At last, Israel has agreed to an UN imposed ceasefire. This marks the end to Israel’s 5 week onslaught on Lebanon.
Sadly, the ceasefire has come a little too late. In the 30+ days of continuous pounding, Israel has successfully managed in killing hundreds of innocent people and making thousands homeless. Hundreds of innocent women and children were killed. The basic infrastructure in Lebanon which took more than 3 decades to be built, bit dust in no time.
When we look back and try to find the reasons behind this war, we will be surprised that there are no concrete ones. Israel intended to disarm and destroy Hezbollah-- A terror outfit fighting against Israel from the Lebanese border. Agreed that Hezbollah must be disbanded and there is no excuse for Lebanon for supporting it.
But what Israel failed to realize is that killing of innocent citizens and bombing bridges will not destroy a terror outfit. And the effects of this are that the people of Lebanon are once again pushed into condition they were in the 70's when the country was in civil war. 30 years of country construction has bitten dust in days. People are again pushed to the brink of poverty.
US also is equally responsible for the disaster. Without active US support, Israel could not have taken such a big step. When most of the international community was up in arms condemning the act, US was busy supplying advanced rockets and severe bombs!
Let’s look at what the war has managed to achieve. Precious little gain for Israel as Hezbollah continues to be a major force in the region. In fact, its strength and image in the region is bound to increase given its successful defense against Israeli forces. The US and Israel have once again incurred the wrath of the Muslim community. This will add to the already long list of problems for the US.
Finally, the greatest losers are the Lebanese. For no mistake of theirs' they face doom. Thousands are without home, food and basic needs. With uncertainty prevailing in the country, getting investment will be a Herculean task. Also, with US showing little interest in rebuilding, the Lebanese sure face a bleak future. Therefore, even as the ceasefire has prevented further killing, the people who are alive don’t have much to look forward to.
The Lebanese war has once again proved that war and violence has no gains even for the oppressor. I wonder if the people in power will ever learn from history.
Sadly, the ceasefire has come a little too late. In the 30+ days of continuous pounding, Israel has successfully managed in killing hundreds of innocent people and making thousands homeless. Hundreds of innocent women and children were killed. The basic infrastructure in Lebanon which took more than 3 decades to be built, bit dust in no time.
When we look back and try to find the reasons behind this war, we will be surprised that there are no concrete ones. Israel intended to disarm and destroy Hezbollah-- A terror outfit fighting against Israel from the Lebanese border. Agreed that Hezbollah must be disbanded and there is no excuse for Lebanon for supporting it.
But what Israel failed to realize is that killing of innocent citizens and bombing bridges will not destroy a terror outfit. And the effects of this are that the people of Lebanon are once again pushed into condition they were in the 70's when the country was in civil war. 30 years of country construction has bitten dust in days. People are again pushed to the brink of poverty.
US also is equally responsible for the disaster. Without active US support, Israel could not have taken such a big step. When most of the international community was up in arms condemning the act, US was busy supplying advanced rockets and severe bombs!
Let’s look at what the war has managed to achieve. Precious little gain for Israel as Hezbollah continues to be a major force in the region. In fact, its strength and image in the region is bound to increase given its successful defense against Israeli forces. The US and Israel have once again incurred the wrath of the Muslim community. This will add to the already long list of problems for the US.
Finally, the greatest losers are the Lebanese. For no mistake of theirs' they face doom. Thousands are without home, food and basic needs. With uncertainty prevailing in the country, getting investment will be a Herculean task. Also, with US showing little interest in rebuilding, the Lebanese sure face a bleak future. Therefore, even as the ceasefire has prevented further killing, the people who are alive don’t have much to look forward to.
The Lebanese war has once again proved that war and violence has no gains even for the oppressor. I wonder if the people in power will ever learn from history.
2 comments:
hey..well laid out post.. and i totally agree with the very last line..'will people in power ever learn?'
you can expect a post from me on this topic in the near future.. i mean about how the people in power are the real culprits whereas the entire country or community gets a bad name (find any relation to Musharaf and Pakistan??)
There is one thing we need to learn from Israel, though. How a country which can be crossed in an hour of flying by helicopter has stood up to so many enemies determined to destroy its existence. How a country of a few million people has successfully used the largest super-power and the guilt of other major powers to build up a strong economy and defence forces. I think there is a lot we need to learn from Israel. Not to drop bombs on civilians, but to use international politics to our advantage.
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