Thousands stuck in Lebanon

Babs03 I agree with your post of 07.01.57.

Israel is never going to be a safe country. How on earth anybody can think that is beyond me. It needs its Iron Dome and safe rooms.

I hope everybody knows the history of the creation of the state of Israel, so I won't repeat it. European anti-semiticism wasn't the responsibility of Arabs in the Middle East, yet the population was just expected to hand over land without a whimper. Since the end of WW2 Israel has expanded its territory. Why should the original inhabitants be expected to accept that? Why should the people in countries surrounding Israel just be expected to forget about history? There will be resentment for many years yet - the terrorists of the future haven't even been born yet. If Israel wants relative safety, it needs to change its strategy from destroying every single enemy it has because that just isn't going to happen. It really does need an endgame.

eggplant

Coronation
I agree Ronib. Sadly there may be economic migrants who destroy papers and claim to be from Israel making it more difficult for genuine asylum seekers.
Really? How do you know this?

It’s well documented.

tickingbird

eggplant

Coronation
I agree Ronib. Sadly there may be economic migrants who destroy papers and claim to be from Israel making it more difficult for genuine asylum seekers.
Really? How do you know this?

It’s well documented.

Where? Or was that some kind of pun?

Why would anybody from Israel or Lebanon destroy paperwork?

^Why would anybody from Israel or Lebanon destroy paperwork?*

No idea. Who said they would??

tickingbird

^Why would anybody from Israel or Lebanon destroy paperwork?*

No idea. Who said they would??

Today 08:38Coronation

I agree Ronib. Sadly there may be economic migrants who destroy papers and claim to be from Israel making it more difficult for genuine asylum seekers.

I asked Mr Ronib why countries nearest to Lebanon were not offering humanitarian assistance and setting up refugee centres. His response was that no one would help them so that Israel would continue to be seen in the worst possible way. Bit depressing.

Syria is the only neighbour - poor, at war, already a place people leave as migrants. So - nowhere to go.

ronib

I asked Mr Ronib why countries nearest to Lebanon were not offering humanitarian assistance and setting up refugee centres. His response was that no one would help them so that Israel would continue to be seen in the worst possible way. Bit depressing.

Lebanon hosts a million and a half Syrian refuges - that's its neighbour. There is no other neighbour to help Lebanon.

I thought Iran had good diplomatic relations with Lebanon? OldFrill

ronib

I thought Iran had good diplomatic relations with Lebanon? OldFrill

No. Iran supports Hezbollah in the South who are Shi’ite Muslims the same as Iranians, Hezbollah are not the sum of Lebanon, they account for just one area. There are many Lebanese Sunni Muslims and Christians who make up over two thirds of the population.
The Lebanese people are not natural allies of Iran and don’t think too highly of Hezbollah in the South, so they won’t be relying upon Iran for help

Lebanon & Iran are very different regimes. Why ever should lebanese citizens be expected to go to refugee centres in Iran? Plus it's unsafe to migrate on foot across wartorn, depopulated Syria. There's no civil war in Lebanon -people don't want or need to leave except that it's under attack from a neighbouring state & surely the answer is to rein that neighbouring state in.

Iran is also 1000 miles by air from Lebanon, through Syria and Iraq?

Israel likes to posture how strong & hardline they are, but they are only as strong as American power makes them. They could not sustain themselves in their present attitude without external support. However they appear to take absolutely no notice of any American cautionary advice or ceasefire initiatives.Hotheads.

valdavi. But I honestly thought that Lebanon and Iran were working together against Israel. For example, the extensive network of tunnels in Southern Lebanon are seen as a direct threat to Israel. Maybe a better tactic would be to dismantle the tunnels and work on diplomacy with Israel?

Casdon One thousand miles seems nothing for asylum seekers these days. We have a fair number coming from this distance I understand.

OldFrill

tickingbird
Why would anybody from Israel or Lebanon destroy paperwork?*

No idea. Who said they would??
Today 08:38Coronation

No Old Frill that’s not what she said. She said that it’s possible that economic migrants may destroy their papers and claim to be fleeing Israel and Lebanon.

ronib

Casdon One thousand miles seems nothing for asylum seekers these days. We have a fair number coming from this distance I understand.

If the UK was bombed and you lost your home and possessions, would you choose to go to Algeria, or Hungary ronib, both about 1000 miles away? Perhaps you would, but I think you’ll find most people would like to be involved in the decision making before being moved to a country with a more oppressive regime than their own.

tickingbird

OldFrill

tickingbird
Why would anybody from Israel or Lebanon destroy paperwork?*

No idea. Who said they would??
Today 08:38Coronation

No Old Frill that’s not what she said. She said that it’s possible that economic migrants may destroy their papers and claim to be fleeing Israel and Lebanon.

Glad you've cleared that up 😬

ronib

*valdavi*. But I honestly thought that Lebanon and Iran were working together against Israel. For example, the extensive network of tunnels in Southern Lebanon are seen as a direct threat to Israel. Maybe a better tactic would be to dismantle the tunnels and work on diplomacy with Israel?

Who is going to dismantle the tunnels and work on diplomacy with Israel?
Lebanon hasn’t had a semblance of a government for years, they have a caretaker government, and they are bankrupt, the Lebanese currency means nothing. The Lebanese people have been coping with electricity and water rationing for years. And yet they have taken in more Syrian refugees than any other country in the region. So I very much doubt that they could go into Hezbollah territory and get rid of any tunnels and certainly have no diplomatic influence with Israel, I mean who has??
Israel isn’t listening. Fingers in ears singing La La La.

I honestly didn’t mean to be inflammatory. I find this war very difficult to understand. In the circumstances you describe Babs03 it sounds as if Lebanon and Israel are both hostage to Hezbelloh. It all feels overwhelming tragic.

ronib

*valdavi*. But I honestly thought that Lebanon and Iran were working together against Israel. For example, the extensive network of tunnels in Southern Lebanon are seen as a direct threat to Israel. Maybe a better tactic would be to dismantle the tunnels and work on diplomacy with Israel?

Hezbollah is not the same as Lebanon.

ronib

I honestly didn’t mean to be inflammatory. I find this war very difficult to understand. In the circumstances you describe Babs03 it sounds as if Lebanon and Israel are both hostage to Hezbelloh. It all feels overwhelming tragic.

Yes, in some ways they are. Hezbollah currently holds the majority number of seats in the Lebanese parliament, but that's not the same as the state of Lebanon. Approximately a third of Lebanese are Christians.

ronib

I honestly didn’t mean to be inflammatory. I find this war very difficult to understand. In the circumstances you describe Babs03 it sounds as if Lebanon and Israel are both hostage to Hezbelloh. It all feels overwhelming tragic.

Easy to think this, and though Lebanese people don’t particularly like or agree with Hezbollah, Israel made incursions into Israel and killed innocent Lebanese people long before Hezbollah existed in the south.
In fact Hezbollah came about in response to Israeli incursions into Lebanon.
Many are either unaware or being disingenuous on this thread, the simple fact is that we have been here before, in the 1980s, and again in 2006.

Babs03 yes I am completely unaware and disingenuous. I am trying to find out more. You say that we have been here before in the 1980s and 2006. Okay - it doesn’t show signs of any progress for many years ahead.

Today Ayatollah Khamenei has spoken. Is anyone able to explain the mindset behind his statements for example
1. Hamas led 7 Oct attack was a legitimate act.
2. The US and its allies were preserving the security of Israel to make it an energy exporting gate from the region to the West.
3. Israel can’t seriously harm Hezbollah, Lebanese militant group or Hamas.
As reported in the Guardian.