Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Commentary: Where's the Love?

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how selective the moral outrage is in the current Middle East conflict between Israel and Hezbollah?

Israel, in attempting to stop a para-military force that is funded and fueled by such rogue states as Syria and Iran, accidentally hits a group of civilians (who are in the war zone), and the world freaks out and screams for a cease fire. Nevermind that Hezbollah fighters are hiding among civilians to use them as shields. The minute even one Lebanese civilian accidentally gets hit, the world screams murder.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah, instead of firing rockets at the Israeli army, is shooting rockets over the Israeli army and attacking Israeli civilians who are not even in the war zone. The reaction from the world, though, is muted at best. I don't hear people condemning Hezbollah or screaming and rioting about the Israelis who were killed. Where's the condemnation from Kofi Annan against Hezbollah?
Now, don't get me wrong. It is sad that these civilians died, and I know that there families are mourning. It's not fair that noncombatants are getting killed. Yet why is the outrage not as great when Israeli civilians who are outside the warzone getting killed? Could it be that world hates Israel? Or is there something more complex going on here? I don't know.

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