Iran paid for it all. To the Lebanese people a school is a school, a hospital is a hospital.

Here is another story. The US sent financial aid and workers into southern Lebanon to build schools, mosques and hospitals, weakening Hezbollahs grip on the hearts and minds of the Lebanese people. What might have happened if that tale had been told? Too bad those in power in the US can tell only one story---Total War in the Mid East.

Here is another story. Israel anticipated that the world would suspect that any investigation into the deaths of the family on Gaza Beach would be considered a cover up and it invited neutral third parties and Palestinians to participate. If the investigation showed that a shell had accidently gone off course and killed the family, Israel would have apologized, made recompense and made changes in how it conducts military operations. If it was not found to have been Israel's fault, the investigation results would have been accepted. Too bad that Israel can only tell one story--Palestinians are the enemy.

Here is another story. Palestinians resort to non-violent protest. They would quickly win the hearts and minds of the world, and Israel would be forced by the International community to give them everything they want and need. Too bad that Israel is the Devil that must be cleansed from the earth.

Here is another story. Iran uses its wealth and its power to become a stabilizing force in the middle east. It steps in to fill the void left by the US, which no longer wants peace in the middle east. Too bad that Saudi Arabia, which could be its ally since it also has wealth and power, is its avowed ideologic enemy since Iran's form of islam would spell the end of the rule of the Saudi Royal family. Since these two super powers in the Middle East can not actually fight each other, they send their proxies, Hezbollah for Iran and Israel for Saudi Arabia (via the USA, of course), into Lebanon to fight instead.

And I fear that this last is the true Tale of Lebanon.

However, it does not have to be this way. The UN was founded to protect small groups of people from being crushed in these kinds of conflicts, and only the US stands in its way. In the 1990's Rwanda exploited its temporary seat in the UN Security counsel to enable its own genocide. Did the UN not learn from that cautionary tale? Will it really allow the US to cripple it this time? If the UN will not act, then why not an alliance of member nations from the EU plus Russia and China? Maybe Hugo Chavez could step in? Human civilization progresses because there are people willing to rewrite the tired old stories.

Anyway, the most important first step that people like us can do is recognize that the tragedy which is unfolding right now is the tragedy of Lebanon. Not Israel. Not Iran. Not the US.

Lebanon is the one hurt, bleeding, dying, friendless, alone.

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. Uh huh ... and there have been no rocket attacks from Gaza

since the Israeli withdrawal.

[Lindacooks]

3. Oh for God's sake, didn't you read the post? Or perhaps

you just couldn't understand it.

The outrage here is against a disproportionate response, killing hundreds indiscriminately (look up those words since they are such big ones...). This is similar to the ridiculous beginning of World War I, where the assassination of a duke led to the deaths of millions.

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. I have no problem with reading comprehension ... just don't care for

revisionism. Obviously, you don't know anything about the conditions that led to the first world war either.

[ladjf]

2. How are the Lebanese going to find the hope and courage to

start over the rebuilding, a painful process that they have just spent the past 10 years going through. They know now full well that as soon as then recover, Israel will fly in and destroy everything. This is all wrong. Where are the rest of the people in the world who know this is wrong?
Why is noting happening to stop it?