Hezbollah Victory, I do not think so, Israel's Decline, I do not think so
Reader comment on item: Hezbollah's Victory, Israel's Decline

Submitted by Bill Jackson (Canada), Feb 3, 2004 at 09:47

In any war someone must take those first concrete steps towards some kind of co-existence, peaceful or not. One hopes in time later generations will find the war fever abating. These 50+ years of war have wasted Arab and Israeli lives and hopes.

50+ years of peace would have seen the Arab world prosper with the money wasted on totally inferior USSR weapons spent in internal growth and infrastructure. All arabs would have a high grade education(on average), comparable to the high quality Israeli education (or USA or UK education). Arab wealth would have built factories, roads and otherwise enriched the Arab quality of life in their unique and artistic way.

Instead this wealth has been wasted on conflict that does not benefit the Arabs at all, their war cannot ever be won with terrorist methods. Like Hitler bombing London in WW2, it made the British angrier and furious for revenge, and while the bombing effort was being wasted on London the British Air Force was able to outbuild their combat losses and sweep the German Air Force from British skies.

It hurts Israel too, but the losses are less than highway deaths, and are not a large strategic factor, and it certainly makes the Israelis angry, just like Hitler made the British angry. all the more reason to find a way to stop it as soon as possible. Every Israeli death costs the Arab cause far more than it hurts Israel.

Almost all of the brave combatants in the war of Independance in 1948 are gone by now. In a few years we will see the remainder gone forever, but while memory lasts not forever gone.

All those released prisoners, one might hope, were well treated, not tortured, and allowed to worship properly. Those prisoners may well be a pacifying influence. They may have been allowed to read, may have been educated to a degree that might broaden their outlook, and may have been selected from all the prisoners as least likely to take part in future attacks. Once they get back they may well want to assume their former leadership roles, for which their knowledge learned while in captivity might make them more moderate. If low ranking people, their education may well make them less likely to be cannon fodder in the future.
I have no idea of how the Israelis house their prisoners. One hopes they each have their own room and can be kept apart from their fellow prisoners for most of their time in captivity to avoid the formation of a prisoner social structure that would combat any educational influence the Israelis might try. Just like the UK prisoners formed groups to block Nazi social engineering in WW2. Such engineering works best in isolation. I do not know of the Israelis have the time and manpower for that task, but since the numbers are so low and the priority so high, one would think that the Israelis would have done this.

Bill Jackson

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