"The disparate reaction to Lebanon's civilian casualties may simply reflect the larger beliefs of the societies in which journalists work." - What nonsense! American's bigoted view of the Mideast is formed by the deeply biased
reporting. When it comes to the Middle East we have no free press - we are the most self-censored press in the world.

I really hope we can blame the American media for the callous disregard that has been shown by the US leadership to the bloodshed and destruction in Lebanon. Otherwise we would have to wonder how Americans, always depicted by the Hollywood fairytale as caring, compassionate and highly moral people, can bear to watch children being massacred in large numbers while they tut tut about the horrible terrorists.
And how's George W's form? He was almost in tears over his concern with the 'murderous' and 'immoral' nature of stem cell research at the same time that he gives the go ahead to another week of slaughter of innocent civilians - most of them real, living children. Where's the logic? Where's the morality?

Thank you for this review. America has been propagandized for decades about the Middle East and Israel. Israel long ago chose violence as its way of dealing with its neighbors and the United States became its willing enabler, with hundreds of millions of dollars per year (OUR dollars) going to Israel for the purchase of weapons of war to use against poverty-stricken Palestinians and, later, Lebanese. Hamas and Hezbollah were the result of Israel's previous actions. Who knows what their current actions will bring.

The legislation passed by the Congress yesterday trumpets to the world the nonsense that Israel is in danger of annihilation and is therefore justified in its war against the citizens of both Palestine and Lebanon. Will these resolutions aid peace? I think not. Will Israel's continued campaign of death and destruction lead to peace? Absolutely not.

Well the people of America may not see what is going on but be certain the Muslim world does. They know where the F16's, helicopters, 'smart missles' (which kill civilians) all come from. This war makes it very clear where the US with all its so called support of democracy stands. George Bush may pretend to feel for each death in Lebanon - but then he sends another replacement missle to Israel.

Take an American and put him on French soil: after one year he will think like other Frenchmen. The same is true for a Frenchman transferred to US.

Why?

It's propaganda, and only propaganda, that makes the difference. What you see on TV in US is that two Israeli civilians were killed by a Hizbollah rocket. In France you see that a hundred civilians were killed by an Israeli rocket.

That makes some difference in perception.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the MSM American brainwashing machine is more biased, more shameless, and more inclined to the "God bless us!" ideology, than its counterparts in Europe.

For once, Mr. Morley has provided the reader with a comprehensive and factual review of world opinion regarding Israel's actions! One, however, has to ask how this column escaped the "truth police" at the Washington Post?

I like Richard Cohens article. A dream of the 19th century, that brought the colapse of Austrian-Hungarian empire, that many in that region wish back........people fleeing to Israel without thinking much.

On the other hand Israel is a reality. Does it matter much? The basic problem seems to be Israels unwillingness to talk with its neighbors. Lets call it "arrogance". Israels unwillingness to seek a solution along the borders of 67. There is no other way and when they they will realise it it may be to late. A solution along the borders of 67, that is open for future peacefull change. A one state solution looks more beautifull on the map anyway.

If you read only the Post or the New York Times you would have no clue that the rest of the world regards the US and Israel as bullies and pariahs. The US has in Israel a client state it can't control. GWB sees this bloodshed, like that in Iraq, as an "opportunity." Not an opportunity he'd like to share, though. I've often wondered what Bush would do if he faced the grim situations he's happy to put other people in.

The rule regarding criticism of Israeli government actions is this: If you do it, you're anti-Semitic. If you're Jewish and you criticize this bloodbath, you're a self-hating Jew. See Noam Chomsky.

I must agree with Prof. As'ad AbuKhalil, when he says that "the same racist impulse that considers Israeli lives worth more than Arab lives is at play here. I have no doubt that the lives of Arabs never meant much for the descendants of colonial powers in the region."

Having spent the last five years in the U.S. I was shocked to discover the extent of Americans' racist attitudes towards Arabs -- or anyone with an obviously Muslim name, for that matter. This racism is being encouraged every day by reporting that treats Muslim lives as somehow sub-human and expendable. If the supporters of the current Israeli war think that killing civilians will bring peace in the Middle-East, they are either disingenous or self-deluded.

I think Americans are far less concerned with Israel "fighting fair" than they are about who started this, and how the people who started it will pay for starting it.

Many Europeans in countries occupied during WWII still remember what it is like having some foreigner shout at you in a language that you don't understand and your relatives shot or arrested when they don't give the "right" answer. This memory makes Europeans (perhaps minus the English?) understand the psychology of foreign invasion and occupation much better than Americans, and perhaps it makes them better equipped to understand the political reactions that invasions (even supposedly "well-intended" ones)are likely to spur.

The present administration's mideast policy is something that only a congenital drunken imbecile and his overpaid lackies (many in the media) could forge and implement, as they are greatly lacking in any vision for a lasting peace. What the American people see courtesy of its monolithic propaganda machine is only what this cabal of war criminal wants us to see. The Lebanon/Gaza bloodbath is an "Opportunity" for them-not a reason to immediately intercede in order to prevent further loss of civilian lives, and to restore any hope of America being seen as an "honest broker". After the countless deaths of Arabs and Muslims, Israel will have won a short term victory over the Lebanese and Gazans, but it will have squandered another chance to secure a long term peace with its neighbors. Hizbullah will probably emerge more politically and dare I say, more militarily powerful for the next bout of American-supported carnage by our Israeli "allies." After this latest episode of US taxpayer-sponsered "opportunity"-the survivors of Lebanon and Gaza will have even greater reason to hate Americans. I guess the return address on Israeli-launched U.S. made missiles will give them a location to forward their varied responses worldwide. Now that's one very rosy scenario!

I am continuously amazed by Anti-Israeli writers who completely ignore in their logic who started this, and that Israel has no choice but to do what they are doing. Let's put the blame where it belongs.

What an excellent summary of how America's reporting on this conflict is so different from that in much of the rest of the world.

Have any of the Post's editors read this yet? Or have they been too busy either pushing atrocities against Lebanese civilians lower into each story, or just rewriting them to make them less offensive? My personal favorite the Post worked up was a recent description of the killing of several Lebanese "with Canadian citizenship." Um ... doesn't that make them Canadians? Guess not -- apparently it wouldn't be wise to let readers start imagining Israelis accidentally killing our (presumably white) neighbors ...

That last citation is a nice touch.

Richard Cohen is right.

The best way to secure one's place in any location is to make friends.

One requirement of that is not to kill people's family members.
Israel claims to be very concerned about these neighboring countries appreciating their right to exist.

Well, I think they need to appreciate everyone else's right to exist as well.

The big issue here goes back to making friends. Israel probably killed that for the next 100 years along with these people.
At least.

I hear that 18% of the Lebanese government is Hizbullah, and that their army is bigger than the Lebanese army.

I would think that would leave the average Lebanese citizen in a tough spot.

While unfortunately no one will thank them for it, they have a duty to appreciate that, especially if they don't want the entire Lebanese government to be Hizbullah, or better yet Syria.

Wolcott: Suppose that someone living in an appartment block has injured or even killed one of your family (God forbid). Would you start bombing this and the neighboring buildings to take your revenge upon "them"?

Would your fellow Americans be less concerned with
your actions than "about who started this, and how the people who started it will pay for starting it" ?

>

Thank you for the press survey. Even though it looked into the possible motivations of the American press coverage, there seemed to be little attention paid to what political, historical and cultural influences there are in other parts of the world press.
Considering the 60 year run-up that the European, Arab and British audiences have had in coverage of Israel and those wishing its death, I'm not surprised at their reporting at all.

The situation is tragic, but it seems that many only care about about Arab civilians being killed when it is done by Israelis or Americans. Otherwise the silence is deafening.

We have a new Hitler in town - he lives in Isarel. A previous writer just said: "On the other hand Israel is a reality. Does it matter much?" Yes, it matters much because innocent people are suffering (Hitler did the same with Poland before starting WW2. But what Israel should understand, it has suddenly started its decline and obviously will disappear as is. The Arab World has had enough. Hesbolla is just a name of Arab countries and Arab fighters taking on Israel - somewhat like the "Underground" in Europe taking on Hitler Germany. Israel will eitehr 1)disappear completely or 2)redefine itself as a fully integrated society in the Middle East were Palestinians will be in charge and were Jews will be tolerated. I think it will be #1. Hatred and new sophistication of weapons will be too much for Israel to block - see USA in Iraq, basically they have given up. No need to take sides but just look at realities.

Sorry, Alice, but your example is clearly not a good analogy of the situation. The circumstances are completely different.

Hezbollah could have avoided the situation by not bombing Israel, and by not kidnapping 2 Israeli soldiers. They could have ended it before Israel started the devastation if they stopped bombing, and if they released the soldiers. Israel has no choice. Hezbollah is responsible for everything happening there. Israel is simply responding decisively and refusing to give into blackmail.

While I'm sure that there is a huge difference in the way the American media is reporting the devastation, I think they are giving the American public just what it wants ... to see punishment for the ones who started it, even if it means attacking their families and the neighbors who support them.

I am continuously amazed by Anti-Israeli writers who completely ignore in their logic who started this, and that Israel has no choice but to do what they are doing. Let's put the blame where it belongs.
Posted by: Wolcott | July 21, 2006 08:27 AM

Please stop this "chicken-or-egg" thing that has been going on for some 60 years. The Israelis started it all by stealing land from Palestinians/Arabs. Israel is nothing but a "Colony" with Righteous Nonsense (God likes us the Best because we Always Suffer so this is OUR LAND - also called "ZIONISTS"). The original owners (Arabs) are angry and have decided to trow them out. No big deal. Reality is raising its ugly head (at least for the colonists).

IS THERE ANYONE, ANYWHERE....who does not see extreme danger that a jewish owned and operated, dominated press has posed in America? Not to mention the department of defense, the NSA and the white house. Has worked out very well, hasn't it. With brutal hell to come. But of course we don't care what the rest of the world thinks.

Steve G's assessment of the press coverage of Israel in Europe in the last 60 years doesn't seem accurate.

The mainstream Norwegian press (and the political establishment) used to be solidly Pro-Israeli in the 70's and 80's, even to the point of supporting immoral and illegal acts of war. Mossad got away with murdering an innocent waiter, Ahmed Bouchiki, in Lillehammer in 1972, while he was walking down the street with his pregnant Norwegian wife (apparently, they thought he might be Ali Hassan Salameh, a man on their hit-list after the Munich attacks). This is the only lethal terrorist attack on Norwegian soil in the last sixty years that I can think of.

Reality began to catch up with ideology in the 90's, however, and some in the Pro-Israeli camp began to ponder what being a "friend of Israel" really demands.

Typical is the reaction of former PM Bondevik, who in an interview with Aftenposten yesterday wondered how someone can call himself a friend of Israel while supporting the current attacks on Lebanese civilians. True friends don't stand by and cheerlead while you're committing atrocities, true friends speak up. It's time for the true friends of Israel (and America) to speak up.

"Please stop this "chicken-or-egg" thing that has been going on for some 60 years. The Israelis started it all by stealing land from Palestinians/Arabs. "

Let me set the record straight on one thing.

The Jews did not start by stealing land from the Arabs.

They started by buying land from the Arabs.

It wasn't untill war had broken out that they started stealing (or confiscating take your pick) land from the arabs.

The thing is Wolcott probably most people would not have too much of an objection if the idf were fighting hezbollah but so far they have only done a good job on taking out the K-7 brigades of Lebanon.

I've asked this on many of the other blogs but most of the Israeli "HB started it" crowd don't have the guts to answer...at what point will you criticise the idf for going to far....will we have to see another Sabra & Chatilla? Will it be when they accidently kill a large number of non-Lebanese civilians? Drop a bomb on the US Embassy? What are the limits?

I am interested to see if you have limits or if you feel they should have carte..
blanche..

And btw I absolutely condemn HB for firing missiles at civilians in Israel...targeting civilians - especially children - is terrorism regardless of who sanctions it..

MissColony:
First you want the "chicken/egg" or "who started it" to stop, and then you point out that Israel started it, by taking the land from the "original owners (Arabs).
The ownership of that land has been debated for thousands of years. The Arabs have no more right to it than Israel. The land has always belonged to whoever won the last war.

This article as well as the resultant comments are a disappointing reminder that those who identify themselves with one group or the other can easily disregard the suffering experienced by the other side. Both sides want to be the victim, and both sides want to cast responsibility on the other to justify their own actions. Some of the comments on this site have noted that Americans do not place value on the loss of Arab lives. At the same time however, Arabs also do not place value on the loss of Israeli lives. Often times, there are reports of Arabs celebrating in the streets after Israelis have been killed. If there is ever going to be a real solution to this conflict, people have got to stop the, "everything is the other side's fault" game. One group is rarely ever responsible for all the problems. At this point, it doesn't even matter who started it. There needs to be honest discussion about how to end this, pride aside, if there's ever going to be any peace.

Finally, a discussion in which the thoughtful, intelligent people who understand world politics and think about it way outnumber the shrill, obnoxious, if "a" therefore "x" zionists.
I will enjoy reading (most of) your thoughts. As opposed to the gentleman the comPost had yesterday to comment on the middle East, he was from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, The policy wing of AIPAC (fair and balanced)

In 1945, the United States Air Force dropped nuclear bombs on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The death toll from both has been estimated around 214,000 people, most of them civilians. Suppose now for an instant that we, the Jews, would have had the possibility of bombing Germany and killing 214,000 German civilians during the 2nd World War and that this would have allowed us to save a part of the six million Jews assassinated, wouldn't we have done it? And if we had done it, wouldn't we have been accused of brutality and sadism by all the newspapers of the world? Wouldn't the newspapers be full of pictures of poor little innocent victims of the Jews?

There is something that became quite clear to Jews during and after the 2nd World War: not that the Christian Europeans have always been implacable enemies (this they suspected), not that the world is cynical (this they knew), but that all information provided by the press is strongly biased and unreliable, even if it is published in a "serious" newspaper, even if it appears in all the papers of a country with so-called "freedom of information", even if it appears in all the newspapers of the world. "Strongly biased and unreliable" does not mean "always false". It means that what you read in the papers, what you hear on the radio, what you see on television is a series of rumors, not a description of reality.

Also Friday, a U.N.-run observation post just inside Israel was struck during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants. The Israeli army blamed Hezbollah rockets but a U.N. officer said it was an artillery shell fired by the Israeli Defense Force.

A U.N. officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said an artillery shell fired by Israel made "a direct hit on the U.N. position overlooking Zarit." The post is part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

The washington post should also analyze the arab media's silence when it come to the daily massacres of arabs in iraq by their fellow arabs. It seems that arabs only care if jews do the killing, and the washington post is falling for their very selective and convenient outrage.

Let's face it: U.S. media have never reported fairly on Israeli agression in the Middle East -- in large part because a disproportionate number of U.S. journalists, editors and producers are committed Zionists who view Israeli lives as sacred and Arab lives as expendable. As someone with friends on both sides of this conflict, I'm astonished at the bias evident in U.S. media reports.
How can anyone be surprised that U.S. sympathies lean toward Israel when practically all U.S. media reports portray Israel as a victim and Arabs as aggressors -- when, in fact, death tolls since the establishment of the state of Israel reveal precisely the opposite.
Moral of the story: if you want the straight goods on what is going on in the Middle East, forget about relying on U.S. media reports. They're hopelessly biased.

"Strongly biased and unreliable" does not mean "always false". No, but it does mean that you shouldn't a) waste time reading it or b) believe any of it.

Thanks for your article.

The press in this country is extremely biased. They always repeat the story line that Israel's invasion of Gaza started when one of their soldiers was "captured", but never mention that just 12 hours before that incident, Israel entered Gaza and "captured" two Palestinians, nor the months long embargo and blockade of Gaza that has turned it into a prison for its residents.

And when covering of the brutal attacks on Lebanon, they ignore to mention the invasion and killings in Gaza that preceded Hezballah's capture of the Israeli soldiers. Nor do they mention the Lebanese prisoners held by Israel that Lebanon has repeatedly requested be returned. Nor do they mention the routine violations of Lebanese airspace and sovereignty when Israel bombs or assasinates Lebanese and Palestinians in Lebanese territory.

As always our press always covers the story with the assumption is that Israel has the right to arrest Palestinian "criminals" while Palestinians or Lebanese have no right to react or defend themselves.

If i'm not miustaken the reason Hezbollah captured the 2 Israeli soldiers was to attempt a prisoner exchange., israel holds over 900 Lebanese and Arabs, Hezbollah and hasn't charged them with criems or offered them any leagl recourse. (Kind of like Gitmo...)

Because Israel cannot see their way to offering justice to Arabs, they find they must crush them. Which means that innocents die.

And the MSM American media, buying into the short term memory, fails to tells its audience the whole picture.

Many good points are made here about the innocent civilians, and I think it's tragic and unfair. But war is tragic and unfair.

After N.Korea drops it's first nuclear bomb on a US city, are we going to hesitate to retaliate because of the innocent civilians we will kill? Or wait for the second bomb?

I wish these conversations could be conducted without people descending into streams of invective about zionists and nazis and jewish owned-and-operated media and political machines. (Jews own the White House? And the Defense Department? What?)

It obscures the larger point, which is that there are many of us who do support Israel, but not blindly -- who don't support military actions like these that kill civilians. It raises distrust when the reasonable anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian advocates won't disavow the crazies -- and it's what make people start thinking about anti-semitism instead of the issues.

"After N.Korea drops it's first nuclear bomb on a US city, are we going to hesitate to retaliate because of the innocent civilians we will kill? Or wait for the second bomb?"

A)Hypothetical
B)Wrong Chat

A)Hypothetical
B)Wrong Chat
********
Agreed. My only point is that in war, civilians die when retaliation is necessary ... as tragic and unfair as it is.

All right Wolcott, let's see see who started it, in order to put the blame where it belongs.
Let's see, did it start with the expulsion of the Palestinians from their land and homes in 1948? Did it begin with the massacres of Khan Younis and Deir Yassin? Did it begin with the 1982 invasion and destruction of Lebanon, the division of the West Bank into cantons by encouraging settlements, the erection of the illegal, land-grabbing wall, the demolishment of Palestinian homes with bulldozers (courtesy of the good folks at Caterpillar), the uprooting of olive trees, the humiliation at checkpoints, the illegal arrest and detainment (without charge, without trial) of countless prisoners both Lebanese and Palestinian, the torture in Israeli jails, the "targeted assassinations" that have taken out civilians as "collateral damage", the stripping away of Palestinian dignity and human rights, the blocking of medical care and aid, the punishing of democracy, the blockading of Gaza, the comments of Begin, when he said that "1,000 Arabs are not worth a single Jewish fingernail", the kidnapping of the two Palestinian brothers that preceded the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, the violation of airspace over Lebanon (after the "withdrawal"), the Qana massacre, the Sabra and Shatila massacres....? When did it begin?
Anti-Israeli? Not so much. Let's call it Pro-Human.

By that logic, the civilians killed in Hezb'allah's retaliations for attacks on Beiruit which are killing civilians are not OK, but necessary. But that is the justification for more strikes on Beiruit. See the problem?

Can't just argue for one side, gotta tar everyone with the same brush

Why doesn't Jefferson Morley look at Arab coverage of suicide bombings on Israelis buses and in Israeli pizza shops, when Jewish and Arab Israeli civilians are TARGETED by bombs packed with ball bearings and rat poisin intended to inflect the most horrific damage possible? Is it because the Arab media (and some of the European media) present these deaths as acceptable?

Israel and jews are always guilty
it is not signigicant tht hamos and hezbolla are terrorist and killers
the world always will hace to face the real situation
hamas and hizbola are terroist and tomorrow they will try to destroy USA
please don´t be so nahib

You could have just posted in hebrew, your spelling might have been better.

It is really peculiar to see how many arabs and filo-arabs blame the american pro-israel feelings on biased media, and none of them recognizes propaganda as a possible cause of their own hatred of Israel. This is even more amazing if one considers that plurality of opinions and freedom of the press are practically non-existing in Arab/Muslim states, where all the media are state-controlled or mullah-controlled and primary school textbooks teach the children to hate Israel. And the Americans are the ones being brainwashed. It's simply ridiculous (and tragical at the same time).

zene: you sound anti-Israeli to me.
Certainly there have been many conflicts going back thousands of years, but, even though there was hatred three weeks ago, there was peace, and there was no conflict until Hezbollah started it ... this time. They could have ended it, but chose not to.

***
I read a lot of the Arab statements through their media, and they are much more biased than the American media, in my opinion.

It's interesting that when discussing who is to blame for the latest violence (and even Arab states today blame the Hizballah for having crossed an internationally recognized border- not for the first time, by the way ) one hears that "Israel started it because Israel stole the land from the Arabs." Even ignoring the fact that Israel was built and established in accordance with decisions made by international organizations (like the U.N.) - what does such a statement mean? It means like Israelis like me, who have favored a return to the 67 borders more or less - in return for peace - have to admit to being totally naive and blind to the reality - that we will never be accepted in ANY borders. If any aggression against Israel is seen as justified in light of the "original sin" of Israel's having been established - what hope can we ever have that our neighbors will let us live in peace - no matter what our borders are.

When Israel withdrew from Lebanon to the international border, it was with the understanding that this would be a border between two countries at peace. Instead, Hizballah was allowed to take over the area and to repeatedly commit acts of aggresion against Israel.

The international community must come to the aid of the legitimate Lebanese government and work to end the rule of the Hizballah militia in the South of the country, which works against the interest of Lebanon when it attacks Israel over the international border dividing what should be two peaceful neighbors.

Thank you for your article about one sided press coverage. The situation is obscene and was accelerated by the invasion of Iraq. Maybe this is all part of the plan (not that there was any planning) of starting more wars in the area to sell US weapons to. Would someone please do a story on how much US intelllegence and weaponry is being supplied to enact the massacre of innocent civilians right now. What about the bombs Israel is using, designed to amputate body parts as they spray metal everywhere. The most absurd headline was "Bush sees this as a path to peace". When? When every civilian is obliterated. At least he spoke the other day surrounded by children, so you know how deeply trouble he is by the slaughter of innocents.

"I read a lot of the Arab statements through their media, and they are much more biased than the American media, in my opinion."

Yes, but in this chat you have shown us where you stand on the issue. Of course you find the Arab media to be biased. I bet you find some of the papers in Israel to be biased too.

There are always new rules of the game, and the unintended consequence of the current IDF military campaign is an emerging split between Bush and his allies over the Middle East. For Olmert to be accused of war crimes and to open such a rift in world opinion in such a short time is a veritable 'own goal'.

The big mistakes made throughout history are

1) To think that "we" are better than "them".

Jews are not better, nor worse, than arabs. Americans are not better, nor worse, than Japanese. Christians are neither better, nor worse than muslims.

Every people on the face of Earth can be easily brainwashed and led to commit attrocities. Once you start to believe, that you, or your people are chosen by God, etc, you make your first step on the road to Hell.

2)To think that you are stronger, and THEREFORE, you must defend yourself and crush "them".

While this illusion can work temporarily, in the long run, if you kill "their" children, then one day YOUR children will be killed. If you torture "them", YOUR children will be tortured (with the same justification). Somebody WILL have to pay one day for Hiroshima and Dresden. (Though not intended as such, Dresden was already a reprisal for killing Jews).

All the existing people, without exception, have a bloody history, in which killings, as always, only led to more killings.

So, who is to be blamed? It is absolutely futile to seek who has done what and when. The simple rule is: always put the blame on the one that is stronger, whoever he is. Our simpathy should be always with the weak, like in everyday life. And the only condition, when you are allowed to kill, is when you see a foreign tank in your backyard.

Will terrorism dissappear because we Americans go along with the excessive force against innocent civilians by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.
GW Bush was understandibly upset about Saddam Hussein trying to kill his father. It looks like he will never realize that people are going to have nothing but hatred for those who kill and maim their own loved ones. Or maybe he thinks that some loved ones are worth more than others? More expendable maybe?

Americans would wake up and realize that these policies are morally wrong and not in our interest if they were given balanced reporting. Do we feel safer now from terrorists? Does the economic outlook look brighter? Or did the price of gas go down?
And likewise the jewish people who did suffer so much, would probably stop going along with the same collective punishment tactics used by the Nazis if they were shown the suffering and hardships caused on other people by the racist policies of the Israeli government. Is israel a democracy. Do israeli arabs have the same rights as israelis of european origin?

Shame on the american news medias for the lopsided reporting of the root problems in the arab israeli conflict and on the savage israeli adventurism and excessive use of force in Gaza and Lebanon. Show the american people the grief and suffering on all sides.Not just the israeli suffering.

Come on let's be fair. Show the real picture and let decent people on all sides decide what is right. We can then see if they continue to go along with the bloodshed or if they begin to question these policies .

Thom: The original article spoke of Muslum media which is why I mentioned it. True, Israeli media is biased too, but it seems to address more of the facts than the Muslum media does, in my opinion.
As to where I stand, if Israel had started the current situation, then I would stand against them.

Why begin your history in 1948? What about the slaughter of 67 Jews in Hebron in 1929? What about the rejection of the partition plan in 1947 and the attempt to wipe Israel off the map from the very outset. The miserable history of violence in Israel/Palestine would have been avoided if the Arabs and Palestinians had accepted the UN Partition plan in 1947. Other countries were partitioned (India - Pakistan).

Some 56 years after Israel has been established, isn't it about time to accept it's existence as a fact and to look for a solution based on mutual recognition? If you continue encourage those who see Israel's very existence as illigitimate and to justify the continued war to destroy her, you condemn the region to perpetual war.

Thom: The original article spoke of Muslum media which is why I mentioned it. True, Israeli media is biased too, but it seems to address more of the facts than the Muslum media does, in my opinion.
As to where I stand, if Israel had started the current situation, then I would stand against them.
(don't know why my last post came out as posted by Thom. My error apparently)

I accept Israel's right to exist (1967) as I am sure many others do.

Why is your(Israeli) government killing Lebanese children?

GW Bush has been quoted as saying that he wanted to bring democracy to Iraq because "democracies do not make war on one another." Well, here we have a (kind of) Democracy (true democracies do not have second class citizens) Israel, invading not one but TWO democracies.
Yet he sits by and does nothing and says nothing except that he hopes this war will lead to a lasting peace. The only way that will happen is if they, the I's, kill everyone in Lebanon, because anyone who is left alive will have many reasons and justifications to hate Israel. It's another Iraq, except that when the Israeli's go home, they will be right next door, not half a world away.

US Media biased? Of Course.

Even todays Washington Post Editorial has major factual errors.

It talks of an "unprovoked" cross border atack on Israel by Hizbullah.

Of course the first "unprovoked" cross border attack, after a long peaceful period, was a terrorist car bomb in the Lebanese city if Sidon, on May 26.

This was followed by a cross border artillery bombardment on Lebanon by Israel.

In addition Lebanon was also bombed from the air by Israel.

THEN two soldiers were kidnapped.

To say this was unprovoked is demonstrably factually WRONG.

American media and america is hijacked by right wing jews. What do you expect?.

Jews are evil? No. But they are certainly act like muslim extremists.

But there is a signal sent to all muslim nations. There is no saviour for them when they fight against israel. Either you come up with nuke and nuke israel or use some WMD weapon. All this suicide bomb is useless. it is look like mosquito bomb.

Every muslim country looking at this barbaric attack on lebabnon probably begging pakistan to give few nukes to protect themself against bully america and israel.

I would n't be surprised they all got few from pakistan.

I also seriously doubt america is superpower because of jews. They are smartest people in the world. Rest of america is living off hardwork done by jews.

No one dare to challenge jews in america because they will be wiped out. Even bush , if he goes against jews , he will be shot by mozzad masked as muslim terrorist.

WHat it really says is american people are stupid and jews media treat them as fickle and immature in not able to make decision on their own.

They are afraid that america will wake up and find out the truth.

It is like arrival movie. The problem though everyone in the world know america is a big jewsish state. All other people living in america are freeloaders!.

it is true. Brain comes from jews. My goal is not piss off people but the people in very powerful jobs are jews. They control and shape how american people think.

They use the americans anger against muslim to do create bigger jews country in middle east.

Then it wil be jews on their own will be super power. i seriously think they will wipe out all palestenians.

Then the world will know why hitler hated Jews. i always wondered why hitler hated them so much to kill them gruesom?. Now the same kind of act done by israel. They do it by noit giving food or life or land to palestenians. Smae result , different methods.

I think karma will come back bite them. The more israel do stupid things , more people in the world will hate jews.

I believe Israel is not playing its cards well. They ghave to be a victim , not aggressor of muslim. All these buffer zone will not guraanty their security.

Israels enemy is muslim states not this mosquito terrorists.

"As to where I stand, if Israel had started the current situation, then I would stand against them."

I guess that depends on what one determines as the current situation. History shows that the Jews in the British Protectorate, (Ashkenazi, which I will use as the beginning of the history of Modern Israel) were not fuzzy puppies, willing to sit quietly and wait for their chance to buy property and nicely ask the British to leave.
What did they do? Nothing Political, they turned to terrorism. Not just killing, but mutilating their victims, Arab and Brit alike. The Irgun, the Stern Gang, among others began the cycle of violence that has never ended. Who blew up the King David Hotel?
Since then, Israel's racist practices, (land ownership for one, voting rights for another) have consistently and completely destroyed any chance the Palestinians (and Israeli arabs) have had to live even a remotely normal life (read the WP article about the Bomb Shelters for Israelis, but 2 miles away none in an Is. Arab Village, Wednesday, I think).
So who started it?
Who has made it much worse than it has to be?
Who has had a better opportunity to end it?

ISRAEL

Seems like so many countries are calling for a cease-fire, and no one has any real solution for peace. No one (well, almost no one) wants war. But finding the real answers to peace is the real problem.

Looks like this conflict will be going on for weeks, so there will be plenty of time for debate. Meanwhile, there are numerous news agencies from other countries to get all of the different perspectives. I'm wondering if this conflict is going to tumble into Syria and/or Iran. Only time will tell.

The Gaza kidnapping was also labelled by some American media as unprovoked.

However after a 16 month truce with Hamas, Israel blew up a family of seven having a picnic on the beach. Henve the start of the current Gaza hostilities.

Israel have since killed over a hundred Palestinians, a large number of which were civilians.

Thom wrote: Who has had a better opportunity to end it?

I think that's the right question to ask, but I don't think the answer is Israel. Hamas and Hezbollah have clearly stated that their goal is to eliminate Israel from the map. No Israeli concessions will change this. Israel cannot end the conflict. Only Hamas and Hezbollah (i.e. Iran) can do so.

"I think that's the right question to ask, but I don't think the answer is Israel. Hamas and Hezbollah have clearly stated that their goal is to eliminate Israel from the map. No Israeli concessions will change this. Israel cannot end the conflict. Only Hamas and Hezbollah (i.e. Iran) can do so"

Actually, according to America's fearless leader, and most Israelis, the Israeli's have the best opportunity to end it, doing what they are doing. Of course that will only make things worse, as it always has. Kill one man, and his whole family will want to kill you. Multiply that by one hundred. . . well you get the idea

Perhaps my question should have been who has had the better opportunity to end it throughout history. . . a militarily powerful state (the proverbial 600 lb gorilla) or a fledgling democracy that has just gotten rid of one foreign power, apparently to make room for another, far more malign one.

Educated Americans do not hold racist views
in regard to people of the Middle East.
They know history and realize that Islam is not a religion of tolerance, despite vehement Islamic protestations. Centuries of warfare reinforce this opinion. That is not to deny that Christians have tried, since the emergence of Muhammed, to establish doctrines in the Middle East which are anathema to many---not all---citizens of the US. Up to this point, since the demise of the Puritan founders, we do not have a theocracy.

World need another superpower to balance the power.

I believe the only way palestenians can live safe is Iran getting nuke and blackmail israel to give what palestenian wants.

Israel knows it. That is why it wants to wipe out iran and syria.

Then israel will concentrate on pakistan nuclear weapons.

Israel become aggressor infront of world's eyes. its time is limited as israel wake up every muslim in every country. But no indiviudual can organize on their own and attack israel. Only muslim state /secret organization can do it.

The target is clear. Iran.

You will be watching in coming days about more propaganda against Iran in american media. Even iran says it is not interested in nukes and agree to proposal. You will watch America will try to humiliate iran and make them angry and revert to confrontational position. The idea is attack and remove nukes. Kill them and weaken them.

I know how rightwing jews in Israel think.

Aug 22 is the date iran will respond. I say it will be negative.

why ?

if Iran exposes itself that it is nuke free , Israel planes will pummel iran to submission for helping palestenians and hizbollah.

Iran weapons can't match american weapons. Even israelw ill start to occupy some parts of iran.

Iran knew this. WIthout umbrella of nuke , his enemies will not fear iran. So Iran will not give up their right. They will fight. They will try to bring more party into this fight. WIll they succeed ? we don't know.

I am just speculating how Israel and Iran behaves in future and how they act and react to each other.

Blair is bus's poodle. America is Israel's poodle.

"The simple rule is: always put the blame on the one that is stronger, whoever he is." (Alice)
Wow, THAT's a really clear-cutting criterium. How come I didn't think to it before?
So, let's see... This is Arabs vs. Israeli, right ? Well, there are about 50 arabs for each israeli; the cumulated territory of arab states is about 600 times the one of Israel (including the "occupied territories"). Arabs states have a total GDP 10 times higher than Israel's one, and spend for militaries 4 times more than Israel (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab-Israeli_conflict_facts%2C_figures%2C_and_statistics).
Of course, if we take into account non-arab muslim states (like Iran, for example), comparisons are even more appalling.
So the conclusion is pretty obvious, isn't it ?

Thom "As to where I stand, if Israel had started the current situation, then I would stand against them."

Israel DID start the current situation with a Mossad car bomb in Sidon on May 26, followed by an artillery barage on Lebanon, then air strikes.

The Olmert threatened more strikes on Lebanon, Likud suggested wiping Beiruit out, toxic chemicals were removed from Haifa Port in preparation for war.

Then there was the so called "unprovoked attack" by Hizbullah.

This escallation coincided with Israel blowing up a family of seven having a picnic on a Gaza Beach which ended a 16 month truce with Hamas.

The whole thing has been planned.

"Educated Americans do not hold racist views
in regard to people of the Middle East."

Putting this first in your post does not take attention away from the racist statement that follows it. Are you saying you are not an educated american? I'm confused.

The US media has hijacked the basic issues. That is nothing new. And Please do not ask why the US government is not like, accepted and even hated. When the US latest war equipment is used to assault innocent people and to impose lawless regimes. What anyone expects?
There are thousand of kidnapped, imprisoned peoples in Israel that have not been accused, judge nor defended and have been forgotten for 3 Israelites soldiers, that were armed and represented de oppressor?

I for one am really tired of the "blah, blah, blah" about how Israel violates the rights of others. Israel is a sovereign state and has the right to defend itself. Do you think if someone rained hundreds of missiles on the U.S. that the U.S. would retaliate, even if it caused civilian casualties? You betcha. When this is all over, if the Islamic Fascists win, journalists will be the first to die. Fascism is rather intolerant of a free press, ya know. There's food for thought.

"As to where I stand, if Israel had started the current situation, then I would stand against them"

I didn't say that. I was quoting Wolcott.

America has green lighted this war.

It has supplied the weapons for israel to commit atrocities against civilains.

It has paid for them.

Effectivelty, America is at war.

Which makes it inceredibly stupid (and dangerous for Americans) for Bush to say that wiping out civilians can be considered legitimate self defence.

This is especially so when American is so out of touch with the reast of the world.

Just look at the stunning front page of todays Independent UK
http://www.independent.co.uk/

The US media has hijacked the basic issues. That is nothing new. And Please do not ask why the US government is not like, accepted and even hated. When the US latest war equipment is used to assault innocent people and to impose lawless regimes. What anyone expects?
There are thousand of kidnapped, imprisoned peoples in Israel that have not been accused, judge nor defended and have been forgotten for 3 Israelites soldiers, that were armed and represented the oppressor?
There are Uniformed terrorist and those are the worst kind. They feel they have all the rights to brake all the laws because they use flags and gods too.

Umhangträger: "Israel is a sovereign state and has the right to defend itself."

I agree completely. However, defending oneself implies on one's own territory. As soon as one goes into someone else's territory, that is, by definition, an attack.

There are types of people in Israel.

Normal jews wants peace with palestenians once for all.

But also there is extreme right wing jews. Who thinks that the only way Israel is safe by creating big buffer zone around them. To do that they have to get rid of palestenians.
how do you get rid of them? Constant humiliation. Terror action. Even palestenians wants peace , the right wing jews do not want it. Their goal is eliminate all palestenians completely. It may look like Hamas did suicide bomb but you may never know it is mozzad is the one helping hamas to keep the fight going.

Israel is doing to palestenians the samething hitler did to them. In a different way. Both had same goal. ELiminate opposition completely.

I find this column and virtually every supportive comment to be a complete joke. The underlying cause for all violence in the region is Muslim intolerance of Jewish "occupation" of "their" land. Hezbollah operates virtually as a state-within-a-state in Southern Lebanon, and bases operations from civilian areas such that any defensive action by Israel is guaranteed to cause civilian casualties. This is then reported around the region and among socialist morons in Europe and elsewhere as if Israelis enjoy killing civilians. It is Hezbollah that does not care about Arab civilian deaths, because those deaths ultimately help their cause by fomenting more hatred of Israel. This puts Israel in a Catch-22. The Lebanese government is powerless to rein in Hezbollah because of popular support (i.e. the average citizen's hatred of Israel) throughout the region, and material and financial support from Syria and Iran. Civilian deaths are always a tragedy, but Israel has the right to do what it can to wipe out a terrorist organization dedicated to its destruction.

People are innocent. Only religious beliefs make them do evil things on behalf of beliefs.

If you want me to take side. I will take side of Jews. why?

Simple. Islam has serious problem with its thought process.

Islam do not allow people to have freedom of thought. Its goal is confine your thought to under the umbralla of allah and limit your thought to Muhammeds brain.He wrote koran.

That is plain stupid. They have to modernize Koran. They have to remove all offensive words from koran completely. Will it happen? No until some tragic things happen in the middle east to make these people think religion is for stupid people.

"It is Hezbollah that does not care about Arab civilian deaths, because those deaths ultimately help their cause by fomenting more hatred of Israel. This puts Israel in a Catch-22."

Doesn't seem like much of a catch to me. If retaliation causes hatred, don't retaliate, don't escalate.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing images coming out of this conflict is photos of well-dressed, smile-faced Israeli girls (age 6-8?) writing on artilleries (to be fired into Lebanon by IDF) with "with love" and their names. We have seen pictures of Arab kids posted as suicide bombers. Now this.

It is hard to be optimistic when all these maddenings from both sides continue.

Are they really just hitting civilians? How is it that anyone knows weather the dead are civilians or Hizbollah? Do Hizbollah terrorists wear uniforms like the military? No they do not. So what you might call a civilian may just be the right target. Everyone just makes speculations on this and no real facts are ever presented to anyone. I do not discount that civilians have been injured and killed as well, but how can you blame a military for retaliating on a position where the enemy hides out? All terrorists hide among civilians because they think the military will not fire on civilians. It is their chicken hearted way of fighting. If caught in the open they would grab an innocent civilian and put them in between the soldier and the terrorist. They are all cowards who cannot do more than blow things up and hide behind civilians, disguised as civilians. They will never be able to stand up like a man and fight. Instead they will endanger civilians and use spin-doctors in the media to make it look as if it were the militaries fault that the terrorist hide among the civilians.

The argument that instigation provides a sufficient justification to inhumane and possibly illegal acts is greatly flawed.

The argument is likened to what immature 4 year old children make when they are confronted about an argument or altercation; for instance when they claim validation by claiming - "Well he started it".

Furthermore, by the same argument, just brushing up against a person - a small possible instigation, the other party is somehow justified in murdering the instigator?

apparently, yes

Since the beginning of the 20th century, Wars of Attrition are always "won" by the beleagured for what should be obvious reasons:

all they have to do is survive;
they are already at their home;
it is the foreigner who must give up and leave;
to win means to kill them all - every single man, woman and child.

I challenge you "historians" to provide a contradictory example.

PeteR,

Israel has no right to exist. It is palestenian land forcibly occupied by jews. They are just trying to copy the american way of getting rid of all indians.

Israel does evil things to exist.

That being said if you ask me do you like world to be jewish world or muslim world?

I say jews world. You will still have sreedom thought and expression.

Muslims do not. They are barbaric. lawless. if you check the history , they kill their own wife, son to capture power. No wonder every majority muslim state has barbaric dictator.

That being said Israel provokes palestenians and hizbollah by hunting terrorists. Hibollah and palestenians just react.

There are normal jews who really , genuinelyw ants peace with palestenians. But there are mozzad and rightw ing jews keep provoking palestenians and hizbollah in the name of hunting terrorists and jail people.

Muslims are stupid people , they can't organize or galvanize their own people. They fight individually for non existant allah. These stupid arabs watching their own muslims die in lebanon because they are shias. Muslims are like remote controlled robots. Where is the remote? Koran.

Why are Americans supporting a theocratic state in Israel anyway? Invade the region, set up an interim government of both Arabs and Jews to formulate a non ideological constitution, and hold elections in a single unified country called.... mideastistan or something.

As a human being I am aghast at the way Israel has sought to punish the people of Lebanon and Gaza. But I am even more troubled by the US admin response of let's give Israel enough time to finish the job and then we'll call for a stop. This merely reinforces the Muslim view of the US as a dis-honest broker and an enemy of their religion. It strengthens the likes of Osama Bin Laden and fans the flames of hatred. This is another war that is not good for anybody.

It is funny these Stupid jordan's abdullah and Egypt mubarak did n't have guts to call off their ambassadors from israel. What a pity!. Afraid of free 2 billion / year loan from america to refurnish your palace?.

Pathetic Arabs!.

I don't like innocent civilians gets killed in the name of religious beliefs.

It is pure human stupidity!.

I AGREE WITH ZAIN. WE SHOULD INVADE ISRAEL AND SET UP A DEMOCRACY THERE. HOW ABOUT IT UNCLE GEORGIE AND DONNIE. WHAT DO YOU SAY?

"Muslims are stupid people ,"

Oh my. I can see oodles of intellect pouring out of your ears after a statement like that.
Psst, in case you didn't get it, I was being sarcastic.

Well, here come the nuts

I encourage Mr. Morley, just as an exercise, to go back to all the media outlets he quotes from today repeating the eternal refrain of Arab victimhood and report on their coverage of civilian deaths in Darfur over the last there and one half years.

It would be the shortest column he's ever written.

Stories about the genocide in Darfur, sponsored by an Arab government that has the full support of all other Arab governments, do sometimes appear in the Western press. Even The Post prints them sometimes -- though the paper's editorial page has done a better job covering Darfur than its reporters have. The Arab press prints stories quoting government spokesmen, and reprints stories from Xinhua and Reuters that quote government spokesmen. And that's it.

A couple of months ago a news director from al-Arabiya did a chat here on The Post's site in which he said that Arab media silence about Darfur was a product of deference to the Khartoum government. And there is probably a strong racial element involved as well. Sudan's genocidal war against civilians, which has produced deaths numbering in the hundreds of thousands, has after all been going on for over three years. That's a long time to sit on a story, and it stands to reason that the reasons for it are probably not pretty. But whatever the reasons, we ought to bear in mind the context of Arab media complaints about how Westerners value Arab lives less.

Who knows, even The Post may report on this someday!

This string is fascinating and terribly disturbing at time.In my estimation, Paolo and Pete R make the two most valid arguments. Clear, concise and relevant. Bravo to both of you! One thing is clear... this situation is tragic no matter what side you align with.

The reason world is chaotic because America is hijacked by religious fanatics.

I always laugh when people say Israel is a democratic state.

It is a 100% religious state just like any muslim state except that israel is rich because of america is dumping money and weapons.

For me i don't like to establish any RELIGIOUS STATE!. I am not against jews. Because people can have different views and opinions and customs. As long they don't enforce it on another , it is ok.

I don't want Israel to exist because the only reason as i see is that it will create wars and hate among everyone.

I equally don't like all muslim states as well.

No country should be based on religion. Religion should n't be part of governance.

Lets take these extreme case...Lets say all muslims states are defeated andonly Israel remains. Then israel take over all the land and become jews super power? And they kill all non Jews? De Ja VU all over again?.

Think about it. Never support religious state even if it is jews.

Humans are gone beyond religion. The only religion if any it has to be democracy and freedom of thought.

"If retaliation causes hatred, don't retaliate, don't escalate."
Yes: if somebody blows up your buses, and restaurants, and pizzerias, don't do anything. This way the "international community" will rush at your side, and the bad guys will be stopped. Just wait and see.
Or maybe you have already seen ? Some 60-70 years ago ?

Alex,

I do agree with you that Egypt and Saudi Arabia's remarks are just opportunism and a reflection of their deep rooted prejudice towards the Shia. Mubarak said something to the effect of the Shia in Iraq being the lap dogs of Iran (something very derogatory ill have to google the exact quote later). The wahabis in Saudi Arabia are probably torn between who to hate more, America, the Jews or the Shia.

seventy years ago, there were no busses, no pizza parlors, and I have no idea what you are talking about

Look, the US and Israel are both indoctrinated societies and here in the US, we are not even taught 20th century world history through high school. While Leon Uris', 'Exodus' was required reading for me in high school, I didn't learn anything about the Arab point of view until my third year of college, and I was a history major!

Look at the recent blackballing of Professor Juan Cole of the University of Wisconsin, when he was up for a position at Princeton. His pro-Palestinian views were considered so extreme, that there was a large, well-connected effort to quash his appointment. In the rest of the world, his views are well within the norm. We aren't even allowed to consider that perhaps there is another point of view in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Also, look at the 2004 approval that our pedmorphic president gave Ariel Sharon to unilaterally build a security wall encompassing vast swaths of the West Bank. Internationally, there was a huge outcry. Here in the US, noone even noticed.

Another example is the recent Harvard study by Mearscheimer and Walt examining the impact of the Israeli lobby on US policy. Alan Dershowitz was attacking the authors before the ink was even dry and anyone had even had an opportunity to read the study.

Finally, Alex from the above post, I would encourage you to study a little more about religions before you cast such a broad judgment. Aside from some eastern religions and philosophies like Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, all religions are in the mind/behavior control business and Christianity is probably the worst offender.

Where is OSAMA and His regular Tapes? Where is his regualr appearance?.

Let me tell you the truth!. OSAMA was dead long long time ago. Musharraf bliped it in media by mistake. Bush Muzzled his voice.

Why ?

As long as OSAMA is alive , Right wingers can use his name to instill fear and pass any legislation.

What about regular OSAMA tapes? Well. Do you relaly think CIA can't forge Osama's voice? CIA is in pakistan ...manufacting OSAMA's tapes in regular intervals and sent to ALjazeera.

It is very easy to dupe america if you can control the media outlet.

The LOW GRADE SIMMERING hatred that most of the world has felt for Israel as it killed and grabbed land in the name of "defense" HAS TURNED WHITE HOT. How smart are the arrogant Israelis? And do they think Americans, except the stupid duped Bush admiinstration will stand with them after this? (see Pew research above)
WRITTEN as the savage Israelis mass at the Lebanaese border
WRITTEN as Osama ben Lauden prepares to launch another message, that is, please God, hopefully only words.

Alex. Please stop posting. You're making an ass of yourself.

really discusses is that Jews _by definition_ are elitists and seperatists...

not that that makes them evil, but they are rather predjudiced in their own behaviour as "the chosen,"

that being said _Jewishness_ is ethnicity,

ethnicity, implies behaviors that come from an enculturement rather than an external abstraction like everyone in France _becomes_ french, or puerto ricans

Jewish ethnicity involves needing paranoia, being persecuted-as-a-way-of-life(aka the Woody Allen syndrome) and taking offense when rude primitive people act like _that_

to address the current situation and solve it would require a psychiatrist and world leaders from different philosophys and religions to discuss the morality of gawd and war....and convince the Jews, that perhaps they are part of the effing problem...not the solution

if the WTC was caused from an external source, which I don't see that it was...it seems to have been an inside job, most of the animosity would have been from the unequal treatment that Israel recieves in the Palestinian situation...

also invading Iraq for OIL may have angerfied a few fence sitters....

.

"If retaliation causes hatred, don't retaliate, don't escalate."
Yes: if somebody blows up your buses, and restaurants, and pizzerias, don't do anything. This way the "international community" will rush at your side, and the bad guys will be stopped. Just wait and see.

Paolo,

The problem is that the Palestinians look at Israeli actions historically as just that sort of justification for continuing their attacks against the Israelis.
Then you get into that vicious cycle of who dunit first and before you know it people are quoting scripture to justify their claims.

To Steve Shaw,David: Are you all afraid of truth?

One has to understand that Hezbollah has been hiding rockets in houses, paying civilians for their storage services. Hence the high number of civilian casualties.
The difference is that Israel is trying to minimize civilian casualties, while Hezbollah aims at civilians as its main target. Israel began this operation because its high moral standards dictate a rescue mission for those who where taken across an internationally recongnized border by Hezbollah, and because it has to protect its civilians from the ongoing attacks of Hezbollah and Hamas.
Israel accepted the UN Partition Plan, while the Arabs rejected it and started a war to wipe it off the map. The Arabs have done so several times over the past decades, and now Syria and Iran, under international pressure, are trying to use a proxy to do it again.
Israel will win because it fights a just war.

WHERE ARE THE QUOTES FROM ISRAELI NEWSPAPERS? WHY ARE THERE MORE ARAB AND EUROPEAN QUOTES THAN US QUOTES? IS THE WRITER BIASED?

What is frightening is the extent to which Israel -- like the Bush Administration -- lives by the credo that a display of reckless, indiscriminate force is the best way to cow your enemies into submission. It's amazing that Israel and GWB continue to think this is the way to victory since it has been shown so clearly not to be the case over and over, whether in Iraq or Lebanon or Vietnam. But what is more frightening is to think about how they might decide to display that power next. If invading Iraq and trashing Lebanon are fair game, who's to say they won't decide to just take on the whole region, just deal with this Middle East problem once and for all? As long as we're thinking big picture and not too concerned about minor short-term issues like, say, civilian casualties, destruction of infrastructure, etc., why not go for the touchdown?

I wish I was kidding, but if GWB himself was reading this, he'd probably be saying "here! here!"

Poor little muslims, they scream for holy war and then cry and soil their pants when it is served to them boiling hot. They want war but then hide behing their women and children and say "you can't attack us now", or "humanitarian crisis" or "let us now talk", or "give peace a chance". Your Iraninan and Syrian masters have dragged you into war and now you will suffer, and yes, muslim lives mean absolutely nothing to me as you are the enemy. The problem is not terrorism but the religion of Islam which we must excise like a cancerous tumor.

WHERE ARE THE QUOTES FROM ISRAELI NEWSPAPERS? WHY ARE THERE MORE ARAB AND EUROPEAN QUOTES THAN US QUOTES? IS THE WRITER BIASED?

It's called World Opinion Roundup, that's why.

Angus: "I accept Israel's right to exist (1967) as I am sure many others do.
Why is your(Israeli) government killing Lebanese children?"
Because the Lebanese government hosts the Hizbullah, who does NOT accept Israel's right to exist, and demonstrates his intentions with facts, while yours are only words.

It's wonderful to see Mr. Morley quote papers from all the Arab countries that typically allow their citizens no freedom of speech. Also, the wonderful European countries that where anti-semitism is alive and thriving. Once again, the Post proves its bias.

Alex -
Aren't you even a little embarrassed?

Mr. Morley - Do you even read these posts?

please by quiet, you're too controlling...and a nall

Since this blog is about conflict viewed through different lenses, let me refer all of you to this:

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks

Food for thought!

the Israeli's need psychiatric help and the muslims need some social skills, let's werk together to help them get what they need?

okay?

come on meshugannehs, oy veh!

Israel is a tiny sliver of land on the Mediterranean. Muslim lands extend from the Atlantic Ocean to continental India. Yet Muslims extremists want to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Israel has Muslim members in their Knesset but no Jews are allowed to even live in Muslim lands or the handful are a persecuted minority living in daily fear.

Enough of this Zionist entity rhetoric now mouthed by so-called Christians who can never forgive the Christ killers. Like the Crusaders of old they would gladly see every Jew die to avenge the stories repeated ad nauseum by their priests and ministers. But if they can't be wiped out they can be made to suffer for eternity. This isn't anti-Semetism it is a Christian Jihad against the Jews that lurks in their unconscious.

a good analyst from Long Island, perhaps he could counsel the Israeli people, or Dr. Phil,

and Miz Manners could work with the Arabic people, to teach them that killing should not be the first response in a difficult social situation!

okay?

and everyone is against me!

the fact that I have emotional issues and make everyone near me hate me, is not my fault, it's part of my ethnicity!

right.

Oh, but Islam is a religion of peace, remember???

to slap the womens lib movement person that said that every male was chauvinist, or the black guy hustling a woman with no respect for her accusing her of being predjudiced....this is the same schtick thatyou're using...knock it off

you're rude, and paranoid, you need to see a shrink...

I can't believe that someone really does not know what happened in Europe from 1933 to 1945.
I just wanted to point out that Jews have learnt at their expenses that when somebody says "I will kill you all" he really means it, and that if they don't defend themselves, nobody else will.
That's why they can be sometimes over-reactive (which I don't think they have been in this case).

Maybe the fundamentalists could actually evolve and enter this century where people can use language to communicate with each other. Instead, they remain in whatever century they're locked into where they can act like barbarians.

And now for some ethnic cleansing..

TYRE, Lebanon, July 20 - The warning came in the morning Thursday, a recorded message dialed to phone numbers in southern Lebanon. In flawless Arabic, it instructed: Leave now, beyond the Litani River that bisects the rock-studded wadis of the south. Don't flee on motorcycles or in vans or trucks. Otherwise, you will be a target. The message signed off simply: the state of Israel.

But leaving this southern Lebanese city Thursday was more complicated than a choice. Aid officials say that tens of thousands have already fled Tyre and its environs along the Mediterranean Sea but that perhaps 12,000 Lebanese remain stranded. The wartime circumstances of a besieged city keep them here: no gasoline for their cars, no money for taxi fares that have surged 75-fold, no faith in assurances from Israeli forces that have repeatedly attacked civilian vehic