"Even the Arab world is sick of this crew of vicious criminals. When the Arab League won't help you, Syria disses you, and they all issue so muted a criticism of Israel it looks to many like an endorsement of the bombings, Hamas and Hezbollah have overplayed their hands. By encouraging radical unrest and attempts to overthrow Arab governments, Hezbollah, Hamas, and their sponsor, Iran, have made themselves an issue as big or bigger than Israel and the West."

Um, you might want to check the front page of today's NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28arabs.html?hp&ex=1154145600&en=00302b87a267fb0d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

"The criticism of Israel is not anti-semtic, but it is ill-informed. Hamas is killing as many or more Palestinians than Israel. The Palestinians are screwed in that hamas has no wish for security and peace, and they misuse money meant for health and food on rockets and armaments. They are as corrupt as Fatah, but less inept than Fatah. Hamas' uprising was an excuse for Hezbollah to act a fool. Hezbollah claimed they were helping Hamas, but they really don't give a dman about the Palestinians or Hamas- neither the Arab states nor the Persian Iran cares. Hamas was a pretext, and as soon as the real Arabs were threatened, Hamas/Palestine was ignored by the Arab world."

For an alleged military historian and analyst, you have quite an interesting slant. It's always telling how for some the onus is on the occupied rather than the occupier. Any proof that Hamas is killing more Palestinians than Israel? Or was just a flamboyant statement. Although Hamas is certainly suspect, what money is Hamas "misusing" now? They're under economic sanctions and, iirc, the Israeli government is holding the aid funds. The notion that they are and/or were using money meant for aid solely for arms is simply not true. I'm sure they used some of the money for arms to fight the Israelis (big surprise there) but one of the main reasons they got elected was that they, unlike Fatah, actually provided some services to people. I guess they used monopoly money. What was "Hamas's uprising"? Being democratically elected? If you mean the the latest events, only in the Middle East could Hamas capturing an occupying Israeli soldier be considered an "uprising".

Anyway, I do agree that a lot of this is self-interested actions, old alliances and proxy stuff for others, including Israel's actions, but that's nothing new.

A quick note... the (never publically released) e-mail sent from the Canadian UN observer killed in southern Lebanon didn't in fact say that there were Hezbollah fighters around the post that was destroyed. That was the _interpretation_ put on the e-mail by Lewis Mackenzie, who besides being a retired general was also a failed Conservative candidate for Parliament - and who is vurulently anti-Arab. That interpretation is now being trumpeted as if it were fact.

One might note as well that, if Mackenzie's interpretation is correct, it indicates that Israel destroyed that post deliberately: that it was not, after all, a 'mistake'.

Of course, one journalist makes a cliam and the whole house of cards is exposed. So this report from two days ago is false - probably more propaganda:

Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - A Canadian UN peacekeeper killed in an Israeli air strike Tuesday complained just days before that tragic incident that his position was being used as cover by Hezbollah terrorists attacking Israel.

If you actually read the article, you'd see that the journalist separates the Hezbollah political wing from the Hezbollah military wing, as if the two had different objectives - similar, I suppose, to separating the Nazi party from the Waffen SS or the German military during WWII - after all, those guys kept the trains running!

I do agree, however, that the charge of antisemitism was absurd based on this particular article.

But the "Fuhrer" over this article points to Salon's editor's greatest weakness: they can't resist printing the most controversial articles without first checking on their writer's information. Certain misinformative articles about thimerasol come to mind.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/ambulancehit.jpg

US-made missile fired through the roof of an ambulance -- through the red cross on its roof.

Not a myth, not Israeli or US or Jewish propoganda...

1. Hezbollah was using UN post as 'shield'

Canadian wrote of militia's presence, 'necessity' of bombing

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=37278180-a261-421d-84a9-7f94d5fc6d50&k=55961

2. U.N. exec blames Hezbollah for deaths

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060724/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_aid

Just true... Alas, Prothero is just factually wrong.

Writes VirtDave:

so, the NYT report flatly asserting the contrary is wrong?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28refugees.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

From the NYT article (entitled Christians Fleeing Lebanon Denounce Hezbollah):

“Hezbollah came to Ain Ebel to shoot its rockets,” said Fayad Hanna Amar, a young Christian man, referring to his village. “They are shooting from between our houses.”

“Please,’’ he added, “write that in your newspaper.”

So, since the charge of hiding among civilians is "nearly always wrong," according to Prothero, this person who actually lives there (as opposed to getting the Hezbollah guided tour) must be lying.

Further:

Many Christians from Ramesh and Ain Ebel considered Hezbollah’s fighting methods as much of an outrage as the Israeli strikes. Mr. Amar said Hezbollah fighters in groups of two and three had come into Ain Ebel, less than a mile from Bint Jbail, where most of the fighting has occurred. They were using it as a base to shoot rockets, he said, and the Israelis fired back.

Oh, he must be lying about this too, because everyone knows that Israel is just looking for an excuse to kill innocent people because two soldiers got captured.

But here's the real stinker, and one of the primary reasons that this Salon article is irresponsible, biased, drivel:

One woman, who would not give her name because she had a government job and feared retribution, said Hezbollah fighters had killed a man who was trying to leave Bint Jbail.

“This is what’s happening, but no one wants to say it” for fear of Hezbollah, she said.

Mr Prothero's continuous assertion that Hezbollah remains fearful of "collaborators" is doubleplusgood doublethink. Freedom is slavery, no doubt. It's the civilian population (esp. Christian) that disagrees with Hezbollah that lives in fear of collaborators not the other way around!

Who are these collaborators Prothero talks about? He doesn't say. Who are they going to collaborate with? Again, he doesn't say. What fallout has there ever been from collaborators working against Hezbollah? Prothero doesn't say. He just leads us on this fantasy tour more surreal than Wonka's chocolate factory, and expects us not to question it.