[lit-ideas] Re: Another Bush failure?

Hezbollah's classed as a terrorist organization (by 
the US, Canada, Israel and the Netherlands; 
the UK and Australia call only its "security wing -- 
does that mean its armed wing? -- terrorist) 
because of its involvement in suicide bombings pre-1999. 
(I assume.) 

However (I quote)

"Although Hezbollah has denounced attacks on Western 
civilians, it makes an exception in the case of Israel. 
In June 2002, shortly after the Israeli government launched
 Operation Defensive Shield, which culminated in the 
Battle of Jenin, Nasrallah gave a speech in which he defended 
and praised suicide bombings of Israeli civilians; 
including women and children; by members of Palestinian 
groups for "creating a deterrence and equalizing fear."
 Nasrallah stated that "in occupied Palestine there is no 
difference between a soldier and a civilian, for they are 
all invaders, occupiers and usurpers of the land;"[89] making 
no distinction between killing soldiers or murdering women 
and children."

jk>not supportive of Israel's latest tacticts but certainly 
jk>not supportive of terrorist organizations, e.g., Hez.

though UK law makes it dodgy for me to say this, I think I must (as
a follow-on to part of a thread perhaps begun by Lawrence, re
which organizations people here would call terrorist).  There
are groupings and organizations that were undoubtedly terrorist that
I suppose I'd have to say I supported; e.g., the ANC.  There are
ends I'd say I supported e.g. the UK being made to withdraw from
Palestine, that were furthered by terrorist acts by the Stern Gang
and perhaps Irgun.  

Equally and less controversially, (and more OK in UK law!)
 there are of course often acts carried out by governments that 
are more bloody than almost
all (perhaps, than all) acts of "terrorism" and some of those
governments (or regimes) are ones we should have opposed/
should oppose.  

***************
Were the shootings at Sharpeville "terrorist"?

http://africanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa-SharpevilleMassacre-a.htm
***************

There was a piece in The Guardian that said, to my mind rightly, that
perhaps whether something can be labelled "terrorist" is not the point
(in the real world of politics in which we live).  Our new Conservative
Party leader's recent apology for Thatcher etc.'s attitude to apartheid 
South Africa and his meeting (by invitation) with Nelson Mandela 
is one kind of example of this.  The role the US Presidency played
in bringing the IRA to the negotiating table (entertaining terrorists
in the White House as part of the process) is another.  I don't actually
like realpolitik but, so it is.

Also, you quoted Irene's 

"Hezbollah is out there handing out money and rebuilding..."

I may be wrong but it seemed to me Irene said that in the context of
her

"Power lies in those who can win hearts and minds..."


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: jimkandjulieb@xxxxxxx 
  To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 5:41 PM
  Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Another Bush failure?


   <<Hezbollah is out there handing out money and
  rebuilding while we're still supporting war lords in Somalia. >>

  Have you been asleep for the last decade?  Rip Van Winkle?  Do you not have 
any idea what kind of carnage and the #'s of deaths and injuries (I don't mean, 
oh, I broke my nail, or oh, I have a cut, but oh, I'm suddenly missing limbs 
kinds of injuries) Hez has been responsible for in Israel?  Sure.  They help 
their own people.  We (sort of) help our own.  Try to remain objective......

  Julie Krueger
  not supportive of Israel's latest tacticts but certainly not supportive of 
terrorist organizations, e.g., Hez.

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