When I saw this headline, I just about choked.
"Limited Incursion" - what kind of mealy-mouthed crap language is that. Right up there with "collateral damage", it attempts to minimize the brutal reality of what has happened.
More correctly, Israel has INVADED Lebanon. Let us not mince around the words - just as the United States invaded Iraq a few years ago, Israel has unequivocally invaded a sovereign nation - Lebanon.
Yes, I know that Hezbollah has been a thorn in Israel's side for years, and that the Lebanese government has not been successful in bringing Hezbollah to heel. You can "justify" it in any way you wish. In my opinion, Israel has moved beyond the realm of defending itself, and is now engaged in an war - one where the civilian population pays the price.
I'm becoming very much of the opinion that the reality of this situation is very similar to the mess in Northern Ireland that went on for decades. Regardless of what hard-nosed views each side takes, until they honestly choose to become mutually engaged in a political discourse, there is very little chance that any "peace initiative" will in fact succeed.
In the meantime, language that "softens" what the participants are engaging in should be tossed in the linguistic manure pile.
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