How Did Hezbollah Cross Border Raid

Chapter three of Eyal Press’ Beautiful Souls follows Avner Wishnitzer, an Israeli combat soldier serving in the occupied territories during the Second Intifada. In the 6-Day War of 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and has since kept the land under an Israeli military occupation. In 1987 to 1991, a Palestinian uprising involving resistance and civil disobedience, known as the First Intifada, occurred in the occupied territories. Consequently, Israel deployed many soldiers into the occupied territories, and an estimated 1,674 people were killed in total. The Second Intifada, a much more violent Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories, transpired from 2000 until 2005. In response, Israel enacted Operation Defensive Shield, a large-scale military operation, in 2002 to stop the terrorist attacks and suicide bombings of the Second Intifada. An approximate 4,426 people were killed in the Second Intifada. Avner Wishnitzer’s public refusal to serve in the occupied territories was worth getting kicked out of Sayeret Matkal and being disgraced by Israeli society because it made people question the occupation and the treatment towards Palestinians. Even if Avner had been my father, I would have condoned his choices because I could create my own reputation in the military. Additionally, the current controversy over the Israeli occupation legitimizes his stance and actions for many Israeli citizens.

These wars had made angry Palestinian lost more and more land causing many terrorist attacks and suicide bombings occurred during the conflict planned by Palestinian terrorist organizations such as the Hamas. Civil Palestinians’ anger had also lead to Intifada (1987) and Second

This tension came to a climax in 1936 during Arab Revolt, leaving 300 Jews and 5,000 Arabs dead, and over 15,000 Arabs injured. After WWII, large amounts of Jews were left as refugees, and on the eve of the expiration of the League of Nations Mandate, Israel announced its independence. A day latter, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon joined forces in order to stop Israel from becoming a state. There were a total of around 15,000 killed. A Palestinian’s journal explained the brutality when they wrote, “They took about 40 prisoners from the village. But after the battle was over, they took them to the quarry where they shot them dead and threw their bodies in the quarry” (10). Almost one million Palestinians were forcibly relocate. The war ended in 1949 in a ceasefire.

The Marines had been sent to Lebanon as peace-keepers, trying to bring some peace to a civil war that was ongoing in Lebanon. Military observers subsequent to that horrific event have suggested that this terrorist assault was the beginning of the reign of terror that radical Islamic would continue to perpetrate on Americans through the next twenty years.

Although Abulhawa was not there at the time, the events she discussed are true events that have occurred. This novel incorporates literature of apartheid because of how the Israelis were considered to be the majority race in power. Throughout this entire novel, Israeli soldiers have attacked, killed and injured many innocent people because they wanted to ultimately eliminate the opposing race. They would verbally attack Palestinians by saying “Fucking terrorist” and “Get rid of every last sand nigger” (Abulhawa, 2010 pg. 238). It was not until the Israeli soldiers invaded Lebanon, where the most brutal and violent acts against Palestinians were committed. What seemed to be the most shocking of all is the fact that the soldiers who were killing innocent people never seemed to have remorse aside from one who helped and fed Hudda. The protagonist, Amal is the person the readers see through. The most difficult part to read within this novel, was soon after the Israeli soldiers invaded. Amal had witness her older brother Yousef lose the one thing he loved the most, Fatima. On page 227, Yousef stated “They ripped my Fatima’s belly with a knife!! They killed my babies!!”. Amal described how difficult it was to hear such harsh things being said about her country and it was even heavy for her to witness it as well. A lot of the ruthless

Israeli forces defeated the Palestinian militias and Arab armies in a vicious conflict that turned 700,000 Palestinian civilians into refugees. The UN

A popular and most recent debate has been whether Israel should exist as a state. Currently, Israel is the only country in the world that has a relatively extensive Jewish population. More recently, Israel has been combatting against Palestinian soldiers in Gaza to prevent attacks on Israel coming from the Palestinian Government. This war has gone on for quite some time now; for years, actually. But how did this conflict develop? It certainly didn’t happen overnight.

Ori Lewis also mentioned in his article that Israeli military were ordering Palestinian laborers to halt work due to these attacks (Lewis, 2016). It appears more settlements are being targeted by random Palestinian terrorists.

Terrorist attacked U.S. Marine headquarters in Lebanon where a truck bomb exploded killing 241. Almost simultaneously, a second truck bomb exploded at a French paratroop barracks 2 miles away killing 58.

Iran gave direct support to Hezbollah through the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Hezbollah opposed Lebanon because it was supported by Israel and the United States, and in 1985 it issued its political agenda through the “Open Letter to the Downtrodden in Lebanon and in the World.”# In 1989, the Taif Accord emerged and the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990 when Syrian troops moved into parts of Lebanon that were not occupied by Israel. The Taif Accord balanced powers between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon, and overall tried to maneuver equality amongst both groups although Sunni elites were given the dominant role. After the Taif Accord, economic conditions continued to worsen and many began to underestimate the ability of Syria to control Lebanon. Syria then made the strategic move to promote Rafiq al-Hariri in 1992 to rescue Lebanon from its eventual demise. Hariri was able to boost the economy and revive morale in the Sunni communities. By the 1990s Hariri was capable of governing Lebanon independent of Syria. This began a decline of Syrian support for him, and a decline of Sunni dominance. After Hariri’s assassination in 2005, Syria was able to grasp control of Lebanon once more, and enabled Hezbollah to demonstrate a larger role. First existing as a revolutionary Islamist movement,

A little after 4 a.m. on September fifth, as the Israeli athletes slept, eight members of the Black September jumped over the six-foot high fence that encircled the Olympic Village. The terrorists headed straight for 31 Connollystrasse, the building where the Israeli team was staying. Around 4:30 a.m., the terrorists entered the building. They rounded up the occupants of Apartment one and then Apartment three. Several of the Israelis fought back and two of them were killed. A several others were able to escape out windows. Nine were taken hostage (Rosenberg). In another apartment, they captured the Israeli wrestlers and weightlifters Eliezer Halfin, Yossef Romano, Mark Slavin, David Berger, and Zeev Friedman. When the fearless Israelis fought back, the Black September opened fire, killing Romano and one other person (Olympics Massacre). Once the team was taken hostage, the Palestinians dropped a list of demands out the window. In return for the hostages, the terrorists demanded 234 prisoners released from Israeli prisons and two from German prisons by 9 a.m. (Rosenberg).

The use of the Hezbollah has greatly added to the continuation of the Arab-Israeli conflict and has limited cooperation in all regions. The Hezbollah also attracted U.S. attention after a suicide bomber killed over two hundred Marines in Beirut.

Israel was not the only foreigner in Lebanon. The United Nations also, had French and American soldiers stationed in Lebanon as UN peacekeepers (Byers, 2003). This did not, please Hezbollah, who wanted all foreigners off Lebanese soil. On April 18, 1983, Hezbollah finally struck. A Hezbollah operative drove an explosive laden van into the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon killing sixty-three individuals (Byers). Encouraged by this success Hezbollah then struck again on October 23, 1986, using suicide bombers in vehicles to blow up both the U.S. Marine Barracks and the French Paratroop Barracks, killing 241 Americans and 58 French. By, February 26, 1984, just four months after the devastating attack on the Marine Barracks the United States pulled its forces out of Lebanon (Byers).

Israel gained independence in 1948, and its vibrant democracy remains unique in the region. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reelected in March 2015, leads a coalition government of right-leaning and religious parties. Israel has a modern market economy with a thriving high-technology sector that attracts considerable foreign investment. The recent discovery of large offshore natural gas deposits has improved both its energy security and its balance-of-payments prospects. Despite the 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the 2008–2009, 2012, and 2014 wars against Hamas in Gaza, as well as the constant threat of terrorism, Israel’s economy is fundamentally sound and dynamic

In 2002, three suicide bombers attacked an Israeli-owned hotel, killing 11 Kenyans, 3 Israelis and wounding dozens. Almost simultaneously, at least two missiles were fired at - but missed - an Israeli airliner taking off from Mombasa airport. A previously unknown militant group calling itself The Government of Universal Palestine in Exile, The Army of Palestine, issued a statement in Lebanon claiming responsibility saying the operations were timed to mark the eve of the anniversary of the Nov. 29, 1947, decision by the United Nations to partition Palestine and allow creation of a Jewish state.[2]