War is just terrorism with a tax base, and Israel, our unsinkable aircraft carrier in the middle east, is demonstrating how to rebranding terrorism (collective punishment, undefined conflict zones, high civilian casualties) as war. The ethnic cleansing of southern Lebanon (all the way to the Litani River is my bet) is starting to look positively cost effective!

I am an anti-terrorist. Yossi Klein Halevi supports Israel's state-sanctioned terrorism. I don't differentiate between state terrorism and other "freedom fighter" terrorism. The Australian government supports Israel's state terrorism whilst condemning Hezbollah's terrorism. Terrorism is wrong no matter how you package it.

Brisbane's Sunday Mail supports terrorism. Two commentaries trying to justify Israel's blatant killing of the Lebanese civilians and UN observers but no commentaries from the civilians’ points of view. The Federal Police might lock you up for supporting the rights of humans whose humanity is not recognised as important as western folk’s. There'll be no comments from the graves of civilians. An ethical newspaper is meant to provide a balanced product. Why no hardcore sensible writing to counter syndicated Bolt's sellout rubbish? Do the nation a favour and don't recycle Bolt's rubbish - bin it.

The article from Chris Tinkler was presented as a news story but it was just commentary. Opinion and unsupported evidence dressed up as fact.
Mr Egeland said: "I heard they were making statements that they were proud of losing fewer armed men than civilians. It's hard to see how they could be proud of such a situation."

Well Rancitas heard Egeland was an Israeli bullsh*tartist.

Besides the dishonest hearsay-as-validated news, and the possibility of a myriad of other explanations as to why fighters where dressed in civilian clothes (ordinary civilians defending their homeland; reservists whose uniforms where destroyed): How does this justify continuing to kill civilians? Oh sure it is a few brownie points in the fickle world of public opinion. Rubbish- bin it.

Then the SMH's Andrew Bolt's usual spearhead propaganda for John Howard's Liberals. His two-plus-two-equals-five propaganda reached new heights. Prattling on about how the UN observer posts were being used as shields. Yet when a UN outpost is hit all we have is dead UN observers - no Hezbollah fighters. A moral and ethical military would ere on the safe side. More of Bolt’s rubbish bin it.

On OLO Yossi Klein Halevi says:
"... international community allowed Palestinians to continue to act as victims... "
They are victims. The UN gave Israel their land. Take a look at the map of those that voted for Jewish resettlement. All those opposed where Middle Eastern countries. For Christ sakes, UN representatives from other continents decided for the establishment of Israel. Once Israel got a foot hold you forced more than 700,000 Palestinians from their lands - out of their homes. The Palestinians are and were victims of a cruel and oppressive regime. What a backhanded insult.

Yossi says that Israel and Palestine could be "...responsible peace partners prepared to exploit the extraordinary circumstances they enjoyed for creating a state".

Israel isn't being a responsible anything in Lebanon. It would be good if this attitude actually prevailed on all sides.

"Those circumstances included virtually unlimited international political and financial support and the willingness of a majority of Israelis - induced, in part, by a justifiable guilty conscience - to consider previously unthinkable scenarios, like ceding part of Jerusalem to Yasir Arafat".

How can you be ceding Jerusalem when Palestine has held sovereignty over it for yonks? Another backhander.

Stop being so self-absorbed and try and walk a mile - otherwise this kind of propaganda pap only adds to the difficulty of finding a solution.

They did, no they didn't, you did. Or was it them that did it. Maybe it was all of them, us, we , him, her and it.

It's endless, pointing fingers and saying that's what this war is about. And make no mistake, it's a war. It's been going on for 2000 years at least and there's no end in sight.

Yet today's papers blame the last incident for the incident they now commit which results in more revenge attacks and so it goes.

Are these not the people on whom Christianity, religion was founded?

Are all these people not of similar ancestry, just look back far enough and they are.

Yet they can hate people they have never met, based on years of blame for incidents long forgotten, just the hate and need for revenge remains.

There is only 1 solution. For the leaders to lay down their bitterness and stand together in public until they are shot or hailed.
If shot then the next in line stands with who is left standing and so on. Until the pointlessness is so blatant that it stops.

Hateful to see these stinking wars being brought to Australian streets. Next will be the bombing or smashing of synagogues..not the mosques because it takes a certain mentality to do that to a place of worship.
When I see these protest marches I see Islamic domination of Australian streets. It is wrong,wrong,wrong.
One does not see screaming Hindus,Italians,Buddhists. But one see the muslims still in the dark ages dress,trying to enforce their demands on us.
When will government get the backbone to say,"Stop".

Keith, et al,

This is the link to the article detailing the troubling collapse of the building in Kfar Kana/Qana which took place many hours after the original strike by the IAF:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283816,00.html

This is very difficult to explain away, as both Lebanon and Hizbollah have stated that the building did not contain explosives. That being so, the explosives causing the second explosion must have been taken to the building for some purpose, whilst everybody slept. These explosives were than detonated, causing the collapse of the building and the civilian casualties. I really do hope that the cause of this second explosion can be determined, in order that blame for the civilian casualties can be apportioned.

As to the legality of the current conflict, please read the following appraisal:

http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/320/324/324.2/hizballah/beres.html

by Dr Louis Rene Beres:

http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/300/320/324/324.2/hizballah/beres.html

It deals with the legality of 'Grapes of Wrath' in 1996 (Qana1) but is equally applicable to this conflict.

As to civilian casualties in general, please explain how these charmers can be differentiated from civilians apart from the fact that they are armed:

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,19955774-5007220,00.html

Also please examine the fact that Kfar Kana/Qana is a known, and heavily used launching site for rockets:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=3&cid=1153292030858&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

However, the outcome of the investigation into the Kfar Kana/Qana incident should prove extremely enlightening. Perhaps Hizbollah shall be exposed finally for their cynical attempt to corner International opinion, by staging a massacre of their own civilians? THIS WILL BACKFIRE, perhaps all the other cause celebre, "massacres' will need re-examination?

Inshallah

2bob