State Department official comments on Lebanon bombing

[Fridays Child]

State Department spokesman: "The root cause of this was a Hezbollah attack on Israeli territory in which they killed Israeli soldiers and then are holding hostage two more."

Now, I don't know everything about I-P relations and I don't often come to this forum but even I know that the "root cause" of this goes back...oh, say, just a little further than a few months.

And, yes, I know that the State Department spokesman is talking about the current flare-up but I find it interesting how incredibly one-sided that official statement is. The misperception it reinforces is that the Israelis are entirely blameless and the Palestinians are all terrorists.

Flame away, if you must, but it won't change the fact that the issues are not black and white. They never are, and my fear is that, if this kind of simplistic propaganda prevails, we will find ourselves in World War III.

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein

[Skip Intro]

1. Isn't the official US positiion is that Israel is always blameless -

a status apparently reserved for that nation and ours alone.

[uppityperson]

2. Not black/white, not simple, is escalating.

Those who escalate this are responsible for escalating it. One of the fears when Mr.bush became president was what this would mean for this part of the country since they have shown they care nothing for helping there.

[whistle]

3. Sounds like the U.S. State Department is engaging in LIHOP

...letting this happen on purpose. It is the next stage in the execution of PNAC

[cali]

4. I won't flame away

but I'd like to point out that H'zbollah is not a Palestinian group.

[Fridays Child]

6. Yes, but Hezbollah is portrayed as a big supplier of the Palestinians.

And I think they admit that relationship. Like I said, though, this isn't my area of expertise. :hi:

[azurnoir]

5. Western news is very one sided

The internet has changed that and with access to more information the average person has very little good guy-bad guy comfort zone left. In the case of Lebanon the current situation is particularly tragic because the this time it is complex then simply Jew vs Muslim. The Lebanese government is a coalition of Christians and Muslims and friendly to Washington. Hezbollah is a part of that government but certainly not the ruling faction.There is/was a diplomatic way out of this but with each escalating act of violence that becomes more and more distant.