Iranians volunteer to fight Israel

[RMT]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/26/iran.volunteers.ap/index.html

Check out the part in bold below ... who are you "for"?

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Surrounded by yellow Hezbollah flags, more than 60 Iranian volunteers set off Wednesday to join what they called a holy war against Israeli forces in Lebanon.

The group -- ranging from teenagers to grandfathers -- plans to join about 200 other volunteers on the way to the Turkish border, which they hope to cross Thursday. They plan to reach Lebanon via Syria on the weekend.

Organizers said the volunteers are carrying no weapons, and it was not clear whether Turkey would allow them to pass.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, would not say Wednesday if Turkey would allow them to cross. Iranians, however, can enter Turkey without a visa and stay for three months.

Iran says it will not send regular forces to aid Hezbollah, but apparently it will not attempt to stop volunteer guerrillas. Iran and Syria are Hezbollah's main sponsors.

"We are just the first wave of Islamic warriors from Iran," said Amir Jalilinejad, chairman of the Student Justice Movement, a nongovernment group that helped recruit the fighters. "More will come from here and other Muslim nations around the world. Hezbollah needs our help."

Military service is mandatory in Iran, and nearly every man has at least some basic training. Some hard-liners have more extensive drills as members of the Basiji corps, a paramilitary network linked to the powerful Revolutionary Guard.

Other volunteers, such as 72-year-old Hasan Honavi, have combat experience from the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

"God made this decision for me," said Honavi, a grandfather and one of the oldest volunteers. "I still have fight left in me for a holy war."

The group, chanting and marching in military-style formation, assembled Wednesday in a part of Tehran's main cemetery that is reserved for war dead and other "martyrs."

They prayed on Persian carpets and linked hands, with their shoes and bags piled alongside. Few had any battle-type gear and some arrived in dress shoes or plastic sandals.

Some bowed before a memorial to Hezbollah-linked suicide bombers who carried out the 1983 blast at Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. servicemen. An almost simultaneous bombing killed 56 French peacekeepers.

Speakers praised Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and laid scorn on Muslim leaders -- including their own government -- for not sending battlefield assistance to Hezbollah since the battles erupted two weeks ago.

Even if the volunteers fail to reach Lebanon, their mobilization is an example of how Iranians are rallying to Hezbollah through organizations outside official circles.

Iran insists it is not directly involved in the conflict on the military side, but it remains the group's key pipeline for money. Iran has dismissed Israel's claims that Hezbollah has been supplied with upgraded Iranian missiles that have reached Haifa and other points across northern Israel.

"We cannot stand by and watch out Hezbollah brothers fight alone," said Komeil Baradaran, a 21-year-old Basiji member. "If we are to die in Lebanon, then we will go to heaven. It is our duty as Muslims to fight."

[Spider]

"God made this decision for me," said Honavi, a grandfather and one of the oldest volunteers. "I still have fight left in me for a holy war."


ummm kind of reminds me of another poster here ..... who could it be I wonder

[Meck77]

Well Iran has something like 68,000,000 people so you figure about half are male. With a fighting age of let's say 13 that would leave Israel and eventually the United States about 20,000,000 Iranians to kill.

[Cito Pelon]

The organizers should be sued. It's like "Bum Fights".

[RMT]

Well Iran has something like 68,000,000 people so you figure about half are male. With a fighting age of let's say 13 that would leave Israel and eventually the United States about 20,000,000 Iranians to kill.

No matter what happens with Hezbollah in Lebanon, there will always be people who will fight Israel. Israel will have to defend itself indefinitely as more and more fighters join from surrounding countries. The supply of fighters will probably not diminish for quite a while.

[Meck77]

No matter what happens with Hezbollah in Lebanon, there will always be people who will fight Israel. Israel will have to defend itself indefinitely as more and more fighters join from surrounding countries. The supply of fighters will probably not diminish for quite a while.

That's exactly right. Oh it will end. Whoever has the best nuclear fallout shelters will live longer.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

No matter what happens with Hezbollah in Lebanon, there will always be people who will fight Israel. Israel will have to defend itself indefinitely as more and more fighters join from surrounding countries. The supply of fighters will probably not diminish for quite a while.

As long as Israel pursues its policy of racial Apartheid and predatory expansionism, you can bank on it.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

The United States cannot attack Iran, nor can Israel mount a proxy attack on Tehran, without risking a generalized and well-armed Shia rebellion in the South of Iraq against American forces. In the North of Iraq – Iraqi Kurdistan – Turkish forces cross the border to raid Kurdish positions while Iran lobs artillery fire into Kurdish mountain bases. Even as Turkey retains its commitment never to allow an independent Kurdistan on its Southern border, the Turkish government has grown increasingly Islamist and so more receptive to overtures from Iran.

The principle constraint remaining on the Turkish government is its powerful desire to become part of the European Union – a desire that is steadily losing traction with the Turkish masses whose backs are being broken with the very neoliberal “structural adjustment” policies supported by the EU.

The US attempt to use the Kurds as a counterbalance against the Shias – even resorting to election fraud to diminish the UIA vote count – has backfired spectacularly. Not only has it set the stage for a Shia-Kurd armed conflict within the newly constituted Iraqi armed forces, it has created the conditions for a tactical rapprochement between the Kurds and Sunni Arab guerrillas… an American nightmare.

Instead of knocking off Iraq then moving promptly to the next target – Iran – the Bush administration has now played the foil for Iran, and put within Iran’s reach what it has sought for decades: the position of key political actor in the region and the world.

The only place in the region where the Bush administration enjoys a shred of support from any significant segment of actual national populations is among the right wing in Israel – a strategic alliance that has cost the US dearly over the years and promises to cost it more.

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/062006_encroachment_part2.shtml

[NOLA Bronco]

As long as Israel pursues its policy of racial Apartheid and predatory expansionism, you can bank on it.


Come on. Israel does not seek to kill every muslim nor expand its borders. We know that groups like Hezbollah and Hamas want to end Israel and kill Jews. I don't blame Israel for ruling with an iron fist when it comes to people who want them dead. These people have been kicked out of nearly every country and a great deal of its citizens are decendants of people who came from or died in eastern europe. You think a Palestinian controlled area would treat Jews well? They are not going to wait around and get labeled with a yellow star. Too much has happened for them to reason with groups who seek the end their existance.

The only reason they wish to move into southern Lebanon is because they wish to protect their own border and citizens with a buffer. You see, that land in southern Lebanon is sparsely populated high ground. The Lebanese government does nothing to prevent Hezbollah from firing their rockets into Israel from those stratigically located positions. So Israel is doing something about it.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Come on. Israel does not seek to kill every muslim nor expand its borders. We know that groups like Hezbollah and Hamas want to end Israel and kill Jews.

Israel is a settler state that was carved out by an occupying power (the Brits) after WWII. The Palestinians who were displaced from their lands have a legitimate complaint for this reason alone. Israel has continued to press for additional territory and has never declared its formal borders.

We know that groups like Hezbollah and Hamas want to end Israel and kill Jews.

Just like Israel wants to kill Muslims and push the Palestinians further and further off their lands.

Both sides use reprehensible tactics to accomplish their objectives.

The difference is that the U.S. government and those on the far-right continue to side with one terrorist entity against the other.

Events have shown over and over again that this sort of policy invariably comes back to bite us in the ass.

The Lebanese government does nothing to prevent Hezbollah from firing their rockets into Israel from those stratigically located positions. So Israel is doing something about it.

As Mark pointed out, Hezbollah was originally formed in order to protect Southern Lebanon from incursions by Israel. Israel has historically been the aggressor in this context.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Israel is an occupier just like the Seminole, the Saxons, the Anglos, the Arabs (they might be the world's authorities in occupation by force, led by Muhammed himself), the Germanic tribes, the Chinese, etc, etc. You cant play that card here because it has very little relevance.

The Apartheid reference is just a buzz word used here to provoke strong reaction. There are, and have been, Arabs, Anglos, Africans, and several other cultural groups that live in Israel. I have an Arab Christian friend named Samuel who is from the North. He fought in the Israeli military.

The reason that the Palestinians are being moved out is because they cant play fair. They dont want Israel in charge of "their" land, and they dont want to peacefully abide by the "dont blow up innocent people doing everyday activities" law.

There are two sides, yes. Revisionists that paint Israel as the instigator here need to look at both sides too.

[defenseman]

As long as Israel pursues its policy of racial Apartheid and predatory expansionism, you can bank on it.

As long as hezbollah, al qaeda and the rest of the hitler youth continue their policy of death to israel, and the United states I might add, the fighting will continue. Unless, the terrorists are no longer accepted by world and put to death, you can bank on it...dman

Blame on this one, can be sharpened on both sides of the knife.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

As long as hezbollah, al qaeda and the rest of the hitler youth continue their policy of death to israel, and the United states I might add, the fighting will continue. Unless, the terrorists are no longer accepted by world and put to death, you can bank on it...dman

Blame on this one, can be sharpened on both sides of the knife.
Really? How does that work when for every Muslim that is "put to death" two more are created that want to kill us?

[enjolras]

For the love of pete.. its SIXTY people they're talking about here. We have more than that for pickup basketball some nights. They where joining an 'army' of 200 additional people... with no real plan, no weapons, and no good way to actually make it to Lebanon. According to the back-of-the-envelope calculation of 20,000,000 fighting age Iranians that is 0.000003% of the fighting population... Lets cut the rest some slack before giving into hyperbole about how every muslim on the planet wants to kill Isreal (and the U.S.).

[El Guapo]

This news is shocking... really. I propose that the isrealis put a picture of mohammad on their uniforms (chest area: reference superman)so the terrorists dont shoot them (out of defiance of harming a picture of mohammad)

[Bronco9798]

For the love of pete.. its SIXTY people they're talking about here. We have more than that for pickup basketball some nights. They where joining an 'army' of 200 additional people... with no real plan, no weapons, and no good way to actually make it to Lebanon. According to the back-of-the-envelope calculation of 20,000,000 fighting age Iranians that is 0.000003% of the fighting population... Lets cut the rest some slack before giving into hyperbole about how every muslim on the planet wants to kill Isreal (and the U.S.).

I was thinking the same thing. The title of the thread caught my attention, then I read about grandpa and his entrouage of tennagers and thought, Oh, ok...

[mhgaffney]

No matter what happens with Hezbollah in Lebanon, there will always be people who will fight Israel. Israel will have to defend itself indefinitely as more and more fighters join from surrounding countries. The supply of fighters will probably not diminish for quite a while.

Not true, RMT:

Back in 2002 Saudi Arabia offered Israel a full peace treaty. The offer was extraordinary in that it went much further than any previous Arab peace initiative had, before. The Saudis offered not only to recognize Israel, they offered normalized relations, including full trade, economic ties, cultural exchanges: in short, an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The only condition was that Israel must abide by UN Security Council resolutions on Palestine.

The 2002 Saudi peace offer was a trial balloon, but it had broad support in the Arab world. It had been drafted at an Arab League summit shortly before being announced. For more details go to al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm.

An end to the conflict was within reach in 2002, if the US government had prevailed upon Israel to respond favorably. Of course, this didn't happen. At the time the Bush administration had other priorities. The neocons were busily preparing to go to war with Saddam Hussein. Toward that end Bush operatives scoured the Middle East trying to drum up support. Everyone told them: "Don't make war on Iraq. Saddam is no threat. Solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead." It was excellent advice. Did the Bush administration listen? Of course not. Instead of a peace initiative we got the disaster in Iraq.

For its part, Israel was also preoccupied in 2002 -- destroying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank built up during the failed Oslo process. Israel's PM Ariel Sharon did not actually reject the 2002 Saudi peace offer. As far as I know he never responded to it at all. Sharon dismissed it. And the US press quickly forgot all about it. Today, it's a safe bet that few Americans are aware that it even happened.

But it did happen. In 2002 the Arab world extended an olive branch to Israel and Ariel Sharon dismissed it. This should not be surprising. Over the course of his long life Sharon opposed, and on occasion worked to undermine, every peace initiative in Israel's history.

Sharon evidently decided that there was no need to sit down and negotiate a peace settlement, given Israel's vast military strength, its nuclear supremacy, and the dutiful US protector at the UN to shield Israel from international accountability.

Let's face it, political negotiations are a messy business and they require painful compromise. Why go that route when you can simply impose your will upon the neighborhood?

Under Sharon Israel refused all negotiations. The policy was unilateral action: imposing a solution, Israeli style. The catch is that this approach does not foster peace. As we've seen it only breeds more conflict.

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia, who offered peace in 2002, warned that there is a limit to Arab patience. Quite rigthly, they pointed out that the longer the violence continues the greater the danger of an expanded war.

If and when the history of our time is written, people will look back with horror at Bush's refusal to press Israel for a cease fire. It will be regarded as an act of lunacy...

[NOLA Bronco]

For the love of pete.. its SIXTY people they're talking about here. We have more than that for pickup basketball some nights. They where joining an 'army' of 200 additional people... with no real plan, no weapons, and no good way to actually make it to Lebanon. According to the back-of-the-envelope calculation of 20,000,000 fighting age Iranians that is 0.000003% of the fighting population... Lets cut the rest some slack before giving into hyperbole about how every muslim on the planet wants to kill Isreal (and the U.S.).

Who said every muslim? Its just the radical extremists that do.

[defenseman]

Really? How does that work when for every Muslim that is "put to death" two more are created that want to kill us?

Quite a vicious circle isn't it. Bottom line, they either disarm and standdown OR it's not going to stop. Second, if we and israel sit back and wait and just attempt diplomacy , it will be eventually be the end of both of us given the terrorists WILL NOT stop in their goal to wipe israel and us out. Personally, I choose to fight the cowards now so my grand kids don't have to...dman

*The EU and the middle of the road arab states better figure this stuff out quick. The terrorists are NOT going to quit , unless, they are dead.

[Bronco9798]

There is no diplomacy with terrorist. Maybe Bin Laden and the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah can come to Washington and talk diplomacy over Pork Chops, Bacon, and Beer.

[Rohirrim]

Not true, RMT:

Back in 2002 Saudi Arabia offered Israel a full peace treaty. The offer was extraordinary in that it went much further than any previous Arab peace initiative had, before. The Saudis offered not only to recognize Israel, they offered normalized relations, including full trade, economic ties, cultural exchanges: in short, an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The only condition was that Israel must abide by UN Security Council resolutions on Palestine.

The 2002 Saudi peace offer was a trial balloon, but it had broad support in the Arab world. It had been drafted at an Arab League summit shortly before being announced. For more details go to al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm.

An end to the conflict was within reach in 2002, if the US government had prevailed upon Israel to respond favorably. Of course, this didn't happen. At the time the Bush administration had other priorities. The neocons were busily preparing to go to war with Saddam Hussein. Toward that end Bush operatives scoured the Middle East trying to drum up support. Everyone told them: "Don't make war on Iraq. Saddam is no threat. Solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead." It was excellent advice. Did the Bush administration listen? Of course not. Instead of a peace initiative we got the disaster in Iraq.

For its part, Israel was also preoccupied in 2002 -- destroying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank built up during the failed Oslo process. Israel's PM Ariel Sharon did not actually reject the 2002 Saudi peace offer. As far as I know he never responded to it at all. Sharon dismissed it. And the US press quickly forgot all about it. Today, it's a safe bet that few Americans are aware that it even happened.

But it did happen. In 2002 the Arab world extended an olive branch to Israel and Ariel Sharon dismissed it. This should not be surprising. Over the course of his long life Sharon opposed, and on occasion worked to undermine, every peace initiative in Israel's history.

Sharon evidently decided that there was no need to sit down and negotiate a peace settlement, given Israel's vast military strength, its nuclear supremacy, and the dutiful US protector at the UN to shield Israel from international accountability.

Let's face it, political negotiations are a messy business and they require painful compromise. Why go that route when you can simply impose your will upon the neighborhood?

Under Sharon Israel refused all negotiations. The policy was unilateral action: imposing a solution, Israeli style. The catch is that this approach does not foster peace. As we've seen it only breeds more conflict.

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia, who offered peace in 2002, warned that there is a limit to Arab patience. Quite rigthly, they pointed out that the longer the violence continues the greater the danger of an expanded war.

If and when the history of our time is written, people will look back with horror at Bush's refusal to press Israel for a cease fire. It will be regarded as an act of lunacy...

Man, you just don't tire of your anti-Semitic warping of history do you? Shimon Peres welcomed the Saudi initiative, but reminded the Arab world of a rather obvious point: Any peace initiative would have to include the Palestinians and the ending of Palestinian terror attacks. Doh! The night before the Beirut Summit, Palestinian suicide bombers unleashed an attack at a hotel, at a Passover dinner, that killed 30 Israelis. The Arab leaders refused to discuss the attack. They wouldn't even mention it. The real kicker to the initiative, of course, was when the Israelis began to map out the nuts and bolts of the treaty and pointed out that the new Palestinian state would be hopelessly overcrowded, so a condition should be that the Arab states absorb two million Palestinian refugees. Odd that the Arab states have not wanted to discuss the initiative since then, eh?

[Bronco_Beerslug]

*The EU and the middle of the road arab states better figure this stuff out quick. The terrorists are NOT going to quit , unless, they are dead.
And once again, how do you make them "dead" when every time you try and kill them, you create more of them? Don't you think that the thinking of "make them dead" isn't working to well?

[defenseman]

And once again, how do you make them "dead" when every time you try and kill them, you create more of them? Don't you think that the thinking of "make them dead" isn't working to well?

Okay,you find a diplomatic way out of this for us all? Find a way to ENSURE the terrorists disarm, leave lebanon and don't come bacK? Let alone the rest of the Hitler youth there smart guy. Disarm them too. Make nicey nicey with them and come up with a "rock solid" NEVER FAIL way of the US of A or Israel not fighting these bozos for the next 100 years. I'll be waiting for your response...dman

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Okay,you find a diplomatic way out of this for us all? Find a way to ENSURE the terrorists disarm, leave lebanon and don't come bacK? Let alone the rest of the Hitler youth there smart guy. Disarm them too. Make nicey nicey with them and come up with a "rock solid" NEVER FAIL way of the US of A or Israel not fighting these bozos for the next 100 years. I'll be waiting for your response...dman
Why do you continually ignore the question in front of you and deflect to something that I've never advocated?

[defenseman]

And once again, how do you make them "dead" when every time you try and kill them, you create more of them? Don't you think that the thinking of "make them dead" isn't working to well?

Even if this were entirely true, does it really matter? No, not at all. The fact is , there is NO DIPLOMATIC way around this. To succumb to the above "disputed" truth, would be condoning the slow progression of terrorism throughout the remainder of the middle east, europe and N. America. To condone this sort of slow death is nothing short of suicide. Bottom line, subscribe to "kill one, create one", and rely on diplomacy, and the end, most assuredly will come, not for them, but for us. The entire world needs to wake up and smell what is being shoveled wrt letting the terrorists play their deadly game. The ONLY WAY this gets solved is the ENTIRE world unites and defeats the cowards of islam. Once gone, things will settle down...dman

[TailgateNut]

I was thinking the same thing. The title of the thread caught my attention, then I read about grandpa and his entrouage of tennagers and thought, Oh, ok...

Hey there genius. One thing that you should consider. Regardless of age, men who go to war on a voluntary basis are generally more "dangerous" than those who are forced to the front lines. Just my humble opinion. It may only be sixty now, but just wait for a few more days and then you wont be able to count the numbers without using your calculator!

[Bronco9798]

Hey there genius. One thing that you should consider. Regardless of age, men who go to war on a voluntary basis are generally more "dangerous" than those who are forced to the front lines. Just my humble opinion. It may only be sixty now, but just wait for a few more days and then you wont be able to count the numbers without using your calculator!

Thanks for your input Genius. Get backwith me in a few days and let me know if you broke your calculator with all the Iranians plowing over the border. I'll be looking for your report. LOL