The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Israel's aggression

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Friday, Aug 11, 2006

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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Israel's aggression

The article "When self-defence becomes lawlessness" (Aug. 8) says it all. The publication of such articles comes as a whiff of fresh air in a world where the voice of the voiceless is too often stifled by mainstream media. Harping on the right to self-defence, Israel is on a killing spree in Lebanon throwing all human values to the winds. That it continues to be a potential target of outfits such as Hizbollah only reinforces the fact that a region under foreign occupation is a hotbed of terrorism. Let better sense prevail on all occupiers who work under the garb of reformers across the globe.

A.K. Muneer Hudawi,
Malappuram, Kerala

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The article rightly says Israel has a right to self-defence. Such is the history of West Asia that it is difficult to tell where self-defence ends and aggression begins. Since attack seems to have worked for Israel as a defence policy over the years, it has become part of the nation's mindset. As a nation under constant threat, it takes more-than-necessary measures to not only fight existing threats but also thwart prospective threats. It is perhaps in this context that Israeli action needs to be viewed.

Ranjan Kumar,
New Delhi

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Israel's excessive reaction is condemnable. It has once again demonstrated its imperialist instinct. It does not want to lose any chance of attacking its neighbour — justified or not — and thereby furthering its agenda of dominating the Arab nations.

Ritesh Parmar,
Anand, Gujarat

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Over the past weeks, citizens supporting peace and justice have been watching in shock the bombardment and devastation of Lebanon. People are fleeing their homeland and those who cannot or do not stay back to count their dead. Opinion polls confirm that the U.S. is solidly on Israel's side. The Americans who claim to be among the most liberal and just societies of the world seem to be ignorant of the real world outside their nation.

Md Ziyaullah Khan,
Pune

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How can the U.S. advocate democracy and demand that Hizbollah be disarmed when it supplies warplanes to Israel against a poor country whose sovereignty and integrity are under attack? People will be crushed, and rendered homeless and hungry a thousand times if efforts are not made to bring peace to the Middle East.

Shakeel Anjum Bhartiya,
Aligarh, U.P.

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While Israel may justify its action in Lebanon by saying it was attacked first, one can see that it is an engineered war for which Tel Aviv has been preparing for over a year. Israel's object is to unleash terror among the nations bordering it even if it means going against international norms. The Jewish state and its sponsor should realise that such actions will only increase terrorism the world over.

Rahul Aggarwal,
Dehra Dun

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Hundreds of innocent people are being killed like ants in Lebanon. Yet the world plays spectator counting the numbers. This proves how helpless all the nations are when it comes to standing up to the U.S. and Israel. On the one hand, the U.S. is prosecuting Saddam Hussein for his alleged role in mass killings and, on the other, sponsoring the inhuman acts of Israel. What an irony!

Asif Patel,
Belgaum, Karnataka

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Bertrand Russell said: "War never determines who is right, war only decides who is left." Is the U.N. waiting to act with this in mind?

D.S.N. Prasad,
Chittoor, A.P.

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