Second Half

This picture alone speaks volumes about the fallacy of using military force to "crush" the enemy. The caption to the photo (from the Washington Post) is: "Children take part in a hezbollah military parade to mark Jerusalem Day in Baalbek, Lebanon, on Nov. 12, 2004."

Do we all not realize that every time that homes are demolished, when fathers, uncles, and cousins are killed, that hate becomes far more easier to instill in small children. Do we consider the perspective that those children, as grown men, will have toward all of "us", our countries and our people. Do we never think that this is a consequence?

The entire region thus continues to breed this hate as more homes are destroyed and more fathers, uncles, and cousins are killed.

Are we all so incapable of seeing back a mere 50-100 years to understand the pain of losing land, of losing homes, of losing more fathers, uncles, and cousins? of having to flee to Jordan, then Transjordan, to Lebanon, a state carved out of Syria after World War I, and to refugee camps in other parts of what was the land of Palestine?

This is not an argument for what they call "resistance", and I do not agree with terrorist tactics. You can call this empathy, you can call this understanding, you can call this facing the facts. Until we indeed face these facts, this region of war will to continue to exist as a region of war.

As an American of Lebanese descent, I often wonder whether or not I'll be able to visit the country of my ancestors in my lifetime. I was hopeful just a couple of years ago, but now I honestly cannot see it happening (and I hope to be alive for about another 30 years or so).