"The Axis of Terror", "Hezbollah is deliberately and cynically using civilian shields...yadda, yadda, yadda. I can't even struggle past the title & subtitle.

On Hezbollah & human shields who're you gonna call? AIJAC or Human Rights Watch? No contest. HRW declares that it "found no cases in which Hezb. DELIBERATELY used civilians as shields to protect them from retaliatory IDF attack." It did, however, charge the IDF with "extensive use of indiscriminate force which has cost so many civilian lives."

AIJAC's obscene propaganda offensive in Australia mirrors the obscene Israeli military offensives underway in Lebanon and Gaza.

Strewth, Strewth ...

This is from the website of the Assyrian International News Agency - http://www.aina.org/news/20060808193908.htm. Posted on August 9th.

"A Christian from the village of Ain Ebel, who requested to remain nameless for fear of a reprisal from Hezbollah, reported that he found Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. Hezbollah fighters ignored his pleas to stop and fired the missiles. He immediately gathered his family and fled his home, which was bombed 15 minutes later by an Israeli air strike.

Hezbollah has also attempted to stop Christians from fleeing their villages. According to Christian Solidarity International, on July 28, Hezbollah fighters fired upon several Christians fleeing Rmeish with their families, wounding two.

Sami El-Khoury, president of the World Maronite Union, adds that media reports about Christian support for Hezbollah are inaccurate.

"Contrary to Western press reports, indicating high percentages of Christian support for Hezbollah, 90 percent of Christians, 80 percent of Sunni and 40 percent of Shiites in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah," El-Khoury told Christian Solidarity International."

What was that you said, Strewth? Brave little Hezbollah don't use civilians as "human shields"? Baloney, they don't!!

Spin and counterspin -

I have seen other reports that Hezzbollah prefer NOT to be close to civilians because of the possibility of betrayal.

Are both views correct?

Perhaps it would be fairer for everybody if each Hezzbollah stronghold painted a big "H" on it's roof to clearly discriminate it from innocent civilian households.

What bollocks this human shield stuff is. The christians claim that the muslims are stopping them fleeing yet no christian villages are even being bombed for god's sake. Will you people who hate muslims so much you would believe any of this tripe please get a grip.

In Afghanistan it was said the Taliban his behind the civilians - so the US and us bombed weddings and funerals, cars driving on the roads and so on. The death toll is astronomical. The US dropped cluster bombs in yellow packets along with food in yellow packets. So much love and care the west have.

In Iraq it was the same tired old yarn. Yet not a trace of evidence has been found while the US bombed weddings, funerals and cars on the road.

Israeil is now trying it on in Lebanon. Every person in Israel over 18 or so has to do two years in the armed forces, I presume they go home and hide in the civilian population until they are called upon to bomb a wedding, funeral, car on the road or whatever they feel like.

Israel is not under seige - a few piddling rockets have managed to occassionally hit something where as entire swathes of Lebanon have been razed to the ground. There are only about 600 trained fighters you know, not the millions that the cowards in Israel would have us believe.

Up against the biggest army in the region.

Perhaps you could look at today's Australian - see the tiny babe pulled dead from the rubble and not a sign of a rocket in sight.

The christians in Lebanon should be ashamed of themselves for their cowardly role in Shatila and Sabra and for allowing Israel to let them hide in the community while they committed those murders for Ariel Sharon. Or in Palestine where the IDF used Palestinians to hide behind.

Colin, we in Australia are nowhere near as stupid as our government or you.

I too cringe whenever I hear an Israel supporter make the claim that Hezbollah "cynically using civilian shields". From what I can gather both sides are guilty of the practise and the only thing that can be said in Israel's favour is that their High Court put a temporary ban on such activities.

From the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem

"the IDF systematically used Palestinian civilians as human shields, forcing them to carry out military actions which threatened their lives. It was not until a High Court petition was filed by Israeli human rights organizations opposing such action, in May 2002, that the IDF issued a general order prohibiting the use of Palestinians as "a means of 'human shield' against gunfire or attacks by the Palestinian side.'" Following this order, the use of this practice declined sharply."

I wonder if Mr Rubenstien was supportive of the ban?

I do not want a heated argument about this topic as the violence demonstrated from both sides is quite horrific. You left out a very important detail in the article. The Hezbollah took those prisoners to swap Israel who were holding some of their men captive. But this little snippet of information has been conveniently left out.
Israel is not in a no-win situation; they are better equipped than the Hezbollah and are killing innocent people. They claim their war is against the Hezbollah, but they are not taking the fight directly to the Hezbollah. The UN is founded on the right for negotiation rather than war and even after they are saying, you can’t just bomb a country, Israel are just ignoring them. Why? Because they have US support if needed.
The Hezbollah are made out to be evil, but when you look at it, they are their country’s protector, not that I agree with extreme methods from ANY country