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From: raju@ut-ngp.UTEXAS (raju bhatt)
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.politics
Subject: Re: Protesting the Beirut Hostage Crisis
Message-ID: <1918@ut-ngp.UTEXAS>
Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 13:09:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.1918
Posted: Wed Jun 26 13:09:48 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Jun-85 00:45:36 EDT
References: <498@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: University of Texas at Edwards Aquifer
Lines: 53
Keywords: Arafat, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Berri
Xref: watmath net.followup:5020 net.politics:9603

From: carnes@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP (Richard Carnes)
 > They will do what they can to achieve their political objectives.  If
 > the US govt. is serious about getting the hostages released, it can
 > pressure the Israelis to release the hundreds of Lebanese civilians
 > (including women and children) that Israel has imprisoned in clear
 > violation of international law, and that Israel was planning to
 > release anyway.  But no, that would cause people to question Reagan's
 > manhood, which seems to be the bottom line for the Administration.
 > Reagan's tough talk about retribution only serves to show up the US
 > as a paper tiger, since everyone knows he isn't going to do anything.

I don't believe that only those hostages (TWA flight) are the only
consideration.  How about the Navy man who they brutally killed?  If
their purpose was to release their comrades/people in the hands of the
Israelis, then why kick the sh*t out of the Navy guy and then at point
blank range put a bullet through/into his skull?  He was not in the
Israeli Navy, nor an Israeli citizen.  The Shiites have every reason
to be angry at both the US and Israel, as US ships bombarded Shiite
neighborhoods during the Multinational Peacekeeping Force (or as the
Warsaw Pact would say the NATO forces) occupation of Beirut.  Israelis
have in the past been willing to trade for Israelis in Palestinian,
Syrian, and the local militias' hands.  The killing of the poor Navy
man signalled to the US that they were going to be tough.  But was
that display necessary?  I don't believe so.  I don't buy that the
Israelis were going to release the Shiites that they had soon.  This
looks like a public ploy on their part and you know how the Israelis
are with the American Media!  A third party like the Red Cross (or
in the Muslim World, the Red Cresent) could have helped to swap the
passengers for the Shiites.  Even though the US doesn't like to 
acknowledge, Arafat played clean.  Prisoner swaps and when the civil
war broke out in Lebonan broke out, Al Fatah was protecting the
American Embassy.  If the Syrians and Israelis didn't screw the guy,
he could have helped in bringing to close the hijacking drama.  And
Nabih Berri (as Peter Jennings said, "The owner of several gas stations
in the Detroit area"), has not been the Arafat that played it cool
and won on the diplomatic scale.  Berri has not done a service for
his cause through his role in the drama.  No matter how much the US
State Department says that he is the 'man' who can resolve the drama,
he (and his men) talk as if they are the hijackers and will kill
them if the Shiites are released.  The American Media has made such
a play with his American affliation (another Peter Jennings favorite
quote "He even has a green card").  And here is Berri the same man
who is wiping the Palestianians in the refugee camps.  Keeping the
US Navy off the coast of Lebanon I believe is a good idea as Berri
knows, Reagan (with US public opinion behind him) will do something
when the drama gets resolved (either for the good or the bad). No
Marines landing, but could do a number on the very same people he
says he stands for with heavy bombing of the South Beirut neighbor-
hoods for the purpose of 'getting even with the hijackers'.  As
swiftly as he took American forces to Lebanon, Honduras, and Grenada,
he can do another 'trick' to Beirut especially when public opinion
is behind him.  The House Democrats/Liberals will not have the
votes to stop him.  Let's wait and see....