Emmotts apologia for HEZBOLLAH merely means that the misery will continue. We will observe here that this organization was not only responsible for the 1983 bombing murders of hundreds of American soldiers,and carried out the 1995 Khobar Towers attack that killed more Americans,but is popping up in places as obscure to their region of hegemony as North Carolina and Argentina,where it engaged in moneylaundering and rackateering in the one, and murders Jewish emigrees in the other.
Further,it will in no way advance Middle Eastern or Israeli-Palestinian ''peace''.The idea that it is an ''effective welfare and assistance organization helping fellow Lebanese'' is no better than saying that Mussolini was such a swell guy for making the trains run on time,or Al Capone for running soup kitchens and handing out clothing during the Depression on the south side of Chicago.
As the only functioning democracy in the Middle East,Israel,can change governments at the voters whim. What was rightwinged hawk the one day becomes Labour-left dove the next. Yet HEZBOLLAH is a leopard that will never change its spots. It engages in political assassination,wholesale murder,and an utter disregard of the weak UNs mandate, performed to end last summers war. It has moved a vast array of arms with UNFIL acquiescence right up to Israels northern borders. This brings up a salient point regarding the criticism of our invasion of Iraq.
What business does an Iranian-Syrian entity have in invading another nation[Lebanon],in order to attack a third?[Israel],while the Emmotts of the world thinking that this is all A-OK? And in Israel giving up in all demands,the release of the Golan,right of return,all of it,what measly assurances does the good Mr.Emmott have that will not end up with HEZBOLLAH and its Syrian,HAMAS/FATAH cronies moving to destroy the Jewish state? ''Never Again''takes on a more cheap,tinny quality, does it not?

don't agree

don't agree

they will wake up Sayit, when you yourself wakes up and takes a step back to really be objective. For all your great examples, there are just as great counter examples. Propaganda is always in essence, biased and rhetroic based. You are a bigot friend, and your diatribe endites you. The only manipulation and hooking being done has been on your consciuosness ever since you were born. believe me, if my dignity was taken, if my land was taken, if i were humilited, if my family was killed, because of an illigtimate occupation, god knows what would become of me. you have no morality friend, just a hate filled agenda that is nothing more then what you will encounter from the other side.

Just another few observations: The Islamic
Fundamentalist movement (which, by the way, is worldwide), has the best weapon in the world. No, not a nuke. They have most of the western media and their tree hugging liberal minded do gooders doing most of their work for them in Europe and the U.S. It would seem
they also have the U.N. (the dog with no teeth) in their hip pocket as well. When will these stupid people wake up and realise that they are being manipulated and played like hooked fish.

Yes, conflict is a terrible thing. Death is a
terrible thing. What a pity all the knee jerk retoric gets an airing all the time. No country is totally innocent when it comes to conflict but at least some of us try to keep
civilian casualties to a minimum (thats more than can be said for any islamic butchers).
Perhaps all the wannabe muslims out there should start finding out the truth about the scum they so eagerly defend. It is true that not all muslims are terrorists but it is equally true that 99.9% of terrorists are muslim. Here are just a few facts.
Muslim outrage, huh! (poor misunderstood dears). OK ... let's do a little review. Just some observations:

Muslims fly commercial airliners into buildings in New York City (killing thousands). Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslim officials (religious police) block the exit where school girls are trying to escape a burning building because their faces were exposed (many are burned to death). Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims cut off the heads of three teenage girls on their way to a CHRISTIAN school in Indonesia. Muslim outrage? NO.
Again, in Indonesia, Muslims hack to death all the children (from a few months to 3 years old) and their carers at a CHRISTIAN nursery school. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. Muslim outrage? NO.
A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims slaughter hundreds of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia. They also shoot many of the children in the back. Muslim outrage? NO.
Let's go back further. Muslims kidnap and kill athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims fire rocket-propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel. Muslim outrage? NO.
Recently:
Muslims murder more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and buses. Over 700 are injured. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims murder hundreds and injure several hundreds of commuters in India. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims have, and still are murdering and raping thousands of people in Sudan (with the muslim Sudanese governments blessing and help). Approx 300,000 people including babies and small children (Christian and Muslim) brutaly murdered. Muslim outrage? NO.
In Somalia, Muslims are currently engaged in murdering anyone who gets in their way. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims massacre dozens of innocents at a Passover Seder. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims murder innocent vacationers in Bali. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslim newspapers publish anti-Semitic cartoons. Muslim outrage? Do they say sorry? NO.
Muslims are involved, on one side or the other, in almost every one of the 125+ shooting wars around the world. Muslim outrage? NO.
Muslims beat the charred bodies of Western civilians with their shoes, then hang them from a bridge. Muslim outrage? NO.
Newspapers in Denmark and Norway publish cartoons depicting Mohammed (not forgetting that these cartoons were published about a year prior to this whole event) Oh! and they were doctored by some "MUSLIMS" to make them appear worse than they were originally (but that dosn't matter, does it?).
Muslims outraged? Oh! YES. YES. DEATH TO THE WEST. Muslims are bred to kill everything that might be different or smarter than they are, especially other muslims, (after all, the world is flat) according to many of their "intelligent" religious clerics.
Here in Britain, why have muslims got their own MUSLIM COUNCIL, their own MUSLIM PARLIAMENT and their own MUSLIM DEFENCE LEAGUE?
Smells a little bit like "a state within a state" wouldn't you agree?
No doubt they have all the excuses to justify all this, like: "It's our culture" or "It's our religion" or "You just don't understand the way we do things" etc. etc.
Most muslims would like to see "Sharia law" introduced in the west. So what the hell are they doing over here in OUR COUNTRY? Oh! sorry, I forgot, FREEDOM, MEDICAL CARE, mustn't forget, SOCIAL SECURITY, FREE HOUSING, payed mainly by THE TAXES of working ENGLISH CHRISTIANS and of course, a Mosque or two or three in every city, town, village and fast food car park throughout the country. All with the blessings of the weak, spineless goverment morons who profess to have our best interests at heart. WE ARE AT WAR!!! If they go back to
their lovely Islamic country they can then indulge their appetite for blood letting: beheadings, amputations, mutilations, honour killings, hangings, cutting the noses, lips, ears, tongues, and genitals from helpless victims. Did I forget the gang raping of girls as another punishment to keep them in check? and let us not forget the "JUSTIFIED" summary executions of any and all who have the gall to THINK.
This is just a thought, but why is it that those who call for other muslims to "kill themselves and as many innocents as they can take with them", never step forward and do it themselves. Reply: "Are you kidding, we're not that stupid. We leave all that to our braindead followers".
Oh! No! more muslim outrage!!!! Quick, all you human rights lawyers (Cherie Blaire and her cronies), Liberty lawyers and Anti-Racist lawyers etc. etc. there's a pot of money to be had here!
I wonder, if given the choice (without any fear of retribution), how many muslims would like to live in peace and have a society where they could walk, laugh, tell jokes about anything and everything, marry who THEY wanted to marry and not be afraid that they would be killed by some religious nutter from inside or outside the family? The so called Honour Killing. How utterly pathetic AND dangerous these, dare I say it, "people" are.
The sooner this is sorted out, the better and safer we and our children and our grand children will be.
So to all you gutless cowtowers out there I hope that your eyes are opened soon, before they are shut permanently.
There are non so blind as those that don't want to see-and non so deaf as those that don't want to hear.....

Rabbi Rosen believes the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ (a Jew) was the first anti-semite from the day he cleansed the temple of money lenders and traders, followed by his disciples and today over a billion people of Christian faith. Are all these people anti-semites? Jesus Christ was not anti-Jewish, only anti what Judaism stood for, based on the Talmud.

I am sorry but people who do not live in the M.E should save their comments. You do not know the facts, what you know is what CNN,CBS and FOX wants you to know. When channels like Aljazeera and Alarabia show the other side of the story, you end up bombing their headquarters. Wake up Americans, when your elect senators or congressmen, the first thing they do they is travel to Israel to thank them for thier votes, they tend to forget that the american public voted for them not the jews, if i were an American i'd be worried about the power cuts, National debt and why my tax money is not being spent efficiently to fight US poverty, protect US jobs and quit outsourcing all the American jobs to people who live abroad.

I think what Israel is doing these days is the pure TERRORISM. As a Palestinian I can't imagine discussing the murdering of innocent Palestinians including children FOR ANY REASON...

Hezbollah and Hamas are to Israel, what Al Qaeda is to the U.S. No one is advocating that the U.S. negotiate a ceasefire with Al Qaeda, and likewise, Israel should not negotiate a ceasefire with Hezbollah or Hamas. Terrorist organizations are not to be negotiated with.

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Bush/Cheney fascism has made this world immensely more dangerous then it ever has been. I would like to think that those US leaders who hope to be governing this country in two years+ are considering goals and strategies that take into account the Common Good of the planet politically, economically and environtmentally. I hope that no US leader ever succumbs to the temptation to "go it alone"! I hope that Muslims will be patient enough to wait until a new generation of US leaders emerges.

Also, a wise man once said"To gaze upon a human face is already to have heard the words: Thou shalt not kill!"

Valmoreo

Sandor B-

Your claim that "Israel is surrounded by enemies sworn to her destruction" is not accurate. Here are some direct quotes from the CIA's World Factbook about Israel's relations with neighboring countries: "On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty ... Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace."

Mr. Emmott advises that "The war in Lebanon, like all wars, is making the world more dangerous". Actually the only universal statement we should believe in is to never believe in such universal statements.ALL wars do not ALWAYS make things more dangerous. Ask the American Rebels when they battled the Britsh.What Emmott seems to assume is that ALL consequences post war are the result of that war. They are not. Or that post war consequences are ALWAYS more dangerous than those that would have resulted if there had been no war. They are not.
Emmott points to World War II as an example. Absent the war, the atom bomb, the Cold War and the Communist victory in China would, in Mr. Emmott's eyes, have been LESS dangerous. The assertion seems questionable at best. WW II accelerated the development and use of the atom bomb, and served to weaken the enemies of Mao. WW II did not create the bomb nor the Communist victory. As for the Cold War, that clash of Titans would have taken place with or without WW II. And one might even argue the West would have been in a weaker position to challenge the Communist tide absent the US military build up brought on by Germnan and Japanese aggression.
The question is CORRECTLY posed. Does THIS war in Lebanon, given how it is fought, the price that is to be paid, the chances of success and whether diplomacy offers a viable alternative, mean a more or less peaceful world? Given the nationalistic and religious passions involved, and the apparent lack of diplomatic imagination so far exhibited I regretfully suggest that the case AGANIST war is far from as clear as Mr. Emmott would like us to believe.
The answer is not either diplomacy or war; or how war is conducted; or if there is an exit strategy. Given the visceral antagonisms involved, the real issue is whether the parties are smart enough so that diplomacy is truly aided by the wise and prudent application of force, even brute force. I doubt the parties are smart enough. I suspect the parties are ad libing it. There appears to be no chess players in this battle, only angry parties engaged in a blood feud lashing out in revenge and fear of defeat.

One thing that very few have commented on is the fact that the US, which has been supposedly dedicated to spreading democracy in the middle east, is sanctioning Israel's attack on a functioning democracy. Lebanon has a democratic government: granted, they have some unusual provisions in order to ensure that power does not all fall into either Christian or Muslim hands, but nonetheless they have one. It is a travesty that because Israel and the US are unable to distinguish between the organization of Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon, this state that was finally pulling itself together after the last war with Israel is now in shambles, both physically and in a sense politically, since Israel has powerfully shown that Lebanon itself can do very little to defend itself.
As far as Hezbollah is concerned, their attacks on Israel were certainly misadvised and wrong, but to portray the situation as that of Hezbollah suddenly disrupting a stable peace is unrealistic. Both Hezbollah and Israel have for years been lobbing a few missiles back and forth over the border at each others' territories - why do you think all the towns in northern Israel and Southern Lebanon have air raid sirens and bomb shelters?
Israel's current goal (which the US has supported) is the eradication of Hezbollah. However, their attacks on the civilian population of Lebanon have made that a nearly impossible goal: the more destruction they wreak on Lebanon and particularly on non-military targets (such as much of the recent construction in Beirut), the more Lebanese - Christian, Shiite, Sunni, and Druse - will detest Israel, and the more people will flock to Hezbollah's banner.
Hezbollah itself has done a tremendous job over the past few years of growing from a terrorist insurgent group to an almost mainstream political group (one that just happens to have its own military). In addition, they provide many social services in Lebanon, such as schools, hospitals, and mosques. The Washington Post published an article recently that stated that Hezbollah is either directly or indirectly responsible for the employment of 250,000 peopel in Lebanon - a significant chunk of the population. Hezbollah is a part of Lebanon now, and cannot be eradicated. With time and patience, they perhaps could have been fully integrated into mainstream society and become much less agressive and militant - particularly if Israel took the initiative and abstained from such actions as flying military aircraft over Beirut (something they did even during "peace" time). Hezbollah's actions are certainly not to be praised, but Israel's are perhaps to be condemned even further. Israel has had the opportunity to use its superior military power and purportedly superior moral ground to promote a standing-down of hostilities, but has not, and has instead chosen to respons with crushing force. Israel does not take an eye for an eye anymore: now, if they lose an eye, you can be sure the opponent will lose half their body. As long as these hawkish tendencies are at the forefront of Israeli policy, there will be no peace in the Middle East.

I suppose the real question to ask is what criteria are being used for judging whether the situation is indeed more dangerous now rather than before. Is it the potential for casualties or real casualties? Is it the potential to impact Western economies or the actual impact? Without breaking analysis down into the criteria level, this analysis winds up spinning its wheels in a circular argument - not sure whether it's more dangerous, because we don't really know why or how.

The readers' posts to this article, and even the views from the distinguished, if somewhat homogeneous panel, show that it's difficult to separate emotion from fact. Fact is, though, that every time the international community has meddled in this conflict (see 1948, 1954, 1963, 1967, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1993-present) it has gotten exactly what it deserved - no chance of resolving the issue and export of tactics that were first tried on Israel to the rest of the world. That's the logical end result of the ostrich school of management - cloud your judgment with emotion and hide your head in the sand from the facts, and eventually it will impact your rear.

It is the first time the Axis of Good (US,UK,Israel)is on the defencive. Instead of surrounding Iran - Iran has surrounded them, by their proxies in Afganistan (warlords),Iraq (Shias), Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas - most of them democratically elected!! This strategic advantage gives the power to Ahmadinezad to defy UN for his nuclear program and ignore US threats. King Abdalla has pointed out the threat of Shias long ago - and should have been listened more carefully. Am afraid that the chessboard in Middle East is set like that for the moment.

Like the Irag debacle of 2003 the U. S. government has encouraged another disaster in the name of fighting terror everywhere. Allowing Israel to destroy Lebanon in the name of fighting terror tactics of Hezbollah while still shouting to heaven of supporting democratic Lebanon is an act of visionless government in the U. S. in recent years. The U.N. Secretary General has called for immediate ceasefire; other powers including the Arab moderate governments under the spell of American power has also issued the same statements but Israel with backing of United States has refused. They wanted Hezbollah and Lebanon destroyed; they wanted the Shias and Lebanese people punished and to suffer for supporting this resistance organisation. You can destroy Hezbollah militarily but not politically. Why couldn't U. S. government with their leverage on Israel find solutions to this continue bloodshed in the Middle - East. It is not by buying powerful Arab countries to your side and labelling others who couldn't be bought axis of evil that will guarrantee Israel security and their own strategic interest but honest brokerage of the root cause of all the issues in that trouble land. Now Ms. Rice is taking a leisurely ride to Israel after twelve days of bloodshed and humanitarian disaster to see Isreal and other Arab governments but not Syria and Iran and yet they wanted peace. Forced peace? See the state of the world since this people took over government in United States.

This will be Israel's third invasion of Lebanon: 1978, 1982 and 2006.

Why is Israel invading Lebanong time after time? Because of such sham cease-fires that provided opportunity for guerilla groups to rearm and prepare for the next round.

Many in the West are asking Israel to make do with a situation where the country is absorbing daily rocket strikes, north and south, and very soon, center, if such are fired from the west bank. Implicitly, Emmot of the Economist is pleading Israel to keep things quiet so oil prices don't rise and Western economies keep prospering. Israel, too, is a Western country: it needs stability and security for its economy to function. Do not ask of it to think of you first. Take your case to Iran, Syria and Hizbullah for once.

Why not a ceasefire right now? Can't the parties talk more sensibly when the fighting is stopped. There will be a ceasefire--sooner than later. Then why did the USA let the Israel destroy Lebanon? Will it destroy Hezbullah, physically and politically? How will it fare with Bush's attempt to win the hearts and minds of Muslims? In the long run, this will be yet another example of Bush administration's incompetence and lack of vision.

Those who ignore terrorism might as well be apart of it. For those in the media who help promote their cause by over playing the most unfortunate civilian casualties do the same as this is exactly what the terrorist want in this case. For once do what is right speak of the facts. Israel is not out to destroy all arabs or muslims, they are merely trying to survive while surrounded by enemies sworn to her destruction. If you deny this fact you are not worthy of this debate.

Was it dangerous? The Vietnam war, does it matter insofar? Dont blame the Chinese for the idiotic US intervention there. You can in contrary say that the current Chinese capitalism would not have been possible without Mao. Maybe we will have some sort of Arab capitalism one day as well..after a "fundamentalist" reorgarnisation of Arab societies. Israel should help them, become the center of the movement. Instead of this it is trying to kick itself into the sea. A pity, Israel was a great experiment, in socialism too.

more blather from the apologists for hezbollah. they are fine w/13K missiles in range of israeli cities. they are fine w/an organization whose stated aim is the destruction of israel and the killing of all jews. it is unfortunate, but hezbollah cannot be allowed to hide behind lebanese civilians.

if UN mandate 1559 had been enforced, then maybe this wouldn't have happened, but no one showed the courage to enforce that decree. israel is willing to live in peace with neighbors that want peace. for others like hezbollah, it is kill or be killed...the same choice the rest of the world faces w/islamofascists.

i detest bush and the neocons who are incompetent bumblers with respect to strategy and tactics, but the one thing they correctly see is that there can be no negotiation w/islamofascists.

to paraphrase a brilliant quote from a jordanian the other day: islamicists use democracy like toilet paper. once and then they throw it away...

Destroying Hezbollah? Who is Hezbollah? It's a political/military force who represents 80% of the Shia population in Lebanon. And now Israel is bombing their neighbourhoods because Hezbollah "hides" there? Ofcourse, they "hide" there, like "the neocons" are "hiding" in Iowa because their voters live there. Israel is "again" using ethnic cleansing by chasing a population, the Shia, to solve "a" problem, and in the mean time creating some new problems.

The fighting must be stopped, I agree. But the brutal and wanton descruction and killings by the Israelis while saying they are taking pains to be discrete will be remembered.
It is particulary galling to see the hypocrisy in the presence of all the egregious suffering caused by a powerful military against the weak non-military.

The fighting must be stopped, I agree. But the brutal and wanton descruction and killings by the Israelis while saying they are taking pains to be discrete will be remembered. It is particularly galling to observers to see a mighty military machine unleash egregious suffering on the weak.