Replies

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ISRAEL
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=LEBANON

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihad

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah

===
===

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200607/NAT20060720a.html

"Arab Americans Say Israel Targeting Civilians, Urge Ceasefire"
By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
July 20, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) - Several members of Congress and the Arab American Institute Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire on the part of Israeli military forces in Lebanon. They accused Israel of targeting civilians and their civilized infrastructure, not Hizballah.

"The capture of Israeli soldiers by a Palestinian extremist group and [Hizballah] have served only to aggravate an already volatile situation, providing Israel with the pretext to justify its now three week old destructive campaign in Gaza and its massive devastation of Lebanon's infrastructure," James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, wrote in an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press Tuesday. "Self-defense is one thing, but collective punishment is quite another matter."

Zogby elaborated Wednesday in Washington, D.C., saying that Hizballah was created because Israel chose to use military force instead of diplomatic efforts in 1982.

"What we learned in '82, what we should have learned in '82 is that if we don't solve the political issues that are underlying this crisis then ultimately those political issues and the anger and the despair that they cause will morph into other forms and come back and haunt you in the long term," Zogby said.

"We believe diplomacy still has an important role to play," he added.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who is also Lebanese American, conceded that "Hizballah has been a cancer on Lebanon for a long time." But, he added: "We are not giving Israel a green light. All the parties are calling for a ceasefire, but we have to be realistic. You can't just have a ceasefire on one side."

"It is not in the world's interest for this conflict to continue, because if it continues it will only escalate," said U.S. Rep. James Moran (D-Va.). The Lebanese people are suffering and the majority of them have nothing to do with the conflict that is ensuing.""