Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
"Survivor Lebanon"	jackreade	07/20/06
"Bush greenlights Israeli bombing of Lebanon with 25,000 Americans in-country and no plan for evacuation. Just like what happened when Katrina struck New Orleans, once again Amercans are left on their own while Republican government pursues a hidden ideological agenda and protects the interests of a select few." Dave Johnson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comments?
Answered By		Answered On
ETWolverine		07/21/06
First of all, Israel doesn't need Bush's permission to do anything. It is an autonomous country that makes its own decisions. Any time Israel takes advice from the USA, it is doing so as a courtesy to an ally and friend, not as a requirement. Secondly, regarding US travelers to Lebanon: on January 20, 2006, the US Department of State issued an updated travel advisory for those traveling to Lebanon that included the following statements: Recent events in Lebanon underscore the need for caution and sound personal security precautions. Former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated on February 14, 2005 in a car bomb attack in which 22 people were killed and many others seriously wounded; the potential for violence remains. Since February 2005, there have been 15 separate bombings in Lebanon, resulting in ten dead and 121 wounded. Americans have been the targets of numerous terrorist attacks in Lebanon in the past. The perpetrators of many of these attacks are still present and retain the ability to act.... U.S. citizens who travel to Lebanon should exercise heightened caution when traveling in parts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, portions of the Bekaa Valley and South Lebanon, and the cities of Sidon and Tripoli. Hizballah has not been disarmed. It maintains a strong presence in many of these areas, and there is potential for action by other extremist groups in the city of Tripoli. Tensions remain in Lebanon's southern border with the possibility of Hizballah and Palestinian militant activity at any time. Palestinian groups hostile to both the Lebanese government and the U.S. operate largely autonomously inside refugee camps in different areas of the country. Intra-communal violence within the camps has resulted in violent incidents such as shootings and explosions. Travel by U.S. citizens to Palestinian camps should be avoided. Asbat al-Ansar, a terrorist group with apparent links to Al-Qaida, has targeted Lebanese, U.S. and other foreign government interests. It has been outlawed by the Lebanese government but continues to maintain a presence in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp.... The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State's pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad.... For the full text of the travel advisory, see here. That advisory was updated two days ago with war warnings, etc., and there have been various versions of the above travel advisory for the past 10 years (or longer). The point is that anyone who took the time to check things out before traveling knew what they were getting into... just like the Katrina victims who chose to stay in New Orleans despite the government's warnings to get out of Dodge and despite having seen hurricanes before. It is not the job of the President of the United States to hold the hand of every US citizen who chooses to travel to dangerous parts of the world. The travelers who decided to go to Lebanon despite the US government's warnings of the dangers should take some responsibility for themselves. Third, as soon as the violence started, the State Department started getting a rescue-mission together that includes several US warships escorting US cruise-ships into hostile waters to rescue displaced Ameicans in Lebanon. The first Norwegian lift took place yesterday, and the first US lift is expected today. So cut the Bush bashing already. It doesn't help and it just gets in the way. Elliot

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