This proves that Bush and Blair are giving the Israelis a free hand to kill innocent people regardless of their nationality. Is there no one with the courage and common sense to stop Israel from committing these unjustified acts of agresion?

David.
Hard to disagree with your view. Also it takes the spotlights away from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I AM GREATFUL THAT THE EVACUATION IS NOW UNDERWAY.I AM ALSO PROUD OF HOW WELL OUR FORCES ARE REACTING UNDER SUCH DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT IS ONLY A FEW MONTHS SINCE GENERAL JACKSON AND THE MOD SAID, THEIR INSANE REORGANISATION WOULD NOT LEAD TO OVERSTRETCH, AND NO SINGLE REGIMENT WOULD HAVE TO DO MORE THAN WAS REQUIRED.
HERE WE ARE WITH INCREASING NUMBERS IN AFGHANISTAN,STILL IN IRAQ AND THE BALKANS AND THE HIGHLANDERS ARE LIKELY TO HAVE TO COVER EVACUATION IN LEBANON.
THE BLACK WATCH ARE ON STANDBY FOR THEIR THIRD TOUR OF DUTY IN IRAQ IN THE NEXT FORTNIGHT, YET THE MOD SAYS THERE IS NO OVERSTRETCH.
GOD HELP BRITAIN IF THERE IS A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.OUR THOROUGHLY REDUCED FORCES NO LONGER HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DEAL WITH THE MODERN THREAT TO OUR SHORES.AND WHICH POLITICIANS REFUSED TO STOP THE AMALGANATION AND DESTRUCTION OF ANCIENT REGIMENTS,BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE BORDER?ALL TO BALANCE GORDONS BOOKS.
MAY GOD HELP INNOCENT VICTIMS WORLDWIDE AS WE NO LONGER HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO IT ...THOUGH WE HAVE THE WILL.
LETS HOPE AND PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE LEBANON, WHO WANT THE TERRORISTS OUT,AND THE ISRAELIS TO REIGN IN THE WAR PLANES AND TO LIVE SIDE BY SIDE.

Red Hackle

Absolutely correct about military overstretch - the situation is becoming dangerous ...... lives will be lost for lack of personnel and up to date equipment. Our forces are getting committed to more and more foreign conflicts and there is very little (if any) slack left. The RAF is currently experiencing another wave of cuts and there are only so many times the bucket can go to the well. Aircraft are robbed to fix other aircraft, flying programmes increase and people are working at maximum output. This Government is trying to be a force in the world but is not prepared to pay for it.

Has anyone tried Firozis very hot curries yet?

Hi Big Bad Billy,Yes i have tried Firozis,And was sick as a dingo,You must have a gut of cast iron.

Well said Red Hackle,Never a more true word spoken,How long did you were the Red Hackle,And with pride no doubt,Well done.

Re: Red Hackle's comment. What are Firozis red hot curries? I lived in the U.K for 13 years, left in 2004 and have never heard this slang word, if indeed it is a slang word.

I think we have been involved in the beginning of WWIII but most people will not even consider the thought. While the dangers magnify each day, we are destroying the very things we need to protect ourselves.

The movie called the "The Gathering Storm" telling us how Churchill tried for almost 10 years to warn everyone what was really going on in Germany, yet the gov't refused to acknownledge it. I recommend everyone who has not seen this movie try to get a copy of it, if it is available on tape or DVD.

Only the countries and the names have changed as to who presents the most dangers to us.

I was amazed, and a little surprised, to find how widely British and Scottsh troops are committed around the world. From our side of the water, it's a good feeling that Brits and Americans are serving the world together.

Frederic

Scottish troops are British troops ......... all the service people of the UK serve in the same armed forces. The British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. Within the Army there are regiments and some of those are Scottish regiments.

Unfortunately, our present Government is eating away at the defence budget and is over committing our armed forces to various conflicts. In many areas we are poorly equipped and undermanned, it is an embarassment when we serve with Americans as we are very much the poor relations. If this Government want to make savings and can only do so by shortsightedly attacking the defence budget then they should stop trying to pretend that we are players. Alternatively, if they are going to go down the route of committing us to more and more foreign wars they need to get their wallets out, they are putting people's lives at risk if they do not!!!

Regards

I still believe in the God Who created the heavens and the earth and speaks to mankind through His Holy Scriptures. He has mercifully revealed His Love & Salvation to all mankind by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to teach us what the Holy Scriptures mean to us and how we can live to glorify God, Who now can be our Father, as He always meant for us to be, ever since Adam and Eve were first created.
As for the wars that are (and have been), try reading the Holy Bible (Jeremiah,ch.25,vv.29-38) (Scriptures/TANACH"Law;Prophets;Writings)

I am so confused by the politics of the middle east. I tried to sort out what this one was all about. Soldiers were kidnapped, shouldn't that be captured, are they now prisoners of war. If they are POWs should the red cross request to see the prisoners.
Hezbollah is a political party but one that is not in power (I believe they got 30% of the vote) so how come they are control of an army, is this a guerilla war.
I have tried in vain to figure this out.

Rita - God (Allah - one and the same) bless you - just keep on trying.You might be able to figure out what most of us keep missing except, of course, those who believe that everything would be okay if only those pesky Jews would just walk into the sea and disappear - then the world would be just perfect.

Well not quite - because then the Muslim extremists like the Hezbollah can start on the Catholics, the Protestants, the Anglicans, the Buddists, the Christadelphians - I think you get my point - because for these extremists, with their perverted interpretation of the Kur'an, Allah has told them that all the rest of us have to be put to death in order for Allah's word to be honoured. I guess the rest of the world is either listening to a different God or hearing a different message from the same God. What do you think?

Nice, eh.

Personal service long time ago.Family service now.Still proud of our boys and girls in all the regiments.All in my family know the sacrifice made by men and women in our army,navy and air force both recent conflicts and in the past.
Nothing is new in the middle east.Only the names of some of the terror groups have changed.Meanwhile the innocent sit in the middle being pounded right and left.As in the past,our service personnel want to help, but the government ill-equip them, either for their own protection or for the humanitarian role they seek to achieve.
How difficult they are making the rescue of British Nationals from the Lebanon.This is not the fault of our sailors,marines,aircrew,or soldiers.We are short of ships,helicopters and military equipment.
WHY? So we can balance the Defence Budget to allow our payment of billions toward the cost of the European satellite: and to restructure our perfectly good forces to join the Toytown Defence Group in Europe in a few years.
Ancient regiments such as Kings (Liverpool),The Glorious Glosters,and the K.O.S.B. cast to the side.And they wonder why recruiting is "slow"
M.O.D. words...not mine.WHY WONDER...THE HISTORY AND PRIDE IS GONE.
My family and I will be praying tonight that the Lebanon ,a wonderful land, will survive cateclysm and its powereful neighbour can draw back from the brink of a total middle east war.The innocent on all sides are counting on it.

Right folks, I've posted this on a different story and I see the need to post it here also. Please visit this link to the United Nations website for the REAL history of the Palestine problem, then see if you feel the same as you did when you woke up this morning.

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/ngo/history.html

Blair and Bush are not giving Israel freedom to wipe out Lebanon and Palastine. Israel have for years been threatened, attacked in open warfare, terrorised by Islamic groups and knocked by the rest of the world. It has been seen, Israel will not be aggresive with those who leave them alone. Egypt is a good example of this. They were at war but when the Egyptians stopped the extremist approach everything was fine. I believe Israel actually fund and pay Palastinians in the Gaza strip when there is no trouble. For 6 years, Lebanon have not been battered by Israel even with the continual potential and actual threat posed. If you lived in a Country which had been subjected to what the Israelis have had, and your Government did nothing about it, I don't think you'd be very happy. It's like other Arab problems. They don't seem to understand that if the stopped the attacks in Iraq, the Brits and Yanks would go home within 6 months. If the Afgahns stopped producing heroine to fund the world terrorist market and war lords, they would be left alone and with Lebanon and Palastine, stop the suicide bombers, missile attacks, kidnapping and murders and the Israelis will be as quiet as mice. You see the trouble is two pronged.1. They believe Isreal does not have the right to exist and secondly, they are extremists and they just don't want peace. When did Israel bomb London, New York, Madrid, Bali and so on. Hey folks, wake up and smell the coffee. I am not jewish, I have worked with Arabs and i've worked with Israelis and believe me, I know which one I trust.

Whenever I feel depressed about the state of the world, I look on the Scotsman comments to remind myself there are other people who too can see the wood for the trees.

FOR RITA No. 12...Rita, Hezbollah is not a political party, it's a terrorist organisation with no regard for the Lebonese people or Government. It takes it's orders from Syria who in turn take theirs from Iran. There will be no peace because it is not what Iran or Syria want. I do feel sorry for the Lebonese people however if your going to tolerate terrorists in your cities then you take what comes with it.

FOR DIANAJANE - OREGON. no 11.. Jeesie peeps lass, you need to loosen up. nip down your local bar, have a few drinks and have somebody chat you up.

For Ken:
Hezbollah holds 14 seats in the Lebanese National Assembly, not much to be sure, but unfortunately there are such a mixture of parties that no one hold much of any power. I do understand that they came out of Syria and are backed by them but like many of these groups they know how to worm their way into the people's good graces with their social programs.
I also note that though we over here have classified them as a terrorist group Europe has not.
As you can see the more I read about this and even looking at the background, as suggested by Colin, and not for the first time, the more confusing it becomes. So help me I cannot figure out how Hexbollah can fire these huge rockets into Israel without the consent of the country they are coming from.
I am working on it.
Rita

Red Hackle (3), Howard (13), Ken (16)
I am with you 100% its great to read comments from people who don't just foam at the mouth.

Scot

Dont be too depressed.We live in a beautiful country.Take a wee walk in the country or by the sea.
We are lucky in the U.K.We just need to look at the fear on the faces of those who live under tyranny,or the people boarding those ships in Beruit lately, to realise it.
Lets just work hard to keep our homeland safe and secure.

Hi again Rita, Hezbollah are likened to the IRA in Northern Ireland. The do have a Political facia however, like the IRA, they are motivated by terror. When the trouble subsided in Northern Ireland, it was brought about by the people coming together and saying enough is enough, world Political powers talked and SF/IRA became an active Polictical Party and the talking started. With Hizbollah, they don't want to talk. If a Lebonese Person is critical of Hizbollah they are terrorised and very often murdered. Politicians cannot speak out or they are assasinated (like their PM was) and this will continue until someone stops them. Syria and Iran are backing and supplying Hizbollah. They originated from Syria and surely their attitude is "IT'S NOT OUR LAND SO LETS HAVE A GOOD WAR" Taking into consideration Irans statements that Israel must be wiped from the face of the earth, and that is a quote from the Iranian President, who would you put money on having fired the first missile! I honestly believe Isreal could do without this hassle and they have proved they will live in harmony with the neighbours (Egypt) but it's going to take UN intervention to stop this and lets face it, the UN is a toothless Tiger, with their go in but don't get involved, don't shoot, just stand in the middle and shout "naughty people". I hope this is sorted out soon, hand the soldiers back, stop the bombing and missile attacks, give each other the right to live but I wonder who wants that most.

Hi all:
I don't suppose we could ever exhaust this subject as it is far to convoluted to unravel on this forum but I must say I am glad to see so many people are actually giving it serious thought and not just running off at the mouth (quoting Charles).
Thanks I have enjoyed this debate.
It is a beautiful day and I am now off to stick my head in the sand for a while.
Rita