The Weeks Review

Kofi Annan Criticizes BOTH Sides, Calls For End to Hostilities

Remember when you were school? There's always some punk kid for whom antagonizes you mercilessly, day after day, and the teacher doesn't really notice. Your sense of honor precludes you from complaining to the teacher, so you just take it. After all, you're a pretty well-adjusted kid, not prone to fighting other kids on the playground. Finally, the day comes when you say "enough is enough" and you choose to stand up for yourself, even at the risk of getting pummelled by the antagonizing punk. What happens? You both get in trouble. This is your first indication that the world just isn't fair. It's also your first indication that sometimes you just have to stand up for yourself, even if no one will stand with you, because it's just the right thing to do.

This is applicable to the current situation in Lebanon. Israel has been mercilessly attacked by Hamas, the thugocratic government of "Palestine" for years. They have indiscriminately bombed civilian targets, killed innocent people - even going so far as to break into houses and shoot women and children, and much of the world has barely noticed. Now Hezbollah, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Iranian-Syrian Joint Venture has launched hostilities against Israel and her citizens from Lebanon, a weakly governed country which seems to have neither the will or the means to expel Hezbollah from its territory. Hezbollah, in true terrorist fashion, has melted into the Lebanese citizenry and the Lebanese government has voiced nary a peep. To the Lebanese people's credit, they chose to expel the Syrians from their country months ago. They did not, however, choose to expel Hezbollah and therein lies the problem. Hezbollah is launching artillery and rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon, with the tacit approval of the Lebanese government and people. While the Lebanese people successfully marched in the streets to rid their country of the Syrian occupying force, no such sentiment seems apparent to rid themselves of the Syrian-Iranian client, Hezbollah.

Now that Israel has reached the "enough is enough" phase and has chosen to defend herself against occupied Lebanon, Kofi Annan, in a masterpiece of myopia has chosen to divide responsibility between Hezbollah holding "an entire nation hostage" and Israel's "excessive use of force" thus seeing moral equivalence where there is none. Lebanon is hosting an occupying force, bent on the destruction of Israel and the killing of her citizens and Israel has chosen to defend herself with the only real means available. As long as Lebanon agrees to host Hezbollah, knowing that they hide among the Lebanese populace, and as long as the Lebanese people allow this to continue, the Lebanese people will continue to be at risk-they can't have it both ways.

Much as the teacher in school, Kofi Annan and the worthless UN have chosen to sacrifice justice for the cessation of conflict. Israel, on the other hand, has chosen to stand up for justice and the right of self-defense and all who value justice should stand with her. As for the Lebanese people, they have a choice as well; they are either with the terrorists or against them.