Indeed. I wonder of those guys would be so 'meh' about the thing of a radical group was lobbing rockets from Vancouver B.C. into Seattle.Certainly, Israel’s response (which will likely backfire) has been brutal, but it’s weird to me that in the conversations I hear around town, and in the conversations I had myself over the weekend, the conventional wisdom—the given—is that Israel is so clearly in the wrong. Typical line, “I mean Israel is bombing Northern Lebanon! Hezbollah is in the South.” I wonder if these same critics wonder with as much vigor why Hamas continued to attack Israel from Gaza, when Israel was no longer in Gaza.
It seems to me that Israel, having withdrawn from Lebanon, from Gaza, and getting ready to withdraw from the West Bank, was robbing radicals like Hamas and Hezbollah (and Iran, which backs Hezbollah) of an issue that allows them to maintain some power and legitimacy.
And so, cleverly, Hamas and Hezbollah drew Israel right back in. Israel took the bait. Israel seems to be the only thing that can unite Shiites (Hezbollah) and Sunnis (Hamas). But why is Israel condemned for taking the bait, when the radicals who set the trap aren’t denounced as well? Or, if they are denounced, it’s with a sense of “understanding” … while Israel is just “out of control.”
Tune in to the comments thread for strum and drang.
all sides share blame, and israel in particular deserves blame for acting unilaterally. withdrawing from gaza and building a wall while refusing to engage a democratically elected palestinian government in two-state peace talks is not a solution.
Like this guy. How dare they withdraw from occupied terrority and adhere to UN mandates. The cads. Or as James Lileks said in his latest Bleat
It takes a certain kind of person to see a liberal free society attacked by Islamicists, and find himself wondering: what are those crafty Jews up to now?
