22 July, 2006, Adamit
The press works under pressure. Articles must be interesting, appeal to a common denominator, comprehended by the “average Joe” and deadlines must be met. Articles can be a few paragraphs or 60 seconds and then its time for a commercial. How is a person supposed to understand “The Muddle East” and its peoples? The news on the present conflict deals with these problems in systematic ways: Proportions: Israel has 30 dead, Lebanon has 300. Appears as if the Lebanese are getting a raw deal. Perhaps if Israel had 400 dead we would be appreciated more. Israel has two kidnapped soldiers. Isn't Lebanon suffering too much for only two soldiers? Should it be 20 kidnapped soldiers or 200? Take responsibility Lebanon, return the soldiers, arrest the kidnappers but don't talk about disproportionate if you (Lebanon) are not going to step up to the plate. The buck stops with you. What people do in your country and from your country is your responsibility. One hundred and fifty Katusha rockets were launched from Lebanon (by Hizballah) onto exclusively civilian targets. Little damage was done because most people have moved out of danger's path. Lebanon talks about hundreds of thousands of refugees. Large segments of the population of northern Israel have also fled. I haven't seen any mention of this exodus save an explanation that Hizballah fails to kill a lot of people because they are not there. Why are there “poor refugees running for their lives” in Lebanon while Israelis have “gone”? Last but not least is the concept that that Israel has been disproportionate in its action since it was only a “little incident” i.e. two soldiers killed, three killed, a few wounded, some damage to settlements and vehicles, nothing more. Israel has turned the other cheek time and again in the last six years and two months since Israel left southern Lebanon. There have been numerous attacks along the border while Hizballah has stockpiled arms, built fortifications and trained its members. This has continued after 2005 when UN resolution 1559 called for Hizballah and all armed militias to turn over their arms to the Lebanese government. Soldiers were kidnapped, attacked and killed several times. Civilians were killed in several incidents. In my area, five civilians were murdered when they drove past Shlomi. A young boy that was sitting outside, was killed by an anti-aircraft shell aimed at him, not at an aircraft. When Israel did reply it was a very low key response. There was no attempt to change the situation and Israel waited for the Lebanese (or the world) to fulfill resolution 1559 in its entirety. The present reaction comes after dozens of previous violent incidents inflicted by Hizballah that were never addressed seriously. The sixth anniversary of Israel's return of Southern Lebanon was just two months ago. The Hizballah treats the occasion as a holiday. The pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud was invited to tour Southern Lebanon as an honored guest of Hizballah. This is the man who has the job of ridding Lebanon of Hizballah. He was invited because he objects to UN resolution 1559 just as he objected to the removal of Syrian troops. There you have it: one of the primary leaders of Lebanese politics objecting to 1559 and publicly supporting Hizballah. What happened? The next day, Hizballah launched two attacks on Israel when Lahoud was safely in Beirut. The first day they shelled an army base, where my daughter served not too long ago. The next day they shot a soldier from across the border. However reporters have only a few paragraphs or a few minutes. They talk about what the camera sees and that appears "out of proportion".
Dan Kohn, Adamit