NPR : Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

The Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

NPR.org, July 18, 2006 · Nearly a week after the militant group Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, fierce fighting continues in Israel and Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said attacks in Lebanon would end when the Israeli soldiers were freed and the Lebanese army deployed along the border. Hezbollah, in turn, has asked for a prisoner exchange. Below, a sampling of opinions from around the globe:

AUSTRALIA

Deadly Double Standards Sow Terror

The Australian

July 18, 2006

After the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, the Western world was bombarded with information about his background and family. He was humanised [sic]. But what of the countless Palestinians imprisoned without trial in Israel jails, or the numerous Palestinian women and children regularly taken from their homes in the middle of the night? It is now more than ever in Israeli and US interests to ensure a democratic and economically viable Palestine is constructed.

WASHINGTON

A War with Extremists

Washington Post

July 18, 2006

Should Hamas and Hezbollah fail militarily, Arab democrats and those who favor the creation of a peaceful Palestine alongside Israel would see the removal of their largest obstacle, while the pernicious influence of Iran and Syria in the region would be curtailed. An international diplomatic initiative that allows Hezbollah to preserve and eventually restock its military wing would be worse than none at all.

EGYPT

Fast-Track Colonialism

Al-Ahram Weekly Online

July 18, 2006

With its most recent savagery, the Israeli government aims to restate its message to the Palestinian people: that Israel will engineer the demise of the Palestinian national struggle by any and all means, whether killing, forced impoverishment or ghettoisation.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why Can't We Help Ourselves?

Khaleej Times

July 18, 2006

Before begging the international community to come and rescue the Palestinians and Lebanese, have we in the Arab media questioned the Arab and Muslim countries what they are doing to end the suffering of a helpless people?

ISRAEL

Take a Deep Breath

Haaretz

July 18, 2006

We should be grateful to Hezbollah for giving us this 'window of opportunity' to launch an offensive that will change the rules of the game and break down the 'balance of fear' created by Hezbollah's menacing presence along our northern border.

YEMEN

An American License to Kill

Yemen Times

July 18, 2006

[The U.S.] could have even prevented the new escalation in Lebanon by simply acting more responsibly in restraining its Spartan ally in Israel and reminding it that not all problems can be solved by the barrel of the gun.

INDIA

Douse the Flames

The Times of India

July 18, 2006

The problem...is that the Lebanese government is too weak to impose its will on Hezbollah. Tel Aviv would have been justified if it had taken specific and targeted actions against Hezbollah, striking deep into Lebanese territory if need be.

BEIRUT

The Price of a Ceasefire

Al-Hayat

July 18, 2006

The problem of the international mediators is that they all belong to the same school. They are strictly committed to the stipulations laid down by Israel and the US. Only a year ago, one could rely on the unbiased judgment of some members of the UN. But the crisis of the Secretariat General has made it subject to Israeli extortion, and so its initiatives are oriented by the Hebrew State.

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