Israel

I'm going to throw a bomb into the room (hrm, perhaps poorly worded), but I think Israels behaviour is tantamount to terrorism, and they can claim no higher moral ground than Al-Qaeda.

Earlier this week, a soldier was kidnapped. There response was swift and deadly. Indeed, they succeeded in killing many insurgents, but they also targeted and destroyed the major Power Station in Gaza - effectively cutting off electricity for the whole area. Lets be very clear about this: this is a deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure.

Yesterday, several Israeli soldiers were killed at a checkpoint, and two more kidnapped, ostentatiously (i've no idea what that means, but it sounds cool) by Hezbollah, who are based in Lebanon and backed by Syria. Today, Israel destroyed the Beirut airport. Again, a deliberate civilian target. IN fact, there is a group of 16-18 year olds from an Australian dance company who are stuck there, because both major runways have been destroyed.

My point is this: Israels actions fuel the popular support of the terrorist movement - moderates who may have previously been opposed to terrorism are pushed further and further to extremes with such attacks. I cite an example of when a few months ago, Israels attacked a beach in Gaza, killing a 9 year old girl on a family picnic. Do you think the parents are going to denounce an attack on the people who killed their little girl? Israel has also taken to flying supersonic jets above cities, to create sonic booms. These are designed purely to terrorise the population (although they claim its a more humane way of carrying out war). THere was reports of a flood of pregnant women miscarrying because of the sonic booms.

Also, getting back to the issue of Lebanon - the first thing that the Lebanese government did was to deny any involvement in the acts. THey said it was done purely by Hezbollah (a terrorist organisation). Now, apparently the Lebanese government doesn't have much power over such radical groups - particurly since it was only a few years ago that the Syrian occupation left. Nonethless, Israel say that it was an attack by Lebanon (as a country) and therefore has declared war on Lebanon. Thus, they strike with impunity at civilian targets. As far as I can see, this is a little like whe Germany declared war on Poland - any excuse will do.

I by no means believe that what Hezbollah or Al Qaeda or Hamas do is acceptable. But Israel retaliates in exactly the same manner - they behave like terrorists, only with better weaponry. I would expect that Israel, as a developed country, to be able to take more mature stance. THeir behaviour simply makes the terrorist's cause more appealing to people, as they suffer greater and greater personal tradegies at the hands of what would seem to them to be a ruthless agressor.

I don't know the solution to the problems of the Middle East - but i know that what Israel is doing isn't it. Whilst Israel continues to behave like a mass terrorist organisation, they will only make it more and more difficult for themselves.

This post was supposed to be provocative: I look forward to comments, outraged or otherwise