The Current Hezbollah War

Everyone has now realised that Israel is effectively at war. Thus far, Israel has been hit by over 800 rockets and the Israeli casualty figures are over 20. Israel is not fighting Lebanon, but Hezbollah, an extreme Moslem militia sworn to the destruction of Israel. Israel has set itself certain objectives in this war:
1. To secure the return of our two soldiers seized by Hezbollah
2. To ensure that Hezbollah do not return to the Israeli-Lebanese border (as is in fact legislated by a UN resolution - but the UN never enforced it) so they cannot engage in border attacks on Israel.

I would like to make two significant points that people should know.

Who are Hezbollah?
See this article, from today's London Times. Here is a quote:

"THE present conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is not just a local quarrel between bitter foes who have been fighting each other in southern Lebanon for a quarter of a century. It is an attempt to redefine the balance of power in the Middle East.

As such it has implications not only for Israel but also for the Western-friendly, Sunni-led Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.

The stakes are enormous. By attacking Haifa, Hezbollah has transferred the conflict to Israeli territory, undermining the latter's longstanding military doctrine of defeating its enemies on foreign soil.

"If the Israeli public begins clamouring for a ceasefire, then the Israeli army will have been neutralised," Amal SaadGhorayeb, a Lebanese expert on Hezbollah, said."It will shatter the myth of Israeli invincibility."

The previous head of Mossad - Ephraim Halevy, was interviewed on the radio here today and said a similar thing. He said that Israel is fighting Syria and Iran in this war. They are the backers of Hezbollah. And precisely because of this we cannot lose this war! It is a battle for the very existence of our Jewish State. Once again Israel is fighting for survival.

And it is amazing how we are the front line against these extremist Islamic Jihad states who are likely to threaten the entire Western World foreseeable future. This is the first battle in a long war that will be fought for decades.

Israeli Morale
Israelis understand this. There is a solidarity here that is astounding.

First people are opening their homes to total strangers. In upscale Tel Aviv yuppie neighbourhoods, people are calling the local municipality to request that a family from the North stay with them. Today the sports Wingate Institute gave a free Summer Camp to 250 kids from the North. Hotels are giving free rooms to residents of the North. David Broza, a famous Israeli singer with very left-wing tendencies has been going from one air-raid shelter to the next entertaining Haifa residents. The politicians who regularly lose no speed in arguing and baiting each other, all present wall to wall support of this war.

I heard an interview withe a pilot this morning, a pilot of the IDF who has been in service for 25 years. He said that he has never heard from his colleagues such a consensus as to the legitimacy and the need for war as he has at this time. From the right-wingers to the lefties, everyone knows that this is the right thing, everyone is helping out. There is an amazing feeling of unity here, despite the fear and the worry.

Why?

Because if we don't do this, our soldiers will be snatched and held for ransom, our entire country will be awash with Iranian made missiles, and there will be absolutely no security, or hope for our little country.

So, we find ourselves at war again.

Once again we fight for survival. But we are fighting together, shoulder to shoulder - K-ish Echad Belev Echad.