26 May 2007 - Lebanon and Gaza

There has been surprisingly little international reaction to Israel’s military operations in Gaza over the past week or so. One reason is the continued rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, which the Hamas government refuses to stop or even discourage. Another, however, is the fact that the Lebanese Army is currently engaged in a similar battle against terrorists in Palestinian refugee camps in Tripoli.

All the familiar elements are there: the civilians caught in the crossfire; the UN vehicles prevented from entering, then attacked when they do; the suicide attacks and the refugees and everything else. These features are familiar from Israel’s confrontation with Palestinian terrorists--except in this case, the Arab states are offering military aid, not condemnation, to Lebanon.