From: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Subject: Re: Israel Cancels Building in the West Bank
Reply-To: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 18:21:17 GMT

In article <1992Jul28.172514.24284@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>,
bx573@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Alan H. Stein) writes:
> 
> In a previous article, hernlem@chermfss.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem) says:
> 
> >From the standpoint of Israel's security, Israel should be pleased with
> >this development....  Has it not
> >been a long standing complaint of Israel that the Lebanese have not
> >assured them that they would not harbor people who are at war with
> >Israel? Lebanon, with the help of Syria, has accomplished much in that
> >pursuit. They have done what is in Israel's interest.
> 
> Syria has disarmed the militias threatening Syria, but it has carefully
> left those intent on terrorizing Israelis alone.

Correction: It has left those who are fighting to expell Israeli troops
from Lebanon alone. It has disarmed the Palestinians who have in the
past attacked Israel (as opposed to attacking Israeli troops in
Lebanon). Furthermore, it has brought a degree of control over the
militias in Lebanon which was not present there prior to the
implementation of the Ta'if Agreement.

> > You refuse to
> >recognize that (some who have responded to my post still believe that
> >Katyushas are falling inside Israel and that Palestinians are launching
> >them!!).
> 
> Some of us have trouble recognizing things that aren't true.

If you know of any Palestinian launched rocket or artillery attacks on
Israel which have occurred since summer of 1991 (when the Palestinian
fighters in Lebanon were disarmed) I would be interested to know your
source of information. I have heard of none. Some people (yourself,
perhaps) have trouble believing things that they don't want to be true.
 
> >Israel is bombing, rocketting, and shelling
> >Lebanese villages because the inhabitants refuse to accept occupation
> >peacefully, not because they are attacking Israel.
> 
> Israel has repeatedly pointed out that it has no interest in Lebanon,
> other than in making sure that Israeli citizens aren't attacked.  The
> minute Israel is reliably assured that is the case, it will be happily
> gone from Lebanon.

Actually, Israel can NEVER be "reliably assured" of this just as no one
can ever be reliably assured that they will never be the victim of an
assault or murder. 
A country which creates enemies by killing its neighbors is questionably
more secure than a country which tries to cultivate friends rather than
destroy potential enemies. I believe that sufficient justification
exists for the belief that Israel's northern border is controlable and
will be controlled when Israel pulls out. Because it has not pulled out,
I question the assertions that Israel has no interest in Lebanon.
Furthermore, I know that Israel would benifit from Lebanese water
resources if they maintain occupation there.

> In the meantime, a nation's primary obligation is towards its own 
> citizens, not to terrorists being harbored across its border, or the
> people harboring them.

Anyone with the ability to kill people and destroy property has the
obligation to everyone to control that ability. 

Since most of the victims of the "terrorists" in Lebanon are Israeli
soldiers and many of the victims of Israeli rocket and artillery attack
are civilians (villages are directly targetted as a standard procedure
for "retaliation") I find your description of the situation rather interesting.

> >Brad Hernlem (hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU)
> >
> -- 
> bx573@cleveland.freenet.edu----Alan H. Stein----stein@uconnvm.uconn.edu

Brad Hernlem (hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast