The Guardian’s Comment is Free brings out the big guns to debate the Hezbollah-Israel war. Jimmy Carter delivers a mealy-mouthed post that ends up attacking Israel. But Harold Evans reminds us of the moral quagmire — can we use that word again — of backing Hezbollah and he does it masterfully:
“We are all Hizbullah now,” proclaimed one of the banners at the Stop the War coalition’s London march. Really? Is it possible that more than one person has taken leave of their senses?
It was a sign either of profound ignorance or a depraved indifference to human life. Either way, the moral idiocy of the sentiment betrayed the higher purpose of the march.
If we are all Hizbullah now, who are we?
Are we the violent hijackers of the state of Lebanon who started this war without provocation and without reference to the elected government? Are we the “democrats” who hold hostages for years and murder political opponents?
Are we the suicide bombers, Hizbullah’s contribution to civilization, randomly murdering innocents in the thousands – Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, for this cause or that, it makes no difference?
Are we Hassan Nasrullah, the latest pin up boy of terrorism, who competes with Iran’s mad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the most dedicated to kill Jews? He makes no secret of Hizbullah’s genocidal ambitions. “If they [the Jews] all gather in Israel,” he says, “it will save us the trouble of going after them on a world wide basis.” Big joke.
Are we the puppets of our paymasters in Iran?
Are we the cowards condemned as such by the UN humanitarian chief, Jan Egeland, for hiding our fighters and rocket launchers among women and children?
Are we not the cleverest of tacticians? If the human shield works, we are free to attack, and if it fails, Israel will bear the odium. What does it matter that our cruel deceit violates Article 58 of the Geneva Convention?
Are we the renegades who have for six years shown what we think of the Geneva Convention, international law (and UN resolution 1559) by regularly launching rockets across the border into Israel loaded with ball-bearings to shred human flesh. Yes, people died, six in a school bus, but they were only Jews and did you see the world take any notice? Nobody marched in London.
Are we the fiends who over two decades of Islamic terrorism have kidnapped, tortured and killed numerous peacekeepers?
Read the rest. It gets even better, even stronger.
Carter, on the other hand, stays true to his tapioca soul and mumbles support for Israel before giving them the back of his hand, while not criticizing Hezbollah in the least. A shocking performance:
It is inarguable that Israel has a right to defend itself against attacks on its citizens, but it is inhumane and counterproductive to punish civilian populations in the illogical hope that somehow they will blame Hamas and Hizbullah for provoking the devastating response.
And how about blaming Hezbollah for hiding behind those civilians and launching attacks on civilians from their homes? Not our ex-President. He just returns to his own failed roadmaps to nowhere.
