There is a way out of this crisis, but the legacy of hatred will endure
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1823909,00.html
The perfect storm in the Middle East that has left mayhem and bloodshed
in its wake may put an end to Israeli unilateralism
Jonathan Freedland
Wednesday July 19, 2006
The Guardian
The weather people call it the perfect storm. A set of events, each one
minor and manageable on its own, comes together over the most
vulnerable spot of a given region, at the highest intensity and at the
worst time - wreaking the worst possible damage. The Middle East has
been battered these past seven days by a perfect storm, though of the
geopolitical rather than meteorological variety, with perennially weak
Lebanon in the role of the most vulnerable spot.
Now we can see that the contributory elements were all in place. A
fortnight ago Gaza was taking a pounding, following the Hamas capture
of an Israeli soldier, and the rest of the world - including,
crucially, the Arab states - had done nothing. Cue Hizbullah, spotting
its chance to assert itself as the Palestinians' champion and lead
force of Arab resistance - so boosting its legitimacy in the eyes of
the Lebanese people, not least those who have long resented the
Hizbullah state-within-a-state on their turf. It therefore mounted its
own raid, abducting two more Israeli servicemen. Meanwhile, standing
behind Hizbullah were its two patrons, Iran and Syria, both aware that
there is always domestic and regional popularity to be gained by
standing up to Israel and, therefore, the US. Both were keen, too, to
show that they can inflict pain as well as absorb it, and Hizbullah is
their weapon.
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