o btw…. the girl, was killed accedently. the whole aim of the 3amaleyi was to capture jews and exchange them for arab prisoner. the girl died in an excahnge of fire between the group led by kintar and the isreali pigs. dont believe all that u read on the internet. theres a lot of things cooked up by isreali. o they dont have any problem lying. as we ve learned from the past.

o eish kman… o why it was such a victory, well, kasret mun5ar la isra2eel, hezbollah degraded isreal by the trade, they put there faces in the ground. isra2el didnt want to give up dalal al mughrabis body (which had been with them for 30 years) or the dozens of other, read abt dalal. ull understand whay it was such a joyous event, why zaman il7azamt wala.
ilhmdella o allah yzeed

salamz

that he is not proud of “crushing the skull of a 4-year-old girl.”

At the same time, he apparently does not regret it.

Thank you a lot. It’s clear that he might have told a series of lies. however, its indeed a good thing that he is not proud of “crushing the skull of a 4-year-old girl.”

thanks again.

According to the Kuntar’s declassified file, he reached Nahariya beach at 2:30 in the morning. “We tied our boat to a rock,” he testified on January 6, 1980. “We had instructions to avoid opening fire, to take hostages and bring them to Lebanon. I was commander of the cell. I planned to knock on the door at one of the houses. Majeed and I walked towards the building. I told him to ring the bell but not to speak, because I planned to speak English with the people living there. When we went in, Majeed buzzed one of the apartments, and Majeed spoke to the woman in Arabic and she answered him in Hebrew. He made a mistake and she didn’t open the door.”

He continues, “I then heard the sound of a car driving up and stopping… I opened fire, and then we went up to one of the apartments, where we pulled out a man and a girl so we could take them with us. I decided we should take the girl with us to ensure we would stay alive, and then return her from Lebanon to Israel via the Red Cross.

“While we were with them, shots were fired at us… I shot some rounds at those people with my Kalashnikov rifle and hit one of them; he went down. When I saw the boat had been hit… we tried to retreat by land and escape the gunfire coming our way… The army began an assault on us… I wanted to find a way to tell them to stop shooting at us, because our whole objective was to take hostages to Lebanon. But I didn’t have a megaphone… I was hit by five bullets. Then [Danny] Haran got to his feet and signaled to the army forces with his hand to stop them from firing. He was hit by the bullets being shot at him by the soldiers. The five bullets that hit me struck sensitive places, so I lost a lot of blood and passed out. I didn’t know what else was happening with me until I woke up in the morning and found myself in the military’s hands. I didn’t hurt the girl at all and I didn’t see how she met her death.”

In court, prosecution witnesses testified that Kuntar killed Danny and Einat Haran. Kuntar and Ahmed Al Abras, a second guerrilla that survived the operation, were sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. However, Alabras was freed by Israel in the Ahmed Jibril prisoner exchange deal in May 1985 but Israel refused to release Kuntar, later stating that he may be released only in exchange for the missing Israeli Weapon System Officer, Ron Arad. Israel’s continuous refusal to release Kuntar during the many prisoner exchanges that have since occurred made him a symbol for the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, and his release became an objective for Hezbollah.

i am Sunni and i’d vote blindly to Nasrllah if he is running for the Arab world presidency.

It is hilarious that you cannot see the steaming irony in this foolish statement, the key word being “blindly.” I wouldn’t put it past you to go after a blind, uninformed, terrorist-driven mission. You even unintentionally admitted that.

The way you address others is truly shameful. This concerns the second comment that you posted here, which will not appear in this thread.

For as long as you post on this website, you WILL respect others, and you will NOT publish provocative and childish insults. All posts here go under moderation if there are more than one links in it; this is a technical issue with the platform that we are using, so do not dare once again insult this forum and its moderation team and cluelessly complain about “censorship.” If you continue to address people in this despicable and aggressive manner, your comments will be deleted. Read our comment policy and if you don’t like it, go post in Al Manar website or somewhere that welcomes your aggression, hatred, and petty insults.

There are plenty other Muslims including Sunnis who blindly follow any leader who appears to be influential and well-funded, this doesn’t prove anything other than we are a nation of sheep. People who do not follow the zombie sheep herders are considered “criminals,” like Kareem. I don’t care who supports Hezbollah! I have my own opinions and values, unlike you. I do not just blindly follow whoever you deem an “activist.”

If you want extremism and terrorism, and murderous leaders who thrive on such disgusting violence, you are free to do that while risking true freedom, and the lives of the younger generation. It seems that you did not learn your lesson yet, but soon you will. When Hezbollah turns against their own Muslim brothers and sisters, you might gain the sanity to understand what they really represent. I promise you that he will come after us, he has already begun terrorizing and raising a generation of murderers and extremists. And with their leadership we will find nothing but bloodshed, racism, censorship, and war. This is what you want. By justifying and hating people like Kareem, and by hatefully insulting anyone who disagrees with you at every opportunity, this is essentially what you want, and yet you claim to be a real Muslim? Laughable.

I assure you, there are more youth going after true freedom achieved through peaceful resistance, tolerance, and the respect of human rights, rather than the terrorism that you and your ilk support. And in the end we will be the ones who win this struggle, not you. Understand this. In the coming years you and your self-acclaimed heroes will be powerless.

Calling someone like Kareem “disgusting” is expected of someone with your mentality.

Unlike Nasrallah, Kareem never murdered anyone. He simply fought for the right to express his opinion, and you hate that.

But that makes him a hero. Bite on your tongue with envy! This will never change. You are the laughing stock of the real freedom fighters. And that hateful, fear-mongering terrorist Nasrallah will be your downfall. Just watch.

I’m going to need a lot of luck, and a little bit of help, from good people such as yourself.

When I speak of an ever-lasting peace followed by reviving stagnant economies et al, I mean that such acts can’t bring about peace for they don’t remove the real ’cause’ of conflict. As stated above, I think that the real cause of conflict is a state pursuing superiority while neglecting the rights a superior power has to observe. I think that Hizbullah has a base in between people (ordinary people… no labeling), and you don’t think so. I think that the current policy of Israel will give rise to more Hizbullahs, and you believe otherwise. It’s done: We disagree; and it seems that we can make our positions no more clear than this. Though, I still respect your peace-loving arguments. Good luck with selling a vision of hope.

oh…Sunni brothers and Shi’ite brothers? Secularists playing divide and conquer on Muslims…

i am Sunni and i’d vote blindly to Nasrllah if he is running for the Arab world presidency.

not just me, the majority of the Arab youth would do the same.

you are so wrong on many levels

Hizbollah supporters include people like this and this and more importantly this.

the last photo is of Ibrahim Issa, the most prominent democratic activist in Egypt, his wall is decorated with photos of Guevara and Nassrllah. he wrote many articles defending Hizballah.

here is one article in Arabic
http://dostor.org/?q=node/3403
but here is a fair warning, at one point you will feel that he is talking to you, and you may be so offended by his language….he has no shame flaming the secularists who play the sunni/shi’te card

btw….Ibrahim Issa and his newspaper were one of the first to campaign for Kareem….they almost dead but Ibrahim Issa called it off because he found there is millions who deserve his effort and attention than the utterly disgusting kareem.

leftist writers, clad girls, heavy metal youth,….etc etc etc

it’s not about terrorism, in the Arab world you hear voices accusing Hamas of terrorism, Al-Qaeda, and even the Islamic brotherhood (duh!). but never ever you hear someone accusing Hizbollah of terrorism.

Hizbollah fought a fair war with honor and courage against the biggest killing machine in the Middle East, when Hizbollah leaders promise they fulfill their promises, Hizbollah didn’t go to war against Sunnis two months ago, Hizbollah went to war against the pro-Imperialism alliance in Lebanon, together with Hizbollah in this war there was Sunni and Christian parties, so the claim that Hizbollah waged war on Sunnis is a cheap claim by someone who want to strip this nation from one of its most powerful weapons.

as for Samir Al-Kintar….it’s just a political game by Hizballah….bite it Junbalat…we Hizballah are the ones who freed the Druze idol Samir Al-Kuntar

Reviving stagnant economies, environmental protection, all good things of this sort, have to come after a lasting peace.

I do respect your opinions, Mohammad, and I wish it were the case that you could broker a lasting peace deal that would lead to vibrant economies and environmental protection. However, I suspect that it is the other way around. Economic and Environmental activity could be used to pave the way to peace, and once peace is in place, it will continue to stimulate such activities further.

Sometimes we focus on peace, but the truth is that the environment presents even more of a challenge, and is much more time sensitive than peace. Peace may take generations to pull off. Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time with the environment. If we don’t get our act together in several years, we may pass the point of no return, and doom ourselves to a downward spiral of environmental degradation. I’m coming to believe that the environment is quickly becoming the moral imperative of our time, and that a solution in this regard could help to solve most of our problems, including the issue of peace.

In terms of Israel, yes she wants to be the only nuclear power in the region. We know why she wants that. But ask yourself this, Mohammad, do you really think it’s a good idea for Iran to have nuclear weapons? I’m not saying that Israel could prevent this from happening, although she might try. But Israel aside, does it make sense for regimes so motiviated by religious ideological extremism, to have weapons of ultimate mass destruction in their hands. Israel may be a lot less than perfect, but she is not about to initiate mass destruction in God’s name. Iran’s leaders have made it clear that this eventuality in not beyond the realm of possibility as far as they are concerned.

I also believe that your analysis with respect to Hizbullah, may be a bit naive. Hizbullah wants to consolidate political power, and is not above doing anything to achieve its goal. It will not give up its “arm of resistance” even if Israel continues to release prisoners, and even if she gives up Shebaa farms. And I don’t think that Hizbullah represents the will of the Lebanese. I think that the majority of Leanaese would welcome their abrupt departure. I also beleive that Hizbullah is well within Iran’s control, and that relationship will not change anytime soon.

Mohammad, I wish we could negotiate with extremists, as you suggest. I don’t think that is possible. That’s why they’re called “extremists.” They are not open to reason. They are not motivated by the prospect of peace. They believe that peace will undermine them. They believe in what they want to believe, and for them, the truth is just a side issue.

What may work is to empower the people with jobs, jobs which protect the environment, jobs which will inspire a sense of hope, and jobs which will begin to neutralize the hold of extremist thinking. And as you do this, you will have no choice but to fight against extremism. But at least you’ll know what you’re fighting for. You’re not fighting a “war against terror.” You’re fighting a war to realize a Vision of Hope. There’s a big difference.

The current Israeli policy seems far more than just a tough-guy-image. It seems that Israel is determined to maintain her own survival through military (especially nuclear) monopoly in the region. In other words, Israel wants to be the only regional superpower and then (as you suggest) play the role of a fair boss.

Latest regional developments, however, have increasingly shown that this policy is ill-defined and probably unsustainable. People link unacceptable human rights record of Israel to its military superiority; and then appears a demand for a group/state to balance Israel’s power. (You know, in the Newtonian version of politics, everybody has to bring its interests as well as strengths to the negotiation table, and interests will consequently be distributed proportional to the strengths. So, if you want to gather scores, you have to be a tough guy as well.) Thus a military race comes into existence.

If there is a wide support of Hizbullah (as there is), that is probably due to above analysis. (Sorry, I don’t buy the idea of Esra’a in this case.)

Reviving stagnant economies, environmental protection, all good things of this sort, have to come after a lasting peace.

With regards to Hizbullah, let me propose a more practical approach toward peace. Before everything else, pay attention that (1) Hizbullah insists that it is working in favor of the Lebanese (releasing Lebanese prisoners, freeing Lebanese land, etc), otherwise it will lose its popular base in Lebanon; and (2) I’m almost sure that Hizbullah may be encouraged to be more loyal to its own interests than those of Iran, for it may be evolved into an absolutely separate entity. Now, Israel may pave the way of demilitarizing Hizbullah through releasing remaining Lebanese prisoners (if there is any… and that is why I see Kantar’s release a step toward peace) and giving up on Shebaa farms, etc. so as to press Hizbullah to hand over its “arm of resistance”, for in such a case there would be nothing to be resisted anymore.

However, regardless of this short-term case, given that the majority of mideasterners have come to accept that Israel is here to stay, in the long run, Israel has to choose just one of these two options if it is willing to bring peace to the region: either give up pursuing tough-guy-image, or give up following military monopoly. These two options together will give rise to more Hizbullah-like groups, again and again.

From all the sources I have read Kuntar denies “seeing what happened to the child,” but the court convicted him; one report says that Kuntar at one point claimed Israeli crossfire killed the father, but this seems unsubstantiated by other sources.

Tellingly, the celebrations of Kuntar do not rely on any supposed innocence of these crimes.

I am struck by the way in which Kuntar’s infamy actually obscures the real issue of political prisoners, prisoners who have not committed or been convicted of murder but nevertheless are in Israeli prisons, some as detainees with no trial. I think Hezbollah and Lebanon are actually harming the Palestinian cause by trumpeting Kuntar as a hero. The news coverage of celebrations for him are juxtaposed with pictures of the Goldwasser and Regev families’ sombre mourning and really paints a bad picture. I would hate people in the world to hear about future prisoner release initiatives and assume every prisoner committed a violent crime against civilians.

OK. I’m going to say this as an “insider,” having lived in Israel for my first 7 years, having family there for over 200 years, and having followed closely all the developments there since the inception of the state.

Israel may seem like an “arrogant state” to a great many people in the Middle East. And there is no doubt, that just like any other place in the world, there may well be some highly arrogant people in Israel. However, I would argue that Israel is not an arrogant state. Rather, Israel is a state that it trying to survive, and is doing what she thinks she needs to do to succeed in that effort.

Try to put yourself in Israel’s head. Let’s say you become convinced that there are a great many people who want you dead, an impression which is born out by a great deal of historical evidence. So you’re going to defend yourself as best you can, and not only that, but you’re also going to play the role of “tough guy” because you’re convinced that only that kind of image is going to protect you in the long run. And you even allow a lot of your culture to support and sustain that touch guy image.

However, no matter how tough and arrogant you seem, as part of this image that you’ve created for yourself, you still know, deep in your bones, that it is wrong to kill, and that you are commanded by your Creator to seek peace. And there are many aspects of your culture that point to this softer side of you. But you still can’t appear to be too soft, because you know that there are still people out there who are out to get you.

The picture I’m trying to paint is far more accurate than calling Israel an arrogant state. It’s far more nuanced than that.

Could Israel be doing more to promote peace? Yes. Is there a need to address the injustices of the past, on both sides? Yes.

So what is the answer, Muhammad? You know my answer, my friend: Selling a Vision of Hope. Speak to one another with common sense and with a sense of personal dignity. Invest in one another with jobs that protect the environment. Inspire one another with a sense of hope. Sustain the hope with public diplomacy. And when necessary, and it will be necessary, fight against the forces of extremism, and fight hard, but position the fight within a Vision of Hope. Raise the fight on the ground to a higher moral plain by giving the fight a moral clarity of purpose. In effect, use a Vision of Hope, to beat the extremists at their own game.

What I’m going to say to you, Muhammad, may sound wierd. But I deeply believe with all my heart, that Israel not only wants peace, and is willing to sacrifice for peace, but in many ways, Israel is probably best positioned to bring peace to the Middle East, and to help revive the stagnant economies of the Middle East, and to help bring environmental protection to the world. You may think that I’m crazy. But from everything I know, that’s what I’ve come to believe.

Your argument, as a general approach, makes sense to me. However, I have to ask this: which not-sexy approach may come to bend an arrogant state to the will of internationl community, especially when this state happens to enjoy unlimited support of the (only) superpower of the world?

Much of the Arab world is full of all sorts of emotions. And cunning leaders know how to play to those emotions in consolidating political power.

However, if you really want to help your people, you often have to tone down the rhetoric, and come up with ways to pull people together for the greater good. That may not be as sexy or “cool,” but it works, and it’s time to make things work, with better jobs, with a sense of pride, with a flourishing economy, with environmental protection, and ultimately, with peace.

So that’s the question of Arab leaders. Do you want to seem cool, or do you want to be cool by calming things down, and by making things happen, things which will bring good to your people? Is it about you, or is it about them?

something which piss off the Wahabis, pro-America Arabs, pro-Israel Arabs and the Anti-anything-Islamic-Arabs.

The only people he doesn’t piss off is the pro-terrorism, pro-Shiite/Sunni conflict, pro murder, pro religious extremism, and self-hating Arab Muslims.

more than the support Hamas+Al-Qaeda+The Muslim brotherhood + Al-Ahly FC of Egypt have combined.

FYI, these groups are equally destructive, listing them in a form of competition doesn’t really aid your case, it just shows the camp you fall under. Anyone who distinguishes between Sunnis and Shiites (Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah) are dangerous, terrorist-driven and simply pathetic. This guy you are cheering for will be the cause of many civil wars to come, and many innocent deaths. Like the Sunnis who died in Lebanon in his name, is this your Islam? Killing your own brethren? What a pity. No wonder we’re living a curse.

the support for him is overwhelming in the Arab world. more than the support Hamas+Al-Qaeda+The Muslim brotherhood + Al-Ahly FC of Egypt have combined.

something which piss off the Wahabis, pro-America Arabs, pro-Israel Arabs and the Anti-anything-Islamic-Arabs.

i just wanted to tell u that Lebanon has its hero and its Al Sayyed Hasan Nasrullah

Does Hezbollah still march in the streets chanting, “Oh Nasrullah, our Beloved. Destroy, destroy Israel!” ?

No collective punishment.

+++

Also, as others may have made clear (I think Arabista, Esra’a, and Yehuda), Quntar’s murders are not excusable because of past Israeli actions just as the killing of Palestinian children is not excused because of past Palestinian actions. No collective punishment. I think that is one of the main themes of this thread.

how he did not kill her mother if he was interested in killing for killing why no one talk about the other target

Well, according to the Israeli sources, the mother was hiding.

to reject one you consider a criminal , and you have thousends who is worst , you just lie to your self , reject them all , so you have some idea then

We have always rejected Israeli terrorism and condemned it on this site and elsewhere, but that’s not the topic of discussion now is it? Let’s stay relevant. Rejecting extremism from both sides is important, but it won’t help if people keep trying to get us to reject only Israeli terrorism.

Nasrallah is not only the enemy of Israelis and Jews.

He is also killing innocent Sunnis, fellow Muslims, to feed his terrorist ideologies (and especially the ideologies of those who fund him.) Anyone who doesn’t conform to his dangerous mission will have to suffer torture in his hands and eventually murder. This is not peace. This guy is the most dangerous thing to ever happen to the Arab world since Saddam, which some people looked upon as a great pan-Arab leader, when in fact he was in charge of genocide, wars, and severe corruption.

Many Muslims think of Nasrallah and his organization as violent enemies who will come after their own brothers and sisters after they’re done with the “Jews.” We know that, because Nasrallah’s already coming after us. This guy is aiming for something much larger than what he says. He’s being funded by the millions to mislead you and others into backing up his aggressive, dirty politics, and religious fundamentalism.

This is coming from a pro-Lebanon, pro-Palestine, pro-peace Arab Muslim who is sick of watching leaders win the support of the public by lying, killing innocent people, and declaring themselves as heroes.. only to have people actually fall for their destructive ideologies. Being powerful does not mean being heroic.

We can do better than this Amal. We are born leaders who will change this world by communicating effectively with each other and exploring more peaceful ways of requesting real, rather than temporary, change. There are more and more Israelis standing up with us, and with Lebanon and Palestine, when we just give them the chance to talk to us and listen to our needs. And it’s these guys who will eventually help us win peace, they are rallying every other day against their own governments, petitioning on our behalf, and setting up human rights organizations for Palestinians, and yet here we are as Arabs – calling people who murder them brutally “heroes.”

The real heroes are going to emerge in the near future, I’m sure of it, and they are the ones who will fight against both Israeli and Hezbollah terrorism, while peacefully challenging their followers.