Pride and Prejudice

By: Zeina

Thirteen days have passed since both battling parties have ceased fire. The Lebanese are still worried of a possible Round 2 to this seemingly endless war. Why wouldn't they when Israel has already made two breaches of the cease-fire agreement so far? The first was on Friday August 17th when it attempted to descend its troops in Bekaa area and the second was on Thursday August 23rd when it started bombarding the town of Shebaa in South Lebanon. However, the world is still standing still, unaffected by Israel's attempts to further jeopardize Lebanon's security. But if Hezbollah was the one to breach the agreement, then that would have been a different story. Hezbollah in their eyes is a "terrorist" militia aiming to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth; hence it must be fought savagely and ruthlessly until it's radically terminated. More than 1200 casualties, 20% of whom were children under 12 years of age, more than 60 bridges destroyed, more than 20,000 residential units demolished in the southern suburb of Beirut (Al-Dahiya), entire towns knocked down flat in the South, billions of dollars lost in the financial, industrial and agricultural sectors. The economy is a catastrophe, to say the least. Many companies ran out of business, many factories have been severely damaged or destroyed, several electricity plants, fuel tanks, national airways and major seaports have been targeted. As a result, hundreds of people have become jobless. Even Lebanon's ecology is at stake with the appearance of the oil spells on all Lebanese coasts, as a result of a leak caused by the bombardment of the Jiyyeh electrical plant in the northern South mid-July. Those concerned believe these spells have endangered sea life to an extent that it is now unsafe to eat fish. There goes another source of living for hundreds of Lebanese fishermen. Needless to say, the spread of epidemics and deadly diseases due to water and air pollution is highly possible, feared, and predicted. The list goes on and on. The war crimes and massacres Israel is responsible for go unpunished. And the world is still standing still. Israel has "suffered" to build a state for the Jews to live freely and happily, even at the expense of its neighboring countries' freedom and democracy. Israel's existence is not jeopardized by the presence of Resistance in other countries, namely the Islamic Jihadist groups in Palestine and the Lebanese Resistance. If Israel hadn't used force to establish a state for its people, usurped lands and attacked innocent civilians, resistance wouldn't have emerged in the first place. And if it were truly jeopardized by such anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel groups, then shouldn't it stop instigating so much hatred instead of acting victim all the time? For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. It was never a matter of kidnapping two or three soldiers. Israel has always contemplated wars to terminate its opponents in the Arab world, with the help of their American allies. They boastfully claim they're seeking to attain peace in the world by establishing democratic, autonomous states, where in fact they are denying the Palestinians the right of practicing such democracy by abducting more than a third of the Palestinian Parliament Members. Resistance is "terrorism", while real terrorism is "measurable response" in the eyes of Israel, America and the Western media. It is perfectly acceptable for Israel to detain thousands of Lebanese, Palestinian and Arab prisoners, and to regain two kidnapped soldiers when the price is dead bodies of a thousand civilians or so. If the U.S.A is a country that seeks peace and justice, why would it send such advanced weaponry to Israel, giving it the green light to commit such atrocities? On the other hand, why is it absolutely out of question for Iran to produce nuclear artillery or to export missiles to Hezbollah? If “self-defense” is the term that justifies all Israel’s motives and actions, then why is it unacceptable for Hezbollah to defend their territory as well? The U.S.A has always adopted the attitude of a superior empire, giving itself the right to start "Wars on Terror", attacking and occupying lands without being questioned for its acts. Moreover, they fight in the name of democracy where in fact a great percentage of its population rejects its policies, especially those regarding its economic and political alliance with Israel.