AFter reading a lot of these posts, I have changed my mind. Of course, Israel should immediately cease fire. They should all go back to Europe. The terrorists could then become peace-loving people. They might become bored and mosque-going might go down, because the sermons aren't so exciting anymore. They might miss the money families made from a member's suicide death. They might have to get jobs and work instead of plotting all day and night how to kill people. Then they'd decide to start harassing the other Islamics who differ from them or even Christians. The excitement would be back and life as they know it would be back. Anger and resentment. Someone else to blame. Someone else to terrorize because they have been wronged.

There has always been a "Palestine". It was the kingdom Pelesheth, "land of the Pelishtiy" (Philistines) in Abraham and Isaac's time with a King Abimelech. Pelesheth has come down through history as Philistina, Palestina, Palestine through transliterated philology from Heb>Greek>Roman>English. It was recognized as an imperial province under all of the conquering empires down to Greco-Roman times, which reorganized and named the province as Syro-Palestine under a Roman imperial governor. Herod's kingdom of Judea remained autocephalus as a vassal state to the Roman Empire until he died, which was then split into a tetrachy among Herod's sons ofter his death. Archelaus was so oppressive over Judea, that Augustus banished him to Gaul after a delegation of Jews went to Rome with indictments. Christian governments always referred to this area as Palestine, the capital of which was Jerusalem after the Jews were banished from Palestine about the 6-7th centuries AD. Under the Muslim imperial administrations (Arabian, Persian and Turkish in successive conquests) the area still retained it's legal provincial name in Greek or Latin, although the Muslim government may have called it something else. It was still the same government province through successive imperial administrations, retaining a geo-political identity as Palestine when Britain took over control from the Turks under the Mandate in 1917. It was Jerusalem, Palestine until Israel was officially declared a state in 1948. The descendents of Ismael (also circumcised), Abraham's oldest son, the Ishmaelites, later became one of the Arabian, or "Desert", tribal bedouin princedoms, who generally were the merchant traders between kingdoms, although many also settled on the land of Palestine itself to farm, or lived as shepherds. Ismael and Isaac together buried Abraham. The tribes of Ishmael maintained close association with the descendents of Jacob, last recorded in the Bible through at least David's time, and were distinguished enough that some Israelites were given the name Ishmael. David received a gift of sheep from an Ismaelite. Some of the Palestinian Arabs are descendents from the first Christians in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, by the way, as well as the majority of Arabs who are Muslim. There were at 1-2 million Christians as an Arab plurality throughout Syrio-Palestine (including Lebanon). About 50-100K Palestinian Arab Orthodox Christians remain in the Jerusalem Patriarchate, not counting members of other Churches such as Catholics, Marionites, Armenian and other traditional congregations. Muslims, Christians and a small population of native Orthodox Jews all lived in relative peace inside their own communities in Palestine prior to WW1 while still under the Turkish regime.

Israel is a "democracy" only for the Jewish Israeli citizens. It is a two-tiered political society. Anyone else, even if born on Israeli soil, ie "Israeli Arabs", is denied political process and elected representation. No non-Jew has civil rights and privileges of a citizen, unless they convert to Judaism. Israel is an "apartheid" state. There are 30 some odd political parties that run for office, but they are all Jewish. BTW, Israel has not at all adopted and ratified a constitution since declared a state in 1948.

The US can pressure Israel by simply shutting off petrol shipments from the $3 billion strategic reserve authorized by Congress every 5 years held specifically for them, courtesy of the U$A taxpayers, regardless of our own domestic energy situation at any given time.(That is in addition to all of the other billions that goes to Israel in foreign and/or military aid.)

Re: Hezbolla families--of course they moved their families out, rather than leave them to be tortured and abused for "intelligence". Hezbollah has had long experience with Israel's "peaceful, benevolent" military hand. What i t is about a leapard changing its spots? Israel was ramping up for a two-front war with Palestine and Lebanon months ago, having called up 30,000 IDF reserves about Jan or March (only about 33% showed up, the rest had medical problems.) There was just a second IDF call-up of another 30,000 within the past 10 days or so. Must be getting ready for another neo-con "cease-fire" on the Oslo War Agreements.

Lets be real, the Palestinians are the "Red-Headed Step-Children" of the middle east. The only reason that the surrounding Arab countries even care about them, is because they all share a common goal: The complete destruction of Israel and every Jew that exists within her borders. We should be thanking Israel for helping keep the peace in the middle east, because once Israel is out of the way the real fireworks will begin. Don't believe me, just take a look at whats happening in Iraq. Shiite and Sunni killing one another. Why, because a brutal dictator has been removed and 1000 year old hatred for each other bubble to the top. Look what happened when the "Iron Curtain" was removed and the cold war ended. Does Kosovo ring a bell? How about a guy named Milosvich? What do you think is going to happen when Castro finally dies? Unfortunately, mankind will probably always be at war with one another. Just open one of your children's history book and start reading.

S. Heitz,
I applaud your post. It appears to explain the feelings of just about every fellow American I'm surrounded by and nobody should be automatically branded an anti-Semite just because they dont support the Israeli agenda.

Mr Chavez, Los Angeles CA, how noble of you to document and present a list of all the atrocities that have been committed against the Israeli population. I applaud you, but you have yet to complete the job. Now, go back and document all the Arabs that have been murdered and their cities destroyed by the Israelis. Note: I’d be happy to send you several reams of paper to write on because you are going to run out of space.

Of course U.S. isn't going to make Israel cease fire. Since 1967,Israel has been occupying land that doesn't belong to them. We're (U.S.) a typical empire empowered by the lust for money and power...Trust me, we won't confront any country like we did Irag that offers no monetary benefit....It is as simple as that. What happened to historical empires of the past? Where are they now? We really should take heed. At times, we live in the best country in the world, and other times the worst country in the world.

My remarks were too obtuse. What I am saying is that we've always come out in total support of Israel at the expense of the other "side" (as in the Palestinians and the Lebanese) and also at our own expense. We could have stopped the carnage of the Lebanese civilians before it got this bad if we had wanted to. Instead we refused to call for an cease fire until all the details had been worked out, to the disgust of most of the rest of the world. Now we have more enemies than we ever had before and that is NOT in America's best interest. Every country has a right to self-defense, but Israel took this way way into Over-Kill. That is not defendable as self-defense.

Shelly, Tampa, Florida

I don't understand your comments... are you refering to Hezbollah and Hamas... OR to ISRAEL?????

you know, it's a 2-sided problem.

As citizens, we can properly address this situation only if we give our ethnic roots, religious persuasions, petty biases, etc. the back seat and think of ourselves first as AMERICANS. Our totally one-sided support of Israel is NOT in America's best interest. The results of this policy have already proved the point, time and time again. Peace, healthy economies, cooperation and world-wide respect are what we must strive for, and that can only be achieved by the even-handed treatment of all parties in the conflict. Unfortunately, it may be just too darn late!

What if your sons came into my yard and killed my son and kidnapped my daughter. Do I have the right to come into your neighborhood and destroy all the homes and kill all the people I find? Some people would say ‘yes’, but the law would try to stop me and bring me to justice (even as it would try to bring you to justice). Funny thing about Bush and his administration – these Christian folks believe that the just thing to do is to let me continue to destroy and kill at will until I am vent (or kill everyone in your community), then we all kiss and make up. God help us all – war crimes are now self defense.

How embarassing.It boggles my mind how ignorant my fellow Americans are, but it does explain why the world is in it's current condition. When you have a sold out president that can't complete a sentance, declaring war on anybody that opposes him your asking for armegeddon. Israel are the terrorists. Murdering innocent woman and children is terrorism I don't care what religion you are. simply SICKENING. We are not the wonderful sugary sweet country you are all brainwashed into believing we are stubborn, selfish, aggressive, dangerous, people, look at history you fools, there is a reason people blow themselves up! Mainly because we back them into a corner take everything from them and force them to extremism. We will reap what we sow.

A country that goes to war and kills more children than enemy fighters, and then convinces itself that it didn't kill them, is a very, very scary country indeed.

I have two simple questions. What would happen if the Hezbollah dumped all their weapons into the ocean ? Answer: The fighting would stop. What would happen if Israel dumped all their weapons into the ocean? Answer: Every last Jew in Israel would be killed! Lastly, anyone saying that the Jews have no right to Israel, should immediately leave their homes and give their land back to the Native Americans who lived here thousand of years before white Europeans arrived. My guess is that many of don't have a drop of Native American blood running through your veins.

I am amused by the postings where it is stated that Americans are stupid because we do not know all about the other guy, his religion, his convoluted history. It is not that we don't know, it is that we don't CARE! On the one hand, we are to be concerned for these people, on the other we are to butt out as we are imperialistic. If the US intervenes we are wrong and if we don't we are wrong. We know that a closed door meeting was held after WW II where decisions were made without the US populations consent (or the middle east's) but leaving the US population holding the bag and taking the blame. Leave the Middle East to themselves. If the US government never allowed the suppression of alternative fuel and other technologies these past 5-6 decades we would have no interest in the region.

I am sick of comments like that of Governor Richards who stated as a fact in an interview on Fox, that Americans support Israel. That is not a given, most don't consider Israel one way or the other, which does not make us anti-Israel, just anti-interested in their agenda as it has nothing to do with our nations needs and health. Politicians support Israel and do not make that their platforms when they present themselves to the voters. Who has ever heard one on the campaign trail say "a vote for me is a vote for Israel"? Would you vote for them if they did? I want politicians who look after our interests first and not at the expense of others, and who will not bleed this country dry for Israel or any country or the major corporations that really, are the only constituents represented by OUR elected officials.

Our support of any big money situation, be it war or a rebuilding need in a foreign country because of earthquake etc., should be by national polling. That way, the world could then know the true attitude of the population and not the one sided version perpetuated by media, governmental commitee members, the UN or the EU.

Ever see the movie "Death race 2000"? It was a really bad movie where they scored points for the more people they ran over while trying to get to the finish line. In one sequence, they wheel all of these old people in wheel chairs out in the road for one of the drivers. This is what Hezbollah is doing, but for personal gain. When interviewed today, in the midst of the supposed cease fire apparently some of the Hezbollah were moving about, they asked them why in towns like qana why there are only elderly, women and children left and asked if these were the fighters families. They told the interviewer that their fammilies had been moved to safety long ago. They were just "helping" them. They are using them as deliberate Israeli targets to spawn world outrage. Draw fire to an area where a bunch of poor and elderly are then reap the benefits of the backlash. Supprising the world doesnt see this.

"The pursuit of tactical military victories at the expense of the core strategic objective of Arab-Israeli peace is a hollow victory"
" The United States will remain committed to dfending Israel .... but, it NEED and CANNOT be at the expense of our Arab and Muslim relationship"

This a quote form Sen. Chuck Hagel . I think that statment could not me more be right and finally someone with some common sense.
If the US govt and Israel think they can destroy Hizbollah using miltary power then they are dreaming. Israel destroyed the PLO in Plasetine and the result was a more radical group came to power, Hamas.
I hear people say the US would have reacted the same way if it was attacked by terrorists from Mexico, pleaes get overuself, everyone knows very well in million years no Mexicans are going to attack the US.Why would Mexicans attack the US?
People are also saying that there is a UN resolution for Hizboallah to disarm, do you all know how many resolution were passed against Israel and how many were vetoed by the US. The UN resoultion to disarm Hizbollah is 2 years old and the current Lebanese govt has been in power less than 2 years. How can Israel is going to expect the Lebanese to disarm Hizbaollah in less than 2 years while they could not disarm them in over 15 years?
Everyone knows that the lebanese is not strong enough to disarm Hizboallg but they were heading in the right direction; they kicked the Syrian army out of Lebanon and they were still working on disarming Hizboallh. But now Israel put the Lebanese govt in a tough situation, to all the Lebanese ppl Hizboallh is their hero, even Lebanese Christians are supporting Hizboallh.
The only solution for this crisis is a fair peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, exchange of prisoners between Lebanon and Israel, Israel to pull out of some Syrian terrorities and for Hamas and Hizboallh accept the fact that Israel is going no where its here to stay

Ben from Maryland:

I suggest that you do research as well but this time beyond citing the usual pro-israeli propaganda that you've been spoon-fed. Have you ever read Edward Said who was an acclaimed professor at Columbia?

The creation of israel created the "Palestinian problem" and not other arab countries. Yes, there was not a Palestine before 1948, but there was a group of people who were tied to that land FOR CENTURIES who were ethnically muslim who were displaced because of isreal and the ensuing wars.

Israel was created out of racism and colonialism. After WWII, American and Western Europe didn't want the flood of jewish immigrants to come, so they needed an expedient place to relocate them. Also, do you think early and mid 1900's Europe and America cared about the local people who lived in the area now called "palestine"? do you think they cared to even ask what their thoughts were about shipping over some white skinned immigrants to this area so that these foreigners can create a new country and culture? while America and europe maybe anti-semitic, imagine their distain for people with not only a different religion but also a different race?

Yes, it sucks that other arab countries did not want to help these displaced people... but why should they, afterall, again, these people lived on the land now called israel for centuries and were tied to it... not much comfort to see the farms your ancestors have lived on for generation go to foreigners while you have to relocate to... Saudi Arabia?

The most interesting thing in this thread is the remarkable number of Americans who have been knocked conscious by the Israeli brutality.

And after waking up wonder, why should America be the servant of these people?

Israel existed before the Roman, Greek, Media-Persion, and Babylonian Empire.
(Genesis 17:8) The whole land of Caanan, (land of Israel) where you are now an alien, I will give as everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God...Israel occupied this land until they were booted out, and it was God who brought them back fifty years ago. God loves all people and hates war, but no human including the U.S. will be able to bring peace to the middle East conflict.

I wonder what the Israeli response would have been if, instead of capturing soldiers, the Hezbollah said "Hey, we dont really want to fight you anymore - we've got kids, you've got kids - how can we work out a deal where we can get back what we consider Lebanese land and both of us can live in relative peace?"

The question 'how could the US pressure Israel' is an interesting topic for students studying political science but has nothing to do with today’s reality. Israeli’s policy is beyond the 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'. This war is a US-Israel co-invasion of Lebanon. The entire world knows it. Tony Benn, one of the legendary figures of the Labour Party in UK said yesterday: "US and Israel had been planning the attack on Lebanon for months if not years as part of what was a long-term strategy to rebuild the Middle East on their term" and Peter Baker from the WP: "with each new scene of carnage in southern Lebanon, outrage in the Arab world and Europe has intensified against Israel and its prime sponsor (US)".
Therefore, the question is whether the Americans prefer to pursue the shortsighted Jewish nationalism by sacrificing American lives, money and reputation or put the interest of the US and the entire world first by showing real vision and leadership in the way they did for more than 200 years, up to the end of the last century.

The problem here is the way Israel responds when attacked. Their solution is to try to kill all of Hezbollah and their children. It does no good because it creates only more Terrorists that street Arabs and the Lebanese will support because Israel reponse is so unproportional.
The common sense reponse should be if Hezbollah fires 100 rockets then Israel return fires 100 rockets. The next day if Hezbollah fires 70 rockets then Israel fires back 70 rockets. Target the cities on both sides, Women and Children are dying no matter how you fight this war. I bet civilian pressure on both sides would stop this activity when they know they will be the targets when a terrorist group or governmnet starts firing off rockets.

There are plenty of people in the US, who are top ranking physicians, lawyers, dentists, business owners, that come from Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Israel, etc., plus the inner most Muslim countries. Most of them are better educated than the Americans and are trustworthy folks. I know plenty of them and would rather have them as my personal physician, etc. What we don't know and should not ask is what they belong to. Americans are to much up on their faith to acknowledge strategies. There is no God to help create this disaster. It is us people, who are so deeply troubled by who is who. We are but one people. We all think the same, we have two eyes, a nose and mouse plus two ears and can use our arms and legs to do things. Yes, what does that tell you, we are of the same equality but difference in color, and nationality and creed.

In all the comments on this page, once again the people in this country have forgotten God and the Bible(or perhaps they just removed him and it from their messages, the same way they took it out of the school and even out of "God Bless America") It really is apparent when someone is well educated but have very little common sence. If half of you people read your Bible and new the words you would understand and for those of you that don't I feel really sorry for you. God will handle the world and everything in it, in his own way. Everyone should try to see the Isreali side of things after all they are Gods choosen people and understand that what they were living was not right. They have every right to protect themselves. And for all you terrorist loving idiots why don't you go live with them instead of living here and complaining about everything and wanting to take God out of everything!!!

Unfortunatly-this will never end as long as the Earth exists-the animosity stems back from when Abraham had to choose between his first-born(Isaac)and his illegitimate son(Ismail).That is how far back this animosity between the Jews and Palistinians goes