Please – Everyone is at fault with this crisis in the Middle East. Do Not try to convince the people (the intelligent people) of this country that Lebanon and Hezbollah are innocent fighters of freedom against the Israeli occupiers.

There is an extraordinary opportunity for the Middle East, the Lebanese, Israel and indeed the world. Tell the democratically elected government of Lebanon to stand up and fight the terrorist aggressors that are Hezbollah. Let these innocent people (people on both sides of the boarder) not die in vain. Together Israel and Lebanon can set a precedent that peace is attainable.

Stephen Harper is right in his views on this situation (perhaps not so much on “a measured response”) but I tell you if the United States launched missiles into Montreal, Ontario or any place in Canada then kidnapped 3 of our soldiers we wouldn’t have the right to use military force to get them back.

Response to Paul:

Paul I guess you are not well informed on the situation as most people.
But please get informed before say anything, so you wont talk sensless.
Stop watching CNN, BBC, CBC, etc, so you wont be uninformed and
the first thing you gotta look up is about the begining of Hezbolah.
Then try to research about the history of Israel,how the country was created, how many people have died of both sides (compare)in this conflict and so on…
I hope the next time you will give us a better comment.
PLEASE!!!

Canada has a tradition of justice, peace and tolerance. Harper is guilty of breaking this tradition. No, we do not need american-style, simplistic, ‘red-neck’ solutions to this crisis. Such unilateral and biased policy can only bring more disaster. Let us use the richness of our people to encourage a solution of mutual understanding and fairness, a typically canadian solution that encourages justice, peace and tolerance. For me, Harper gets a ‘carton rouge’.

I am a Canadian of Lebanese heritage. I am extremely disappointed and upset with the Harper government. This country stood up to the bullies of the world and we Canadians were respected for protecting those who could not protect themselves from terror and mass murder. This country stood for peace, its reputation for peace was a shining one. Now I fear our reputation will be sullied, The blood of the innocent Lebanese will be and is on the hands of great leaders like Mr. Bush, Harper and Blair. How the world can stand by and watch the Israelis hold a whole country hostage and conduct collective punishment is against humanity. I just do not understand, it is incomprehensible. The western media feeds this type of intolerance with their biased news reporting. My heart breaks for my Lebanese brothers and sisters, my heart breaks for that beautiful country . For those of you who care to, please email the prime minister and your minister of parliament. You can find their email addresses on http://www.gc.ca website. W e as Lebanese need to join together and put pressure on our government to do something.

For people like Paul that are not sure about what’s happening, and are taking judgements based on the information provided by influenced U.S. media coverage and their common good sense, here’s a documentary that should give them some background knowledge that they might not be aware of.

It is accessible on Google Video, under this link (totally free): http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-7828123714384920696

The documentary name is “Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land”, and has been created by the Media Education Foundation (www.mediaed.org). They feature many other shocking documentaries on their website.

I hope it helps.

Technical point and political point:
MPs addresses can be found at http://www.parl.gc.ca

Disappointing to hear the nauseating repetition that Canada is a country of peace, and justice. Canada is, in fact, a colony that was established by European settlers. It is founded on genocide, land theft, and the imposition of a legal and political system on the original people of the land, many of whom continue to have the strength to resist that system. Its unequally distributed wealth also relies on a large and growing population of “illegal” migrants, who are kept vulnerable, exploited and silenced by a brutal immigration system and deep-rooted racism in Canadian society.

Harper is a different style, it is true. But in terms of what the Canadian state represents to colonised peoples within its imposed borders and in other colonised places, what is the difference?

By all means, email MPs – the Conservatives no doubt will feel the pressure of a Quebec unified against his appalling positions on Lebanon, Palestine and Afghanistan.

But let’s consider other options as well – refusing to play the game, now that Harper is so clearly violating its terms himself. That too could have an impact on the context in which he is making his political calculations, and, if well played, perhaps a winning one.

I must say I totally agree with Mary on this point.

The canadian governement\’s (past and present) appearence of world peacekeeper is completely out of phase with the factual and historical reality. From the cultural and physical genocide of it\’s indigenous peoples right up to the illegal coup in Haiti and the recent Afghanistan occupation, Canada has its share of red blood on its hands. Not to mention the _huge_ military-industrial complex profiting from war and strife around the world (especially when the US is involved) which is bringing is _massive_ profits for the elite. The only difference today is that the past governements lip-service to neutrality and pacifism has given way to full on US-style propaganda. Concretely, it doesn\’t do anything differently today than I would have done under Martin, Chretien, Mulroney et al.

Canadians have to start facing this before any real change is going to happen here.

Salaamu alaikum to all,

On Wednesday, there will be a demonstration to protest Israel’s reaction to the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. This is not a demonstration of supporting Hezbollah or not. The simple motive behind this is to show solidarity of all Muslims. In six days, over 214 innocent Lebanese civilians have been killed. Amongst those are Muslims and Christians, Shias and Sunnis. This has to stop. We need to show the world at this trying time, that we are united as one and will not rest until Israel stops killing innocent civilians. This evening when we sit with our families eating our warm dinners, think of the child who lost his mother tonight. Think of the parents who have to flee their homes only to come back and see them in rubble. Let’s do our part! May Allah guide all of us on the right path.

Date July 19th 2006
Time: 20h we will gather at Place Jacques Cartier
20h 30 construction of the human chain will begin at oldport on the day of the USA fire works

PLEASE MAKE IT IT IS OUR DUTY AS MUSLIMS. bring with you as many people as you can, muslims and non muslims. Jazakum Allah khayr

http://www.fromisraeltolebanon.org/

>-Des feux de la joie aux feux de la haine, de Montréal au Moyen-Orient –
>Chaîne humaine en solidarité avec le peuple libanais au Vieux-Port dans le
>cadre des feux d’artifices internationaux dont les ةtats-Unis sont les
>participants mercredi prochain.
>
>Date : Mercredi 19 juillet 2006
>Lieu: Vieux-Port de Montréal
>Heure: à 20h, il y aura un rassemblement à la Place Jacques-Cartier.
>ہ 20h30, début de la construction de la Chaîne humaine sur de la Commune
>près du Quai du Vieux-Port
>Description: Veuillez apporter des drapeaux libanais, canadiens et québécois
>ainsi que des fleurs et des photos de ce qui se passe sur le terrain. Nous
>vous prions d’en parler avec vos amis canadiens et québécois aussi.
>Solidarité du peuple canadien et québécois avec le Liban.

Response to Paul:

Dear Paul,

First of all, in Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament, Hezbollah is the main party in the coalition that won all of the 23 seats of the province of the South, and a large number of seats in the provinces of Beqaa and Mount-Lebanon. In the democratically elected government of Lebanon, Hezbollah also has 2 ministers. This proves that it is a party with a very large public popularity. As a matter of fact, if the election law was similar to Canada’s, Hezbollah would be forming the government! Either a minority government because it simply represents more people than any other party in Lebanon (22 to 25% of Lebanese, depending on the source), or a coalition government with Hezbollah-friendly parties that make-up the difference to exceed 50%. Your ignorance reagrding this point can be understood, given the nature of the media, especially the largest anglophone one, the pro-Israeli CanWest .

Second, when you compare what happened with the US launching missiles into Canada then kidnapping 3 Canadian soldiers, your ignorance goes too far! The US and Canada have been living in peace since the 19th century, while a very large proportion of Arab countries, including Lebanon, are in a “de-juro” state of war with Israel. Moreover, Israel occupied large parts of our country between 1978 and 2000, and still occupies a small but very strategic area. The other thing is that Hezbollah kidnapped 2 enemy soldiers (which is totally legal) then launched missiles only after the disproportionate Israeli “response” to the kidnapping.

I invite you to read further about it, because if you’re read this far, there is hope your ignorance is a reversible syndrome.

Cordially,

Hisham

Another response to Paul.

First of all, I’m not a Hizbollah supporter. I’m against the ideology of Hizbollah and I’m against what Hizbollah did last week.
Second, I would like to make the picture clearer for you, and answer you back with the same logic you are using.
Your story states: “if the United States launched missiles into Montreal, Ontario or any place in Canada then kidnapped 3of our soldiers we wouldn’t have the right to use military force to get them back. ”

Reality is:
1- Hizbollah is not the representative of all the Lebanese population.
2- Hizbollah is a resistance movement that was the main power to kick the Israeli occupation out of the South of Lebanon.
3- Israel is still holding 4 Lebanese citizens as POWs.
4- Israel is still occupying a strategic area in the Lebanese-Syrian borders.
5- Israel replied to the kidnapping of 2 soldiers and the death of 6 soldiers by destroying bridges, Airport runways, Fuel Tanks, Electricity, Trucks, villages, communication antennas, etc.
6- Israel replied by launching air strikes killing 300 + civilians, non of them was a Hizbollah fighter.
7- Hizbollah launched rockets in reply to the Israeli air strikes and bombing of the populated areas.
8- The Lebanese government and army are weak. Israel made an agreements with the western world banning the Lebanese government from buying advanced weapon systems, warplanes, missiles, tanks, etc. That’s why the government is helpless and cannot stop both Hizbollah and Israel.

So your story should be as follow.
“if a US group of people kidnapped 2 Canadian soldiers. Should Canada launch a war destroying all the infrastructure of the weak US population, killing civilians, destroying airports, bridges, etc.”

or let’s put it this way:
do you agree with the US attacking Canada and destroying the whole country replying to the kidnapping of two US soldiers by the Hell’s Angels?
(Hizbollah for Lebanese is not as bad as the Hell’s Angels for Canadians, thou)

I would like to hear your answer now.

How peaceful is a country that allowed a terror organization to accumulate 12,000 missiles and rockets within its territory?! Maybe the Prime Minister of Lebanon thought that with tons of explosions Hezbollah was getting ready to sign a peace treaty with Israel…

I refuse to join any demonstration rejecting the fact that Hezbollah must be disarmed and dismantled
I am against a demonstration that will indirectly support the Iranian militia…
These demonstrations should be against both Israel and the miltias…

You can’t stand against Israel for self-defense of an ENEMY.
You cant stand against Hezbolla only because all of Lebanon is being attacked, not only them

The right stand would be to demonstrate ALL parties

Does Hezbolla recognize ALL Lebanese as his people??
How do they justify what they have done?

Is Israel attacking Lebanon?
YES.
Is Israel is destroying the country and killing it’s people?
YES
Are these demonstartions against Israel?
YES & NO
These demonstrations are against Israel…are they also blaming Hezbolla for playing with fire?
NO
Will these demonstrations only serve to benefit Hezbolla?
YES

All Lebanese people are not for an armed militia in their country…the demonstrations should be to stop the war…and all political parties should be disarmed…Israel left in 2000…they did not fire bombs over or kidnap Lebanese soldiers from then to now

Be fair
Lebanon for all…yalla join

Some of the logic (or lack thereof) being used here is unbelievable.
Hisham claims that Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers is “totally legal” and Mel draws a parallel between Hezbollah and the Hell’s Angels in USA. The Hell’s Angels are not elected officials, hold no political seat in government, and certainly would be stopped immediately if they started piling up missiles on the borders of Canada or Mexico. If Israel’s response to the “legal” kidnapping of its soldiers is not proportionate, then please let us know what you would have considered a fair and proportionate response. Going back to the negotiating table?
A government that cannot stop an extremist group (elected or otherwise) from accumulating its own weapons and acting out its own political and military objectives is not a legitimate government and is incapable of fulfilling its primary responsibility of protecting its own citizens.

Thanks to the organizers of this event, it was very good to see so many people disgusted by Israel’s actions and Prime Minister Harper’s support of it.

I’ve posted some pictures from the event at

http://stopbombs.blogspot.com/

I’ll send Harper an invitation to view it too, something to pass his time next time he’s waiting on the plane for a photo-op rescue.

As someone of British descent, the following situation comes to mind. Do you believe that Britain should have bombed Ireland back into the 19th century because the IRA kidnapped British soldiers? There are plenty of parallels. They didn’t do it because it would have been wrong, the U.S. would have demanded they cease, and it would have generated many more martyrs for the cause. Now why Israel is performing this barbaric act is beyond me, why the U.S., U.K. and Canada are supporting it worries me greatly as for their motives, given their exploits in Iraq and ambitions for Iran.

No matter the cold ugly truth is that Lebanon has been hijacked by Hezbollah and destroyed by Israel…take your pick which is the worst of two evils..

No one is going to argue that Israel is very wrong in this situation…but this war is not being fought by one army…do not close a blind eye to the Hezbolla militia…Hezbolla entered this without any warning to the Lebanese people…can you honestly say that they give one care to the Lebanese?

Do Hizballah show their nationality when they carried the Syrian flags during their march in support of Syria?
Do Hizballah show their nationality when they boldly carry Khomeini’s 20×20 banner when they march in show of force?
Ever wonder why Hizballah never have the lebanese flag?

Any credibility Hezbolla had is gone

There are two losers in this war…Lebanon and the Lebanese people !!! We only can pray for the innocents caught in the middle and work to eliminate both risks in the future.

When I look at Lebanon I see 2 faces…I am proud of both of them…but it looks more beautiful when it glows in the light of peace