The Carnage in Lebanon

The pictures show Israeli children writing messages on missiles destined for the Lebanon; and the consequences for a Lebanese child. Robert Fisk in the Independent (6/8/06) reports on the "obscene score-card" regarding fatalities so far: 508 Lebanese civilians, 46 Hezbollah guerrillas, 29 Lebanese soldiers, 36 Israeli soldiers, and 19 Israeli civilians: "In other words, Hizbollah is killing more Israeli soldiers than civilians, and the Israeli's are killing far more Lebanese civilians than they are guerrillas". Just who are the "terrorists"? But, as Fisk also points out, "..Israeli has special privileges afforded no other civilised nation" (3/8/06). Israeli is exempted from the normal moral rules to which others are held; it is a "rogue state" whose extremism over the years has been amplified by the extraordinary indulgence granted it by the western powers. Even in the light of what has happened over the last few weeks Blair cannot bring himself to describe the Israeli bombings as "disproportionate" (itself fairly mealy-mouthed) while simultanously condemning Hizbollah without qualification. One wonders what geopolitical or other gain there is to the US and UK for their absurd and unjust one-sided support of Israel?