[rebel_yell2]

Will someone from the Israeli lobby please explain why the "blockade" of outgoing foreigners is necessary to protect their citizens?

I just don't get it.

All of my life, I have been 100% supportive of Israel, but it has lost me and lots of others on this issue.

Hizbollah took two Israeli soldiers captive to start this mess.

But then Israel took close to 100,000 foreign nationals hostage by bombing Beirut airport and imposing a blockade.

No one has kept me from leaving Beirut for the last five days except the Israeli air force and navy.

If this is incorrect, I welcome enlightenment.

[Texasforever]

I would assume you will not be returning to the middle east in the future.

[GatorGirl]

Not sleeping tonight, huh? I don't blame you.

It's 0400. Get some rest if you can!

[MiniCooperChick]

I'm here visiting my sister who is a Freeper. She has been posting recently and I've been looking over her shoulder. I kicked her off because your latest post made my jaw drop.

I've followed your saga. I've been here since the Fourth of July weekend. I don't post much, because I live overseas. My husband works for a major multinational and his work often takes him to some very unsavory locales. I sometimes accompany him and sometimes I remain at our home in a relatively civilized foreign country. We don't have children and our way of life suits us. We had hoped to be able to return to the US and I in fact did move back about a year ago, but this fell through.

With this background, I must weigh in: your personal feelings about Israel are yours and I frankly don't care what they are. It's a free country (at least ours is) and you can think what you want. I'm not a rabid Israel supporter who thinks they can do no wrong, but I do know they are our ally and the presence of at least one sensible non-Muslim country in the Middle East is to our benefit.

But to blame Israel for your current plight is outrageous.

This is not about YOU, nor is it about the other 99,999 foreign nationals who are trapped in Lebanon. You are understandably worried and upset about your plight. But quit navel gazing and grow up. You're probably exhausted seeing as it's the wee hours of the morning there. It's the exact same time at my home overseas right now, so I know of what I speak.

I am sure my dear sister would post a prayer request for me, should the terrorists living in my adopted home town get restless and try to overthrow the government or if they were involved in a conflict such as this. I would be hoping to escape as well. But I would realize that I could just as easily make my home in the US if I wanted to play it safe and I am obviously choosing to live there. My husband chooses to work where and how he does. We are adults and we know the risks.

I wish you the best, but you are embarassing yourself with your hysterical, selfish rants against Israel. I repeat, IT"S NOT ABOUT YOU!!!

[freema]

I'm not from the Israeli lobby, but if you consider yourself held hostage, and American has made it quite clear that we do not negotiate with hostage takers, then you're ticket out is a free pass. Isn't that lovely?!

[Marine_Uncle]

"If this is incorrect, I welcome enlightenment."
Has it occured to you that early on, Israel decided to take out the airport so that no more missles would be flown in from elsewhere, whether directly from Iran or Syria.
I do hope you shall soon safely be able to get out of the country.

[Rte66]

I've tried to help you by talking to people who know and I told you what was said, but you don't respond to my posts anymore.

Best of luck to you.

[Maximus_Ridiculousness]

Rebel,

Can you get on the Orient Queen? Reports are saying it's in the Beirut ports now and they plan to load 700-1000 US citizens.

Also, Americans are no longer required to pay any kind of fee to get out.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Hizbollah took two Israeli soldiers captive to start this mess.

'Twas a BIT more than that; HB was already shooting missiles into civilian territories of Israel. Israel came to the conclusion that it was engaged with an enemy that would not "talk" at all but could only be dealt with the hard way.

[conservative in nyc]

Will someone from the Israeli lobby please explain why the "blockade" of outgoing foreigners is necessary to protect their citizens?

Well, I'm not from the Israel lobby, but I can think of more than a half-dozen reasons why Israel would want to impose a blockade of anyone coming in or out of Lebanon:

1) The stated reason - to stop the bad guys from taking their kidnapped soldiers out of the country.

2) To stop the bad guys from leaving the country. If Israel truly wants to destroy Hezbollah, it would be a disaster - politically and otherwise - for their leaders to slip out of the country and taunt Israel from the comfort of Libya or some other rogue state.

3) To avoid overtaxing their Navy. The last thing Israel want to have to do is board every outgoing ship to make sure the bad guys and the kidnapped soldiers don't slip out. Doing so would be time consuming and wouldn't allow their Navy to complete their main mission. More importantly, keeping outgoing vessels in port makes it easier for the Israeli Navy to interdict incoming ships, which may be bringing missiles into the country.

4) To avoid another U.S.S. Cole-type situation. In addition to creating more work for the Israelis, cluttered seas would make it easier for a ship laden with explosives to blow up a Naval vessel.

5) To keep the radar scope relatively clear so that it's easier for warning systems to pick out real threats like missiles.

6) To control the seas around Lebanon to make sure that no one attacks Israel by sea.

7) The Israelis are thinking two steps ahead. The Israelis bombed the airport in part to stop future problems before they arise. Put yourself in Israel's shoes. Suppose you know that rockets are destined for Hezbollah on a civilian airplane. Do you shoot it down, causing immediate world condemnation and hundreds of civilian casualties? No. You avoid the possibility of this occurring in the first place by taking out the runways of the country's only airport.

Simply put, Israel wants to control the Lebanese land, air and sea battle space. It is in their national interest to do so. Note that Israel has not blocked all exit routes - one or two land routes are available to get to Syria if someone is really determined to go there. But they've created a situation where Israel can better monitor who is getting in and who is getting out. It's obviously not perfect, and the soldiers could theoretically be smuggled through a land border to Syria. But limiting ingress and egress makes that less likely.

I understand that it must be frustrating to be in a war zone where it is difficult to leave due to circumstances beyond your control. Hang in there. Everything should turn out for the best. I and many other FReepers are certainly praying that it will.

[LowOiL]

All of my life, I have been 100% supportive of Israel, but it has lost me and lots of others on this issue.

Yes sir, I understand that, and a search of your past post proves you are not just shooting the bull here. You are frustrated, tired, and helpless (and I imagine a little scared, I would be if the roles were reversed).

Will someone from the Israeli lobby please explain why the "blockade" of outgoing foreigners

I also am not an "Israeli" war expert. But I know that those in charge of Israel have managed to defend themselves numerous times and have a track record unsurpassed in these matters. I am sure President Bush is being briefed on how/when/where his citizens of good standing will be handed over in good shape the best they can muster.

But then Israel took close to 100,000 foreign nationals hostage by bombing Beirut airport and imposing a blockade.

Israel knows that the airports could be used against them in not only transporting arms, but also in transporting prisoners out of the country to places harder to get to. If you had been gathered up and placed on the airport area as a deterent to bomb the airport, they could use that pressure (world pressure) to prevent Israel from shutting down the airports. So I imagine that, much to the chagrin of the terrorist nations, Israel rushed to shut down the airports before the terrorist had even time to think about using the hostages as human shields.

Again, I am trying to do the job of military planning, a subject I must admit I am not trained in.

BTW... Rebel_yell2 ... I did write my congressman in support of you... (wish we knew your real name) but I did the best I could to convey that we do care for ya and hope to see you in one piece again (even if it is just to wrestle ya).

[Jezebelle]

There's no blockade. People are being checked to make sure the bad guys don't slip out.

As to the rest of your post, you're a fraud. You've made the entire story up to be a "victim" of Israel. It goes on all over the net. You have no legitimate, logical claims against Israel so you prey on hysteria as a means of smearing the Israelis.