1. March 14, 1978 Israel launched “operation Litani”..a war against Lebanon during which it carved out a ‘security zone’ of 500 square kilometers covering 61 towns and villages. This was Israel’s first war against Lebanon.
10,000 Israeli troops and 200 tanks invade southern Lebanon, killing hundreds of civilians.250, 000 Lebanese are displaced, many moving to the southern suburbs of Beirut, which become known as the “misery belt” (including the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila).
The Lebanese Army barracks at Khiam are taken over by Israeli forces and given to their allies, the South Lebanon Army.
15 March 1978: Israeli forces attack homes and factories in the Awazi area near Beirut, killing 36 civilians.
15 March 1978: An Israeli warplane attacks a mosque in the southern village of Abbasiya, killing 40 people and wounding over 100.
17 March 1978: Israeli commandos at the shore of Adlun kill 20 members of the Tawil family.
An Israeli economic blockade results in an influx of Israeli goods and the end of production in southern Lebanon, further crippling the country’s economy.
Finally, US President Jimmy Carter is critical of Israel, saying: “I consider this major invasion to be an overreaction…” and “a serious threat to the peace in the region.”

2. . As you know, the Zionists called the 1982 invasion “operation peace for Galilee” at term used for Western public consumption given the favorable connotations of each of the words ” Operation”,”Peace” and “Galilee”.

The 1982 aggression was in point of fact Israel’s Second War not its First against Lebanon, the neighbor with which it has for so long sought a treaty in order to guarantee water which it desperately wants and has coveted since the Zionist project was launched in the late 19th Century.

2. On July 25 1993, Israel unleashed an aggression it called “operation accountability”, its third war against Lebanon.. During this seven day aggression the UN counted 1,224 air raids and more than 28,000 shells, killing 140 civilians, wounding 500. More than 200,000 residents of 120 South Lebanon villages were displaced and thousands of homes completely or partially destroyed.

3. The April 11, 1996 War against Lebanon, Israel’s 4th, which lasted for 16 days, as you will recall, was called by the Zionists “operation Grapes of Wrath”. Their ‘second war’ label seeks to erase this aggression which included the first Qana massacre of more that 118 civilians seeking refuge at UN HQ there and the wounding of 127 at that location alone. Lesser known massacres committed by Israel during its 4th War on Lebanon included those at Suhmor on Day 2, al Mansouri ambulance on Day 3, and Upper Nabatieh on Day 7. During this aggression more than 250 Lebanese civilians were killed and 7,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed.

5. And of course the July 2006 war was their 5th—not their Second War against Lebanon.

The Second Lebanon War misnomer reminds me of the insistence by the Zionists that two of their soldiers were “kidnapped” on July 12, 2006. Soldiers on active duty and armed don’t get kidnapped. They get captured, or taken or snatched or imprisoned or….etc…but not kidnapped even if they were busy talking on their mobiles and eating a sandwich! Children sometimes get kidnapped (kid from the german ‘kinder’ and I think I have heard of girlfriends and even ex-wives being kidnapped but certainly not soldiers. Israel wants max sympathy for their boys and that is fair enough and it is also why they parade family members of the two soldiers like sheep around the world on friendly TV shows, birthdays, holidays, anniversary of their graduation from middle school etc.

In Beirut a few weeks ago I pointed out to Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich at a ‘Town Hall’ gathering the importance of not using the Lobby lingo when he slipped and mentioned the two ‘kidnapped’ soldiers. His really stunning wife Elizabeth assured the audience that she will make make sure he uses the correct term, “captured”. Kucinich’s position is by far the best on the Middle East don’t you agree?

Resistance to the Zionist occupation must be made on every front from military to education to art and in a hundred other ways. We must not concede to them, a single inch, a single grain of Palestinian sand and, or language or disinformation on any occasion however innocuous it may appear at first brush. As we must assure that the World never forgets the Israeli organized massacre at Sabra-Shatilla we must not forget the other three Israeli wars against Lebanon.

All best wishes and thanks again for your comment.

Franklin Lamb
Dahiyeh, Lebanon

1. March 14, 1978 Israel launched “operation Litani”..a war against Lebanon during which it carved out a ‘security zone’ of 500 square kilometers covering 61 towns and villages. This was Israel’s first war against Lebanon.
10,000 Israeli troops and 200 tanks invade southern Lebanon, killing hundreds of civilians.250,000 Lebanese are displaced, many moving to the southern suburbs of Beirut, which become known as the “misery belt” (including the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila).
The Lebanese Army barracks at Khiam are taken over by Israeli forces and given to their allies, the South Lebanon Army.
15 March 1978: Israeli forces attack homes and factories in the Awazi area near Beirut, killing 36 civilians.
15 March 1978: An Israeli warplane attacks a mosque in the southern village of Abbasiya, killing 40 people and wounding over 100.
17 March 1978: Israeli commandos at the shore of Adlun kill 20 members of the Tawil family.
An Israeli economic blockade results in an influx of Israeli goods and the end of production in southern Lebanon, further crippling the country’s economy.
Finally, US President Jimmy Carter is critical of Israel, saying: “I consider this major invasion to be an overreaction…” and “a serious threat to the peace in the region.”

2. . As you know, the Zionists called the 1982 invasion “operation peace for Galilee” at term used for Western public consumption given the favorable connotations of each of the words ” Operation”,”Peace” and “Galilee”.

The 1982 aggression was in point of fact Israel’s Second War not its First against Lebanon, the neighbor with which it has for so long sought a treaty in order to guarantee water which it desperately wants and has coveted since the Zionist project was launched in the late 19th Century.

2. On July 25 1993, Israel unleashed an aggression it called “operation accountability”, its third war against Lebanon.. During this seven day aggression the UN counted 1,224 air raids and more than 28,000 shells, killing 140 civilians, wounding 500. More than 200,000 residents of 120 South Lebanon villages were displaced and thousands of homes completely or partially destroyed.

3. The April 11, 1996 War against Lebanon, Israel’s 4th, which lasted for 16 days, as you will recall, was called by the Zionists “operation Grapes of Wrath”. Their ‘second war’ label seeks to erase this aggression which included the first Qana massacre of more that 118 civilians seeking refuge at UN HQ there and the wounding of 127 at that location alone. Lesser known massacres committed by Israel during its 4th War on Lebanon included those at Suhmor on Day 2, al Mansouri ambulance on Day 3, and Upper Nabatieh on Day 7. During this aggression more than 250 Lebanese civilians were killed and 7,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed.

5. And of course the July 2006 war was their 5th—not their Second War against Lebanon.

The Second Lebanon War misnomer reminds me of the insistence by the Zionists that two of their soldiers were “kidnapped” on July 12, 2006. Soldiers on active duty and armed don’t get kidnapped. They get captured, or taken or snatched or imprisoned or….etc…but not kidnapped even if they were busy talking on their mobiles and eating a sandwich! Children sometimes get kidnapped (kid from the german ‘kinder’ and I think I have heard of girlfriends and even ex-wives being kidnapped but certainly not soldiers. Israel wants max sympathy for their boys and that is fair enough and it is also why they parade family members of the two soldiers like sheep around the world on friendly TV shows, birthdays, holidays, anniversary of their graduation from middle school etc.

In Beirut a few weeks ago I pointed out to Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich at a ‘Town Hall’ gathering the importance of not using the Lobby lingo when he slipped and mentioned the two ‘kidnapped’ soldiers. His really stunning wife Elizabeth assured the audience that she will make make sure he uses the correct term, “captured”. Kucinich’s position is by far the best on the Middle East don’t you agree?

Resistance to the Zionist occupation must be made on every front from military to education to art and in a hundred other ways. We must not concede to them, a single inch, a single grain of Palestiinian and, or language or disinformation on any occasion however innocuous it may appear at first brush. As we must assure that the World never forgets the Israeli organized massacre at Sabra-Shatilla we must not forget the other three Israeli wars against Lebanon.

All best wishes and thanks again for your comment.

Franklin Lamb
Dahiyeh, Lebanon

From the third world countries I’ve visited, it’s hard not to notice the MANY similarities between the Bush government and your typical “dictatorship.” A lot of the differences seem to be in formalities to convince that the government is serving the interests of its people. The most blatant example is Bush’s “executive orders” and his refusing to be accountable to Congress (or really anyone) as well as effectively controling the judicial system – that is pretty much what a lot of people mean by “dictatorship.”

Mike, it’s not something that makes me happy. Our original republic had some flaws, but it had a lot of good things going for it. The founding fathers also warned us of many of the problems we face now – like giving up our money to the bankers and letting businesses get too involved in the political process. They knew about these things when they set up the governement, but We The People let it all go to hell anyway.

You should also note that, although America was the first “democracy,” many other countries that followed didn’t follow our mistake of a two party system – knowing of course that it would end up as it is without much difference between the two. Multiparty systems may have their own problems, but at least they don’t divide things into a false either/or system.

As far as “capitalism” goes – its basic concept has been around much longer than Adam Smith – who I would define as the Father of Globalization, which I feel was really the main thrust of his famous work. The idea that you cannot have capitalism and social justice is also a lot of nonsense. Many eastern societies had your basic capitalism and a strong sense of humanity. In Islamic societies, for example, the government regularly set up free hospitals, took care of orphans, the poor, widows, travellers, and the elderly. They provided free schooling and even scholarships for higher education. Western “capitalism” grew out what Islamic societies were doing for years – one can easily suggest this through reading Fibonacci’s “Liber Abbaci” – one of the most important texts for launching “capitalism” in the West.

Actually, the American government has a fast reputation as a meddler – and it would be hard to change this perception even if the Americans really wanted to. There is no trust.

I’ve heard from many Arabs in differeent countries that the biggest problem to democracy and capitalism is American policy in their country. This is not a problem in Lebanon only – or even just in the Middle East.