Okay, the a couple of the most important things...and then I gotta go meet some nice Jewish girl.
First: Palestinians who no longer reside in the occupied territories or Israel proper live as second-class citizens in neighboring Arab nations as refugees...many of them women and children. They are maltreated by their own Arab neighbors who seem so passionate about helping the Palestinians in front of the t.v. cameras, but could care less when it comes to actually helping them find lives within the bounds of their own borders.
Second: I have to stress this...the Oil for Food Program was specifically set up, with all parameters in the UN orders clearly stating, for Saddam Hussein to sell oil outside of Iraq for purposes of gaining food and medical supplies ostensibly for his suffering people following the first Gulf War. Allegations of abuse included France, Russia, Turkey, China, Jordan, Canada, Great Britain, France and, surprise, surprise, The United States. From The Senate Permanent Subcomittee on Investigations report: "The United States (government) was not only aware of Iraqi oil sales which violated UN sanctions and provided the bulk of the illicit money Saddam Hussein obtained from circumventing UN sanctions. On occasion, the United States actually facilitated the illicit oil sales." Throughout this tangled web of kickbacks and bribes, Iran was not involved once since they a) sell their oil legally without restraint as an OPEC nation, b) had nothing to do with the Gulf War and c) would never, ever be involved in a scheme to bribe Saddam Hussein. Iranian oil is state controlled. There is no side kickback deal with Iran and nations like Russia and China...they openly deal with Iran for their oil. If there is with France or any other European nation that would be construed as illicit, there has been no evidence related to the public. There is, however, evidence that a U.S. company did do illegal business through its subsidiary...again, it was Halliburton.
Third: Israel was last in full-blown war when they last invaded Lebanon in 1982 which they fully relinquished only 6 years ago. They went so far as to capture Beirut. However, they have repeatedly been attacked by Hezbollah, been involved with Palestinian Intifadas and was attacked by Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. When Israel fought the Six-Days War, the Yom Kippur War and the Wars of Attrition, Israel, again, did not target heads of state...or if they did secretly, they were unsuccessful.
Fourth: Israel wouldn't have enough to gain by being forced to take over parts of Lebanon if Hezbollah is expelled. Lebanon as a stable, peaceful government to the north of them would be the most beneficial concession from a political and economic standpoint that they could possibly want. Territorial gains would actually just garner more headaches and international disapproval, and economic gains would be pointless after destroying Lebanese infrastructure.
Fifth: Israel is pretty much a Western nation, as far as that description goes, and behaves, for the most part like a Western nation in times of war. They have a democratically elected government that does have to deal with internal politics like our own. They have been brutal in the past with some of their tactics and this has often brought about domestic as well as international condemnation. This is why Israel was forced to cede the Sinai Peninsula during the Suez Crisis.
Sixth: Israel would not occupy Iran, yes. But that means that any attempts at completely controlling Iran with force is pretty much a non-starter. Thus, any action to bomb Iran would be an act Israel would feel is done having no recourse (i.e. Iran starts putting together weapons grade Nuclear production plants). This is what I was trying to state, and that is why Iran supports terrorist groups attacking Israel, so that there wouldn't be the obvious pressure on Israel to start a public war with Iran.
I just disagree with this notion that Israel is a passionless, killing machine that just wipes things out without considering the consequences, and this is merely religious intolerance getting out of control yet again. Yes, they have done some reprehensible things, as have the PLO, Hamas and Hezbollah and the Arab nations surrounding Israel, but they all have to live with the complex geopolitics of the situation too. And it is complex, make no mistake. If it were as simple as Israel just flexing its muscle, the problem would have been solved decades ago.
