Robert Fisk, The Independent, July 27:
Is it possible – is it conceivable – that Israel is losing its war in Lebanon?
From this hill village in the south of the country, I am watching the clouds of brown and black smoke rising from its latest disaster in the Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil: up to 13 Israeli soldiers dead, and others surrounded, after a devastating ambush by Hizbollah guerrillas in what was supposed to be a successful Israeli military advance against a “terrorist centre”.
To my left smoke rises too, over the town of Khiam, where a smashed United Nations outpost remains the only memorial to the four UN soldiers – most of them decapitated by an American-made missile on Tuesday – killed by the Israeli air force.
Indian soldiers of the UN army in southern Lebanon, visibly moved by the horror of bringing their Canadian, Fijian, Chinese and Austrian comrades back in at least 20 pieces from the clearly marked UN post next to Khiam prison, left their remains at Marjayoun hospital yesterday.
In past years, I have spent hours with their comrades in this UN position, which is clearly marked in white and blue paint, with the UN’s pale blue flag opposite the Israeli frontier. Their duty was to report on all they saw: the ruthless Hizbollah missile fire out of Khiam and the brutal Israeli response against the civilians of Lebanon.
Is this why they had to die, after being targeted by the Israelis for eight hours, their officers pleading to the Israeli Defence Forces that they cease fire? An American-made Israeli helicopter saw to that.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s Prime Minister displays a modicum of independence on Israel’s war in Lebanon and he’s labelled an “anti-Semite” by the Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean (heading a party on the road to irrelevance). “We don’t need to spend $200 and $300 and $500 billion bringing democracy to Iraq to turn it over to people who believe that Israel doesn’t have a right to defend itself and who refuse to condemn Hezbollah”, he said.
What an ungrateful little puppet.
Hang on a sec, I think this makes captain a anti-semetic, self hating jew, does this make him a self-hating jew Addamo? CAPTAIN YOU SELF-HATING JEW, TAKE YOUR ANTISEMITISM AND LEAVE!
You are obviously ignorant of the relationship between Hitler and the Wiemar republic. He installed himself from a minority position. He did so by force. What is the connection between this and Holocaust denial? You are children.
Addamo/Mayer
Given that you have both already shown yourself preposterously ignorant about history and international law, I am stunned that you are going for the hattrick! We all wait with glee to see you present us your position of the historiography of the rise of Nazi Germant? Would you say you were intentionsalists or functionalists? I am not convinced by Kershaw’s synthesis, are you?
Ah, yes our resident confederacy of dunces will perhaps bail their fellow-traveller, Mel Gibson out of jail.
Viva,
You have just wasted everyone time prancing around like a deranged and washed up diva on a stage long after the audience has left, telling the empty theatre how superior you are, yet clearly struggling to overcome your fear of engaging anyone in debate. When you’re asked a question, your reaction is to look the other way and pretend you haven’t hear it.
I trust that the compendium of irrelevant invectives about whether one should regard one’s self as an internationalists vs a functionalists, is infested to mask your hide that you reside in some parallel universe. We are talking about matters of foreign affairs after all, so whenever you decide you want to join us, feel free.
I am surprised that you even mention international law, given the contempt you have repeatedly voiced about it.
Many posts back, so it seems, you offered us an explanation as to why the plaque a Auschewitz was revised, and we are still waiting. Now you are babbling about the “historiography” of the rise of Nazi Germany, as is to imply it is some guarded mystery that only a handful of exceptional people like yourself fully comprehend.
You seem to be unable to avoid painting yourself into a rhetorical coiner with your hit and run posts Viva. Isn’t it time to put up or shut up?
That’s another topic isn’t it? I haven’t read Kershaw’s work on Hitler, but I would certainly be interested to hear what your reservations are. I must confess to not being a big fan of Hitler. As apocryphal and WWII was, I don’t regard Hitler as unique to history as some would have us believe.
Gibson is a troubled soul. His battles with addiction and his own demons is unfortunate, but I have little sympathy for those with so much to celebrate in their lives, who fail to appreciate how fortunate they are.
Hitler’s attempts to forcefully gain power failed (Munich Beer Hall Putsch and whatnot) he then exploited loopholes in the Wiemar’s parlimentry system to force elections and each time he gained more support from the public (and used scare campaigns on the opponents) to gain power.
So I am really not sure what you are talking about there captain.
Funny that when it comes down to you, there needs to be a connection to holocaust denial, especially considering I obviously said it in a jovial manner whilst you and Viva accused (quite ignorantly) Addamo and myself of being deniers.
I would rather wave the idea of joining in with an ‘ism’. I am a moderate. Each Functionalism and Internationalism have their good intentions but how the idea of the world working together whilst you have Islam attacking the west and the coalition attacking Islam, I’m not entirely convinced either could work at the present time.
What are your thoughts on the subject?
I will have to agree with Addamo there Viva, the history of germany isnt exactly a gaurded secret, I’ve studied it, I’m sure you have studied it, I’m infact sure most of the people in Australia have studied it. If you have any things about Nazi history you would like cleared up, feel free to ask.
As for Kershaw. I’m sure I have come across his theories when I studied Hitler’s Germany years ago, care to share your knowledge on the matter?