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Hezbollah uses Christian villages as shields in missile attacks
Catholic News Agency ^ | August 3, 2006

Posted on 08/04/2006 8:04:22 AM PDT by NYer

Washington DC, Aug. 03, 2006 (CNA) - Recent reports indicate that Hezbollah is using Christian villages to shield its attacks against Israel.

According to Christian Solidarity International, Hezbollah is hiding among civilian populations, mostly in southern Lebanese towns, such as Ain Ebel, Rmeish, Alma Alshaab.

Launching attacks behind human shields is in violation of the Geneva Convention's provision for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, which prohibits the use of civilians as military shields.

This is not a new strategy for Hezbollah. Col. Charbel Barka, a former South Lebanese Army commander, says Hezbollah is repeating what it did in attacks against Israel in 1996.

A Christian from the village of Ain Ebel, who requested to remain nameless for fear of a reprisal from Hezbollah, reported that he found Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. Hezbollah fighters ignored his pleas to stop and fired the missiles. He immediately gathered his family and fled his home, which was bombed 15 minutes later by an Israeli air strike.

Hezbollah has also attempted to stop Christians from fleeing their villages. According to Christian Solidarity International, on July 28, Hezbollah fighters fired upon several Christians fleeing Rmeish with their families, wounding two.

Sami El-Khoury, president of the World Maronite Union, adds that media reports about Christian support for Hezbollah are inaccurate.

"Contrary to Western press reports, indicating high percentages of Christian support for Hezbollah, 90 percent of Christians, 80 percent of Sunni and 40 percent of Shiites in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah," El-Khoury told Christian Solidarity International.

Christian Solidarity International has called for the United Nations to establish a politically independent commission to investigate Hezbollah's contravention of international law. The group has also urged the UN Security Council to deploy immediately an international force in Lebanon to facilitate a ceasefire, to stop the flow of arms from Syria to Hezbollah, and to assist the Lebanese government in fulfilling its obligation to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been the ruling power in the south since Israel withdrew from Lebanon six years ago. Christian villages suffer from extensive neglect of infrastructure under Hezbollah rule. Once the majority, the Christian population in Lebanon has declined to under 40 percent due to pressures by Islamic militias supported by Iran and Syria.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Israel; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2006israelwar; catholic; christian; hezboullah; lebanesechristians; lebanon; maronite; shiite; sunni
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To: observer5

How about the US and the western world saying enough and go on a crusade against this?

500 years from now, some scholar is going to say that the reason that the slaughter of Christians continues (they already killed all the Jews) by radical Islamofascists is because in the early 21st century, the western world appeased radical Islam.


21 posted on 08/04/2006 9:22:46 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Democrats - The reason we need term limits)
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To: magslinger

Like your take on the WW0. These cretins have been a scourge upon the world ever since their pedophile "prophet" made up his own religion because he couldn't get away with his evil deeds under the religions in existence at the time. Islam is NOT A RELIGION, it's a death cult. Pass the Kool-Aid........


22 posted on 08/04/2006 9:47:09 AM PDT by unionblue83 (Duty is ours; consequences are God's. -- Stonewall Jackson.)
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To: magslinger

**I have been referring to it as WW 0. It has been going on with cease fires for the Islamokazies to regroup for six centuries.**

Good call!

Using civilians, let alone Christians for their purpose is totally sickening.

Lord, please help the Israelis in this situation.


23 posted on 08/04/2006 9:49:38 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: unionblue83

As Americans, we fought our first battle with Islam almost the moment we were "out from under the British thumb" / "without the Royal Navy's protection". We have fought them periodically ever since.


24 posted on 08/04/2006 9:53:49 AM PDT by magslinger (Without Freedom, Utopia isn't paradise after all. It's just hell in a fancy prom dress. Steven James)
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To: Salvation

Using any humans as shields is despicable. What I find particularly telling is the Islamokazies' willingness to use there own co-relifionists as shields.


25 posted on 08/04/2006 9:59:37 AM PDT by magslinger (Without Freedom, Utopia isn't paradise after all. It's just hell in a fancy prom dress. Steven James)
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To: magslinger

And as Christians we have been fighting the Islamonazi scourge since its inception.


26 posted on 08/04/2006 10:00:21 AM PDT by unionblue83 (Duty is ours; consequences are God's. -- Stonewall Jackson.)
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To: magslinger

co-relifionists=co-religionists
Edit twice, post once.


27 posted on 08/04/2006 10:01:55 AM PDT by magslinger (Without Freedom, Utopia isn't paradise after all. It's just hell in a fancy prom dress. Steven James)
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To: unionblue83

Exactly!


28 posted on 08/04/2006 10:03:08 AM PDT by magslinger (Without Freedom, Utopia isn't paradise after all. It's just hell in a fancy prom dress. Steven James)
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To: magslinger


Someone wrote:

"No matter how you feel about it, the truth is:
* If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.
* If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel."


29 posted on 08/04/2006 10:05:04 AM PDT by Tulsa Ramjet ("If not now, when?")
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To: Tulsa Ramjet

The same is true for any religion/country. If we don't stand up for Jews, who will stand up for us?


30 posted on 08/04/2006 10:17:31 AM PDT by magslinger (Without Freedom, Utopia isn't paradise after all. It's just hell in a fancy prom dress. Steven James)
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To: NYer
nce the majority, the Christian population in Lebanon has declined to under 40 percent due to pressures by Islamic militias supported by Iran and Syria.

Sounds like ethnic cleansing to me.

31 posted on 08/04/2006 10:17:44 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: Jeff Head
"Better to mitigate the difficulty now, than wait for it to become much worse in the future."

And even if we do it now, it will come with heavy cost. Perhaps more than the average man on the street would be willing to pay for life, liberty, and the pursuit of peace and happiness -- which we will lose anyway unless we all close ranks and start taking care of business.

Solutions?

32 posted on 08/04/2006 10:19:20 AM PDT by Eastbound
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To: Eastbound
Solutions?

No "easy" solutions, but then again, there never are to knotty problems. Solving "Islamism" is not going to be for the squeamish, but the stakes are too high...

the infowarrior

33 posted on 08/04/2006 10:43:59 AM PDT by infowarrior (The GOP runs the US, the Dems run their mouths... Freeper HardStarboard)
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To: infowarrior

Let me re-phrase my question. What do you think the gummint should do today that needs to be done?


34 posted on 08/04/2006 11:13:42 AM PDT by Eastbound
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To: Eastbound
Let me further divide the question into two parts.

(a) On the foreign front?

(b) On the domestic front?

35 posted on 08/04/2006 11:16:48 AM PDT by Eastbound
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To: Jeff Head

BUMP!


36 posted on 08/04/2006 11:21:14 AM PDT by F.J. Mitchell (But who or what can check or balance the appointed for life, dictatorial US Supreme Court?)
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To: NYer
Hezbollah uses Christian villages as shields in missile attacks

Take note American dhimmis-to-be (of all or no religion)...
of how your peaceful neighbors (say the Hezbollah supporters in
Dearborn, MI) will repay your politcally-correct tolerance...
once they find some pretext for offense.
And decide they want a Muslim Michigan.
37 posted on 08/04/2006 11:26:31 AM PDT by VOA
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To: NYer

Hezbollah is despicable and contemptible.

I sincerely hope Israel finishes the job this time!

Prayers up for all the innocent civilians who are being used as shields.


38 posted on 08/04/2006 11:33:19 AM PDT by Palladin (Ad in Hezbollah Herald: Human Shields wanted. Free housing.)
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To: Eastbound; joanie-f; Noumenon; Lurker; Grampa Dave; B4Ranch
We must fight this war like the true war that it is. This must be communicated effectively to the American people, and then we must mobilize for war in that fashion.

Make no mistake, if our leaders cannot or will not communicate this in no uncertain terms to the American people, sooner or later, our enemies will and they will do so in in such a manner that the communications medium will be, in all probablility, tens of thousands of American citizens dead.

Then, once that is done, we must fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, and elsewhere, in such a manner that communicates it to our enemies and any town, city, localities, nations, parties, etc. that support them, in such a way that they cannot possibly mistake it. You seek to destroy the United States and our liberty and way of life, and it is you and all you hold dear that will be destroyed and laid low until you sue,uncoditionally, for peace and our mercy.

Then we support our allies, like Israel, in the same vane.

If we do that, and establish and support the resulting free governments in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid this turning into a world war that draws in our other enemies in Asia, South America, AFrica, the Carribean, etc. Otherwise, we will end up having to fight the same type of war, with much more chance for loss, in all of those areas at once.

Domestically, as regards our borders, our manufacturing base, our energy, our agricultural base, etc., we must take the same tact. That is, protecting them, developing self sufficiency in them, marshalling them, and gearing up to apply them in a true fullly-mobilized war environment.

It is too late, IMHO, to pretend or try and shield or hide from the American people the true extent of what is happening, or to avoid significant cost. Rather, we can communicate to them the extent and seriousness of the situation as a Reagan would have donbe, and enlist their help, sacrifice, and support in the hopes of avoiding a much worse set of circumstances.

Just my opinion.

39 posted on 08/04/2006 11:42:50 AM PDT by Jeff Head (www.dragonsfuryseries.com)
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To: F.J. Mitchell

See my post 39 in response to Eastbound.


40 posted on 08/04/2006 11:43:13 AM PDT by Jeff Head (www.dragonsfuryseries.com)
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