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'.

"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.

Another article about Israel, another slew of knee-jerk, hysterical, bleating. Goodbye cruel Salon! Hello Pajamas Media! What do people expect from a factual account of the damage being wrought in this war? Do you want a reassuring and comforting story about how the IDFs "precision" guided bombs seek out evil and only destroy the guilty parties? Let's think outside the confines of this Middle East thing, because it renders a lot of people incapable of critical thought. Let's think about a similar situation that involved a kind of pseudo-guerrilla war, urban violence, a terrorist organization with political components and infrastructure, bombings, kidnappings, collateral damage, and thousands of years of ethnic and religious hatred...Northern Ireland and the troubles of the early seventies. The Provisional IRA carried out a brutal campaign of bombings and kidnappings against what they thought were legitimate military targets, but were actually just pubs and other locations frequented by members of the British military. They killed, kidnapped, and were largely sheltered by the Catholic community of N. Ireland, because they were thought to be their only "protectors" against British occupation. Now like, Hezbollah, they relied on the cover of both the political aspects of their organization, Sinn Fien, but more importantly they relied on the cover of the civilian population that they were so deeply enmeshed in.

I find this article does has some problems as to the extent to which it claims Hezbollah uses civilians as shields, but it's inarguable that Hezbollah is an organization deeply engrained in the fabric of Lebanese society. The article makes clear that they are the largest employer in Southern Lebanon, and gain civilian sympathy through a kind of de facto welfare state, much like the IRA did. Now back to the comparison, could at any stage during the height of the Provisional IRA's bombing campaign did the government of England ever think that bombing the cities of Belfast or Derry would be a good idea? (Perhaps some did) They occupied those cities and N. Ireland with disastrous results, but the idea that you could "target" the leadership or break the back of such an organization so entwined in the society they spring from by aerial bombardment, is insane. The loss of civilian life would be so one sided, as to make a mockery of the notion of "self-defense." So, if you believe that Israel's only option is to "crush" Hezbollah by any means necessary--and I'm not even saying that this is a totally unreasonable goal, they certainly have more of a reason to attack Lebanon that we did for attacking Iraq, but that's for another letter, it might all work out for the best--but just don't get all defensive and self-righteous when someone points out the cost of this particular military strategy. Please stop trying to rationalize this by attacking the motivations of reporters or glibly dismissing the humanity of the innocent men, women and children that get caught in the middle of the war you enthusiastically support.