What do you guys think about the current troubles in Israel and Lebanon?

If you were the Malaysian Foreign Minister, what would you say to the international media about this political trouble? Would you take sides? What sort of solution do you propose for this Israel vs Lebanon matter?

On one hand Israel cannot negotiate with those that kidnapped the soldiers even if it involves the exchange of prisoners. Otherwise Hammas would just continue to kidnap soldiers and I think it was important not to negotiate, Hammas should have just returned them. On the other hand Isreal's responce has been disproportionate.
Overall both sides needs to forget about the ill's of the past and work towards the future. It is concerning when you see young girls writiing "hate" messages on artillary shells about to be used to shell Lebanon.

If I were Tun Mahathir, I would kick the Arab League's @$$!

Who will listen to the Foreign Minister?

sounds like the General Paper assignment question.....correct right?

The arab league is just a puppet..!!

though the hizbullah kidnapped 2 israelis soldier.. it doesn't justified the Israel to kill the innocent people..
They delibrately kills those civillians..

I'm not well verse on middle east conflict history, thus cannot give the comprehensive comment. However, if just considering the recent conflict, I agree on Doc position. Wish no war in this world but my wish will not stop them.

According to Israel they are not specifically targeting civillians but there are civillian casualties anyway. By the same token Hammas is firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel as well. Both sides are wrong.

Looking at current state, the lives of the two soldiers must be very precious, equivalent to hundred lives. No wonder why army general should not be hired as business executive, rugi lor.

I guess that's why most people feel the Isaeli response is out of proportion.
I feel though Hamas was stupid, what will they gain from the kidnapping? There was by and large peace in the region, Isreal had been pulling out of the occupied territories and forcibly removing Isreali settlers. This is more concessions then they have ever given in the past that I can remember. Even if Hamas had issues with Israel, there are other ways to settle it. By doing what they did, they have turned the tide of opinion in Israel further against them giving the hardliners in Israel more political persuasion. All they've achieved I feel is destabalise the region. There are people both in Israel and Lebanon who want war, this just gives them that.

The international community should pressure both sides to stop at once, but I doubt cease fire can be seen in near future. Seems no turning back from both sides. Very-very sad. At the end, both sides are responsible on their actions. Hopefully, it will not escalate further to nearby region. Whether we like or not, it will affect us in some way, at least on our fuel cost.

Problem is that its generations of hatred and mistrust. Even from way back when, these 2 races have been at war. Its difficult to forget hundreds of years of hatred, would be nice though.
I think there are many people who want peace, these people should stay. Those that want war should be rounded up. all of them put on an isanld somewhere given a gun and told to just go for it and whoever is left standing should just stay where they are and not allowed to go back to create problems for those who want peace . My simplistic $2 solution.

Hamas kidnapped those 2 soldiers just to provoke the Israelis..

The Israelis could have gone to the UN Security Council to sanction the Lebanese. This soldier kidnapping is only a pretext.

According to the UN charter, the use of force only authorised under two conditions:

condition (1) on self-defense when the country has suffered from armed aggression under UN Charter Art51.

condition (2) authorised by UN security council when the situation threatens the international peace under Charter Chap 7.

The kidnapping of the 2 soldiers wouldn't be considered as armed agression under condition 1. Under condtion 2, the Israeli should have sought UN Security Council first but they didn't.




my dear baker, i tot it was the Hezbollah who kidnapped the soldiers? are u baking too much these days?

War reparations for Lebanon!!!

Some people would argue that the kidnapping of soldiers by a foreign government is an act of armed agression. I don't assume the "victims" went peacefully.
I still don't understand the motive behind the kidnapping, it was never going to achieve anything good.

call me sadism or anything you like...this problem is not gonna end....I just hope someone will nuke them or mother nature tsunami hits them ....so that,....they wake up....and start realising wtf they are killing each other

Ehhem, somebody is painfully mistaking Hezbollah as Hamas.

To clear up the air, Hamas operated in Gaza, Palestine & kidnapped 1 Israeli trooper & get bombed.

Hezbollah operated in South Lebanon & kidnapped 2 Israeli troops & Lebanon got bombed.

Pls don't confused the two.

As per our principle, we always supported the cause of Palestinians for an independent state, free from Israel oppression. In case of Lebanon, we backed the plea of the recently democratic Govt. of Lebanon that their country is torn up by Israelis.

Israel always use disporpotionate force that most often killed a lot of innocents. If Israel won the war, thousands of Lebanese & Palestinian Arabs who lost their homes, loved ones & relatives will once again terrorised Israel for their excessive massacres.

The word kidnapped is soo misleading.palestine n israel are always in conflict.so should i say it's actually POW?the fact is israel kidnapped hell lots more palestinians,prisoned without any apparent reason under the pretext of combating terrorism and should palestinians feels OK with that?

How does Malaysian Sunni view the Hezbollah? Do you admire them for their guts or are you baffled as to why they wanna destroy their own country in face of Israeli's disproportionate use of force? Are Malaysians taking seriously the call for Zionist crusade by Al Queda?

hi honey...did you post this question is every chatroom....are you compiling for an assignment??

yes handsome, do u wanna do my homework for me?

I forgot u are chinese, useless....

need muslim opinions lah!

hi honey...i am half - half......

Do you back the Palestinians because they are Muslim or do you back them simply because you symphatise with their plight? As long as the Palestinians don't accept the right of Israel to exist there will never be peace. Weather you feel this is right or wrong or fair or unfair is irrelevant. At the moment and for the past decades, Israel has been strong enough to defeat even the combined might of its neighbouring enemies. Furthermore the world at large will not stand by and see Israel get over-run by its enemies, the bloodshed would be too great, just as there are calls now for Israel to cease its current offensive.


Although this is debatable you bring up a good point.
Having said that what was the reason for the "kidnapping" now. Israel had already given many concession to the Palestinians, they'd begun pulling back. The peace process was at a better stage then for many years. There was nothing to be achieved unless they wanted to provoke Israel into open conflict and perhaps try to get world opinion on their side. But at the cost of hundreds perhaps thousands of their own people? Pretty heavy price to pay.
The world will never agree to the total disbandment of Israel I hope the Palestinians realise this.

Ohh.. i wrote hamas isn't it.. my bad.. i work 12 hour everyday and no off day.. haha..

Yeah this is what my dad kept telling me over and over again. Palestine has to accept what has given to Israel but these refuse to accept this and when they provoke Israel and Israel retaliate....the world especially the muslim countries would converge and support juz because they are muslim without knowing the reason why they support in the first place

There can never be peace if there is contentment from each side.



Sorry typo error
There can never be peace if there is NO contentment from each side.

Malaysia's gov announced that they supported Hizbullah..

I don't understand why some people can't seem to just answer the question. No this thread has nothing to do with academic assignments. If you don't like the question or you don't have an opinion you have the right not to post, you know. Sometimes a question on a complex issue will sound like a complex question (SURPRISE!). So don't get all excited. One can't possibly write an essay based on mere random thoughts of forum posters.

ok la abang...u r rite lor....I am wrong lar....u happy now??

i will support Lebanon then..
Israel is a real terrorist!!!!

Cheers....

Indonesian govt also condemned Israel agression....

During ASEAN meeting at KL only Indonesia and Malaysia strongly suggest ASEAN condemnation on Israel aggression. While Thailand, Phillippines, and Singapore mildly oppose it due to their economic ties to Israel.
I guess since Malaysia and Indonesia are predominantly muslim population, we simply can not let this violence continues upon our fellow muslims....

I'm beginning to notice the trend of assuming that people from Lebanon are necessarily Muslim. That is not an accurate perception.

- swingdoctor

- Majapahitans

Lebanon is 59.7% Muslim(Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri). But at least 39% Lebanese are Christian (Catholics, Orthodox, Coptic, Protestant).

Malaysia isn't even 20% Christian. Meaning there are way more Christians in Lebanon (more than a thrid)than in Malaysia.

So for those of you who staunchly support Lebanon, are you supporting them because you think they are all praying five times a day to Allah? Did your fiery imam tell you specifically that Muslim kids were being blown to bits or orphaned in Lebanese hospitals? Did he fail to mention the Christians? Are you praying for the Lebanese Christians too or only people of your faith?
For those of you who are happy to see Israel inflict damage upon the country, are you feeling that way because you think they are all Muslims? Did you think that because Lebanese are all Arab Muslims, they are more likely to join Hizbollah?

We Malaysians have seen the world in this lens because our country is divided as such. In truth the Middle East isn't polarized that way. It is a territorial dispute first. The religious factor is merely a bonus to this turmoil.

Why can we not sympathise with people REGARDLESS of which God they worship? Why must we make them religious martyrs? Is our fellow feeling so expensive that only if their blood is Muslim or Christian, will we weep for them and their children????

^ good question! any answers to dat?

I am still against Israel's invasion on Lebanon even if Lebanon is inhabited by Heathens........any military invasion on a sovereign nation is disgusting.

FYI, I am aware that Lebanon is a very mixed country. Even in its administration, the President is always a Christian and the Prime Minsiter a Muslim.

I agree, forrestcat. Israel is making the same mistake with Lebanon that America is making with Iraq. They thought it would be easy to just resort to military action and remove the Northern threat once and for all. And now so many lives have been lost: more in Lebanon than in Israel. At what price? Such arrogance!
Is Israel safer now than it was before? We're asking all the same questions we asked about America with regards to Iraq.

I didn't know about the Lebanese President and PM. Why must their religious affiliations be fixed? Is there a reason for this?

This is precisely what the truth lies in the muslim mindset. Yes I am generalising but I am also aware that there a selected few who feels indifferent about my opinion which is good. I congratulate you if you say you are not like the general muslim. The truth hurts and this is what is happening in this world right now....when something happened....and when it is affiliated to Muslim, everyone supports them blindly...its always when someone shouts in the name of allah......everybody would converge and support.

I come from Kelantan....the mindset of Kelantanese (95% muslim) are a disgrace. Till now most of them still feel the 911 attack is a good thing and they applaud wat Osama and gang is doing. Look at their mindset. Few years ago, there was a huge earthquake in Turkey and a lot of casualties. I am embarassed to say that my singaporean muslim working colleague could tell me this " They deserve it cuz they supported the American". Can you believe this?

I posted something on humanatarian aid....nobody reply and nobody say anything. I am insinuating that most can only shout and support but that is how far they can go. They will not do anything beyond that and they will do nothing for the cause of mankind for the cause of humanatarian effort in the spirit of mankind.

Singaporean may not be a good friend within the OIC because of their affiliation with the US but they have indeed shown that they are a responsible country where WE have shown (10 years in singapore I also feel singapore is part of me although I am not a citizan) with doves of donation contributed not only from the people but from the ah beng ah seng in the street who dunno what is going on but who value life and who understand what is the meaning of suffering.

The humanitarian effort like the one you saw in Acheh and all other catastrophes that we have witness, Singaporean have shown to the world and they care regardless of race or religion. Tell me if the same is given when the victim or the country is not a muslim country. With the ongoing problems in Lebanon....what have the OIC done and what have the arab league has done.....and we in malaysia and indonesia shouting our lung out until the volcano erupted in Jogja?

I believe this is a compromise between the two majorities of Lebanon.

Heee....rico, i think you've been brainwashed by SG gahmen liao.. be careful nanti they make u a PR and persuade you to buy HDB flat and get a COE. By dat time, u want to get out back to your kampong in Msia, u oso cannot do dat liao... heee....

too late...already am...already bot hdb and coe

oh dear..... so u hv become another HDB heartlander when u could be in an idyllic village in Kelantan, sad...


j/k lolz

no choice .... u expect me to rent a house here?...its ok la...money for retirement...or rent out when I move out

whatever!

juz be sure the system doesn't turn you into a permanent arrogant pain-in-the-@$$, u noe wat i mean, ya?

how so?

I've only just realized that the Swingdoctor's question wasn't answered, so I'll do that now.
I heard on BBC radio that the reason for the kidnapping was to initiate a prisoner exchange. So mmmbop was on the right track there. Hezbollah wanted some prisoners taken by Israel.

One thing I'd like to add though... I hear constant reference to Palestine. Now, if I'm not mistaken, what was once Palestine doesn't include Lebanese territory. ie referring to Lebanese as Palestinians is probably similar to calling Malaysians Singaporeans.

oh you are such an angel bro....you open our eyes to the thru revelation. thank you for the wonderful insights

Dat is wat i mean, u cocky spaniel...

Israel was never going to do a prisoner exchange with prisoners specifically captured for that reason. Otherwise Hezbollah would continue to kidnap prisoners for exchange. They might even capture the same person multiple times for multiple exchanges. Hezbollah must have known this. In my 2 cents opinion, I feel Hezbollah wanted an open conflict to increase its standing among the Arab and Muslim nations. This would not be the first time a country/political party went up against Israel to shore up support for themselves. And Israel behaved predictably, in the same time, putting the peace process years behind.

Israel chose the right time to react ferociously..... european summer time..... when the politicans and petty bureaucrats are all on summer vacation busy getting a tan instead of shuttling back and fro to UN in NYC for security council resolutions.

The only people working behind the scenes are like the Russians, Brits and Finnish, nordic peoples who don't have a tradition of cessation of parliament during the summer months.

I'm sure most of us here are aware that there are many Christians in Lebanon.. Supporting Lebanon not just because of religion.. but its more to humanity..

Amen.....
Yeah.... I do aware about Lebanese diversity.
We cherised pluralism, like Indonesia, although we have the largest muslim population in the world, we also acknowledge Christianity, Catholic, Hinduism, Buddhism, also Confucianism. Everybody is free to practice these religions.

But punishing a whole sovereign nation of Lebanon for just a faction's action (Hezbollah) by invade it, destroying public facilities, attacking and killing civilian, just simply and plainly disgusting.
Israel simply just can not justify their action in any possible ways.
They'll get what's coming to them, you'll see....

I'm agree, it's just and humanity should we uphlod, regardless the religions. But one can not denied the religious sentiments about these issues. It's natural fo Muslims or Christians in other countries to felt, somewhat symphatisized and emotional solidarity towards the suffering of fellow Muslim Lebanese and Christian Lebanese. Moreover it's Jewish state of Israel that attack them. That makes religious sentiments is undeniably playing significant role on forming ones mindsets.......

While I can understand that it is possible Hezbollah wanted to trigger Israel's ire, there is no reason to rule out the theory that Hezbollah may have merely wanted some prisoner exchange.
How was the Hezbollah kidnapping so different from previous times so as to indicate without a doubt that their motive was to trigger an outbreak of violence against Lebanon this time round?

The fact is, unless we were the ones who ordered the kidanpping, we would never really know what the real reason was.

I was merely sharing what I heard from the BBC.

now you are referring me to a dog???