Bush, Israel, and Hezbollah

I barely can breathe hearing President Bush’s argument that Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah in Lebanon. There are several critical notes for this statement.

First, this statement supposes that Israel is a weak country threatened by surrounding powerful countries. Everyone knows well that Israel’s military power, and its nuclear arsenal that has never been questioned by US or any other western countries, is impossible to be defeated by the entire Arab countries at present. Israel had defeated all Arab-Israeli wars. Every diplomacy on Palestine-Israeli conflict, whether in UN’s forum or others, always benefits Israel. The losers were always Palestinian and Arabs. And with all this in mind, how could the President say that Israel has a right to defend itself as if Israel is at the losing end in the race?

Second, if Israel as a “super power” state in the Middle East has the right to defend itself, what about the weak Palestine? President Bush’s statement seems to say that we have to understand the brutal action of Israel since it is attacked. However, the similar judgment must be used also to understand Palestinian’s action, which has been unfairly called as “terrorism”. If your country has been stolen and occupied, and you do not have power to resist, should you just be quiet? If Israel having incredible military power might attack a country (Lebanon) brutally only because its two armed soldiers have been kidnapped by a small power like Hezbollah, why haven’t Palestine -whose land seized by Israel- the similar right? Is justice only for Israel? Isn’t the so-called “terrorism” used by Palestinian in two intifadah used also by Jewish people prior the establishment of Israel in 1948?

Third, if Hezbollah has been accused for being the “proxy” of Syria and Iran to fight against Israel, isn’t Israel the “proxy” of US to maintain its interest in the Middle East? Why only US may have “proxy”? Why Israel’s position as “proxy” has never been questioned? If Iran accused for forwarding supply of weapons to Hezbollah, isn’t US supplying Israel unlimited weapons and ammunitions? Recently, in the time of Lebanon’s conflict, Israel “suddenly” got “high-precision missiles” from US, on the ground that it is implementation of the weapons trade agreement between US and Israel before. Why does the delivery date just in time of conflict? Doesn’t it indicate that US give fuel for conflict in this region?

Fourth, if Hezbollah is criticized for kidnapping two Israeli armed soldiers, why don’t this Hezbollah’s action considered as “retaliation” of Israel’s arrest of several Lebanese politicians for years without due legal process? Samir Qunthar, one of those Lebanese politicians, had been arrested by Israel for 27 years without trial. Although we may disagree with Hezbollah’s method, everyone knows that Israel has never understood diplomatic language, but weaponry language. Whom to blame for this case?
I admire US as a nation and civilization, as a country championed the values of freedom. But I cannot stand seeing US government’s hypocrisy in solving the Middle Eastern conflict.