The World Beyond

Canada Israel Committee

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

July 26, 2006

Click on a question to see the answer.




Question:

Why is Israel conducting military operations in Lebanon?

Short Answer:

“Israel is conducting military operations in Lebanon in order to put an end to the threat Hezbollah poses to the Israeli population.”

Explanation:

On July 12, 2006, Hezbollah a terrorist organization based in Lebanon and represented in the Lebanese government killed 8 and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on sovereign Israeli territory. This unprovoked act of war made it necessary for Israel to respond. Israel could no longer allow its citizens to be threatened by Hezbollah’s missile fire. Israel would have been negligent in its responsibility towards its citizens had it not responded. Like Canadians, Israelis have the right to live their lives without the threat of constant violence. The purpose of this operation is to free the abducted soldiers and to remove the threat that Hezbollah has posed and continues to pose to the men, women and children of Israel.



Question:

Is Israel using disproportionate force?

Short Answer: “Israel must respond with enough force to put an end to the threat Hezbollah poses to the men, women and children of Israel.”

Explanation:

  • Proportionality must be measured in terms of the extent of the threat. With over 12,000 missiles targeted at Israel and a mandate to destroy the Jewish state. Hezbollah is a direct threat not only to the one million Israelis who live within the range of the rockets, but to the Jewish people as a whole.
  • All democratic nations have the obligation to defend their citizens from attack and harm’s way. Failure to face the threat head on and with the amount of force needed to destroy it would be irresponsible.
  • Israel’s use of force is directly proportionate to the threat that Hezbollah poses to Israeli civilians.



Question:

Why does Israel bomb civilian buildings and infrastructure in Lebanon?

Short Answer:

“Israel does everything within its power to prevent civilian casualties. Only terrorist groups like Hezbollah aim to maximize civilian deaths.”

Explanation:

  • Israel is a democratic country with a moral army that makes every effort to avoid involving civilians in conflicts and causing civilian casualties.
  • By contrast, Hezbollah deliberately tries to maximize civilian casualties by targeting major Israeli population centres and by using civilians as human shields.
  • Israel only targets facilities in southern Lebanon which serve the supply and command capacity of Hezbollah.
  • Israel targeted the runways of the Beirut airport and the Beirut-Damascus highway in order to stop Hezbollah from smuggling the two abducted Israelis out of Lebanon and to destroy the routes through which Hezbollah is re-supplied with weapons.
  • Israel did not target the airport control tower or any other installation not directly used by the terrorists.



Question:

Is Israel not concerned about the growing number of civilian casualties?

Short Answer:

“Israel does everything it can to minimize civilian casualties. When terrorists use civilians as human shields, it is the terrorists and not Israel who are criminally responsible for any loss of life.”

Explanation:

  • As a moral country, Israel does not target civilians and regrets any loss of innocent life.
  • The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) is a disciplined army which adheres to a strict code of conduct. In this current crisis, the IDF has gone out of its way to try and save the lives of Lebanese civilians.
  • Prior to attacking an area, the IDF makes announcements and drops pamphlets urging civilians to vacate Hezbollah areas.
  • Hezbollah, on the other hand, embeds itself in residential neighborhoods, fires missiles out of private homes and cynically uses civilians as human shields.
  • When terrorists use civilians as human shields, it is the terrorists who are criminally responsible for the deaths of Lebanese civilians, not Israel.



Question:

Following the July 16, 2006 death of 7 Canadians, what is Israel doing to help foreign nationals get out of Lebanon?

Short Answer:

“Israel is working with the international community to ensure that foreign nationals leave Lebanon swiftly and safely.”

Explanation:

  • Israel has expressed its profound sorrow to the government of Canada over the tragic death of the Lebanese Canadian family.
  • Israel unconditionally regrets the deaths of any foreign nationals in Lebanon who are not involved in the violence.
  • Israel has established a safe corridor and humanitarian task force to facilitate the evacuation of people not involved in the conflict. Presently, over 70 evacuee ships have left Lebanon without incident.



Question:

What is Israel doing in order to help address the humanitarian needs of the Lebanese population?

Short Answer:

“Unlike Hezbollah, which seeks to inflict maximum pain and suffering on the Israeli civilian population, Israel is doing everything within its power to help Lebanese civilians.”

Explanation:

  • The government of Israel has created special passageways to allow Lebanese civilians to vacate Hezbollah areas under attack.
  • It has created special corridors to allow for the free flow of food, medicine and other necessities.
  • A new Israeli task force has been formed to coordinate the distribution of humanitarian aid.



Question:

Why didn’t Israel show restraint and use diplomacy before attacking?

Short Answer:

“Israel waited 6 years for Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 425 and 1559. With over 12,000 Hezbollah rockets aimed at 1/3 of Israel’s population, Israel can no longer afford to wait.”

Explanation:

  • Israel withdrew from Lebanon in May, 2000 in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 425 and 1559.
  • Instead of taking steps to secure a peaceful border with Israel, the Lebanese government allowed Hezbollah to take control of the southern part of the country and to stockpile a vast arsenal of rockets and missiles supplied by Syria and Iran.
  • Israel repeatedly called upon the international community to urge the government of Lebanon to rein in Hezbollah. Lebanon did not exercise its sovereignty and disarm Hezbollah. Unfortunately, it is the people of Lebanon who must bear the consequences of their own government’s inaction.



Question:

How does Israel expect the government of Lebanon to take action after years of inaction and ineffectiveness?

Short Answer:

“The Lebanese government has both the ability and the international backing to take control of its own country.”

Explanation:

  • The recent withdrawal of Syrian military presence in Lebanon has allowed Beirut more freedom of action in order to promote Lebanese interests.
  • The Lebanese government is now responsible to fulfill its obligation as a sovereign state. Lebanon must take control of its own territory including the region abutting the border with Israel, and implement Security Council resolutions 425 and 1559 which call for the disarmament of Hezbollah.



Question:

Why does Israel say that Syria and Iran are involved in Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism?

Short Answer:

“Syria and Iran are rogue states that arm, fund and enable Hamas and Hezbollah.”

Explanation:

  • Hamas leader Khahled Mashaal has been living in Syria for a number of years. From Damsacus, Mashaal commands terrorist activity against Israelis, including the bombardment of southern Israel with Qassam rockets and the recent abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
  • Syria also provides support to Hezbollah including the financing and procurement of arms. Hezbollah would not be operating in southern Lebanon without Syrian sponsorship.
  • Iran is Hezbollah’s main benefactor. It provides the terror organization with funding, weapons, training, ideological support, political cover and even elite fighters.
  • Most of the Katyusha rockets as well as the longer-range missiles that have hit Israel during this crisis came from Iran.



Question.

What motivates Iran and Syria to support Hamas and Hezbollah?

Short Answer:

“It’s a symbiotic relationship. While Islamist terrorists hope to take over the world and impose Moslem rule, their sponsoring states want to keep the world distracted.”

Explanation:

  • Hamas and Hezbollah are driven by an extreme Islamist ideology which calls for the immediate destruction of the State of Israel as part of a greater plan to wage jihad (holy war) against the ‘Infidel’ Western world.
  • Syria and Iran sponsor and support these organizations so that they can use them as political arms which, on the on the one hand, further the goals of radical Islam and, on the other, deflect attention away from the fact that Syria is still involved in Lebanese internal affairs and Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
  • Arab analysts speculate that Hezbollah and Hamas initiated their respective crises with Israel in order to, in part, delay the international show-down that will undoubtedly occur over Iran’s nuclear program.



Question:

So if Syria and Iran are behind the terrorism, why is Israel attacking Lebanon?

Short Answer:

“Israel is fighting Hezbollah and not Lebanon. Israel will avoid military escalation whenever and wherever diplomacy has a chance of succeeding.”

Explanation:

  • Israel is attacking Hezbollah’s military assets within Lebanon and not Lebanon itself. Israel has struck only at military installations used by Hezbollah.
  • Israel has no desire to escalate the military action beyond the present theatres of operation in Lebanon and Gaza.
  • Israel believes that the involvement of Syria and Iran is, at present, best addressed through coordinated diplomatic pressure.



Question:

How will Israel pressure Syria and Iran?

Short Answer:

“Israel is not alone in its fight against terrorism.”

Explanation

  • There is a widening consensus in the international community that Islamist terror is a global rather than a regional threat.
  • One has to only look at 9/11 in the United States, the slaughter of the Beslan schoolchildren in Russia, and the murder of innocents on the trains and busses in Madrid and London, as well as the carnage planned for Canadian cities, to see that Israel is embroiled in an ongoing assault by Islamist terrorists determined to defeat Western civilization and replace it with Moslem rule.
  • Israel is working with the international community to put pressure on countries like Syria and Iran who both sponsor and encourage terror.



Question:

What are the diplomatic avenues available to end this crisis?

Short Answer:

“Israel is telling its Lebanese neighbours: Return the hostages, disarm the terrorists, control the territory and then we can have peace.”

Explanation:

  • Though Israel understands that military operations are now necessary to defend its citizens by neutralizing the threat posed by Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure, the eventual solution to the conflict must be diplomatic.
  • With regard to Lebanon, the components of this solution would be:
  • The return of the hostages Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev A complete and total cease-fire Deployment of the Lebanese army into southern Lebanon Expulsion of Hezbollah from that area Implementation of UN Resolution 1559, specifically the disarming of Hezbollah.
  • With regard to Palestinian front, the components of a solution would include: The return of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit Cessation of terrorist activity against Israeli civilians An end to the launching of Qassam missiles onto Israeli towns and settlements in the south An end to the incitement and culture of hate against Israelis and Jews The recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish democratic state Respect for Israel’s sovereign boundaries.



Question:

By adopting an overtly pro-Israel and pro-U.S. position on the current crises, hasn’t Prime Minister Stephen Harper compromised Canada’s traditional role as a neutral, honest broker in the Middle East?

Short Answer:

“Establishing a clear, firm position against terrorism, and supporting democratic forces, will increase rather than diminish respect for Canada among all parties in the Middle East who share the dream of a peaceful future.”

Explanation:

  • Stephen Harper’s condemnation of Hezbollah and Hamas aggression against Israel is grounded in a principled opposition to international terrorism, rather than disproportionate support for Israel and the United States.
  • ‘Neutrality’ and ‘nuance’ are not options for Canada (and other Western democracies) in the post 9-11 struggle against global Islamist radicalism sponsored and promoted directly by Iran and Syria, and through proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas.
  • Prime Minister Harper’s principled stand against terrorism was reflected in the recent G-8 statement, which stated that besides the return of the kidnapped soldiers, Hezbollah must stop its Katyusha missile fire on Israel from Lebanon and Hamas must put an end to the Qassam missiles from Gaza The overwhelming majority of Canadians – 64% - believe Israel’s military response to Hezbollah’s unprovoked aggression has been either “completely justified” or “somewhat justified,” according to an Ipsos Reid-CanWest Global survey published on Monday, July 24, 2006.
  • 63% of Canadians feel that the onus for compromise for achieving a ceasefire rests with “those who kidnapped the Israeli soldiers” rather than the government of Israel.