News round-up

posted at 2:13 pm on July 20, 2006 by Bryan
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Hot Air’s resident deity is having some technical issues that are preventing him from casting his mighty gaze around the land to bring you the day’s most important links. So the duty falls to me. I can’t fill Allah’s sandals, but I’ll do my best.

I just caught US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton on Fox. He was reacting magnanimously to Sen. George Voinovich’s WaPo op-ed today supporting Bolton’s ascension to the very post he’s been filling for months, and from which Voinovich tried to keep Bolton from occupying. Captain Ed gives the crying Senator both barrels. Better reach for a hanky, Senator.

In the Middle East, peace has broken out. Not. Actually, Israel is reportedly pondering a ground invasion of Lebanon (which seems necessary if they really intend on striking a hard blow to Hezbollah and taking out its missile caches), and Lebanon is reportedly readying to respond–by fighting alongside Hezbollah. So much for UN Resolution 1559, that fantasy tale in which Lebanon was supposed to take control of its south while Hezbollah disarmed. If Lebanon ends up siding with Hezbollah’s terrorists, that would make three Islam-dominated states openly supporting Hezbollah’s campaign of raining down missiles on Israel’s civilian populations, in violation of the spirit and letter of the Geneva Conventions. Hezbollah has also reportedly kidnapped two foreign journalists. Eason Jordan was unavailable for comment. I’m sure that once Hezbollah realizes they have captured two non-neutral journalists, they’ll realize they’re holding allies and release them.

Richard Cohen got one thing right in that “hunker down” op-ed the other day: It is pointless to criticize Hezbollah. They violate every conceivable law of war, firing off unguided rockets at civilians, kidnapping reporters, even preventing civilians from leaving areas the IDF has to target, making them in effect either human shields or props for proganda if IDF strikes kill them. Yet the feckless, pro-Islamist Kofi Annan can’t criticize Hezbollah without noting the “disproportionality” of Israel’s attacks. And he failed to mention Syria and Iran at all, though they are Hezbollah’s masters. As for this notion of proportionality, it is idiotic, and guarantees that no side will win, which guarantees more war, suffering and death. One side has to win, or wars become endless. Hezbollah won’t respond to criticism and doesn’t fear dying for its mad, racist cause. You can’t talk to them or convince them to make nice. The only thing you can do is destroy them.

Another group of terrorists it’s pointless to criticize is the mullahs running Iran. The US has confirmed that the mullahs sent men to observe North Korea’s missile tests. Here’s a thought–what if the NoKo tests hadn’t been such spectacular failures?

Want another reason to reach for the Maalox? Andrew Cochran catalogs Hezbollah’s activities in the US. It’s a long list.

Update: Spain’s socialist PM chooses sides in the Israel-Hezbollah war. You will not be surprised which side he takes:

Israel’s envoy to Spain said on Thursday the two countries’ relations had been damaged after the Spanish prime minister accused Israel of using “abusive force” during an event at which he also wore a Palestinian scarf.

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Zapatero, who took power in a surprise election victory following Islamist train bombings in Madrid in 2004 and immediately pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq, had told the young Socialists: “No one should defend themselves with abusive force which does not protect innocent human beings.”

Tell that to al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood…etc. Who says elections don’t make a difference? The one that put Zapatero in power turned Spain back into a Moorish stronghold. (h/t NRO)

Update: Strange world we’re living in. Russia, which has been fighting Islamists in Chechnya for years and recently set about hunting down terrorists in Iraq who killed Russians, is sharply criticizing Israel for using too much force against Hezbollah.

It’s tempting to assert that if Russia used more force it might crush the Islamists in Chechnya, but it’s not that simple. Russia has been very brutal in that war. It has also been incompetent.

Meanwhile, the Saudis (the Saudis!) continue to make all the right sounds:

One of Saudi Arabia’s leading Wahhabi sheiks, Abdullah bin Jabreen has issued a strongly worded religious edict, or fatwa, declaring it unlawful to support, join or pray for Hezbollah, the Shiite militias lobbing missiles into northern Israel.

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