US talks, but Europe doesn't

Logic dictates that the international community is the only option available to end the injustice in Lebanon and Palestine.

The US and Europe are the key players here due to their strength and "potential" influence over Israel ("potential" because we haven't seen them apply any pressure on Israel for a long time).

But for varying reasons, each camp refuses to engage actively in compelling Israel to stop its aggression.

The most powerful country in the world, the US, wants to strangle Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran. They want to prevent the possibility of anyone changing the strategic playing field of the Middle East (the "divide and rule" law applies here). Therefore, the US hasn't stood aside or taken a back seat.

Instead, they have actively supported Israeli policies of aggression, claiming the Jewish state has a right to self-defence.

The US administration is stalling sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region and this sends a message to Israel: you have some time to carry out your "operation" before we step in.

The US is also happily throwing out the names of Syria and Iran in the equation, possibly preparing the world for an unexpected "involvement".
 
Behaviour

Europe on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. Their behaviour over the last few months with regards to the Middle East has also been disgraceful.

Europe, particularly Britain, has obediently followed Israel and the US in whatever agenda they set up for themselves.

We saw Europe protest against the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian resistance, but ignore the Israeli government-orchestrated killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including many women and children.

This is given that by any applicable criterion of international law, the Israeli military outpost from which the Israeli soldier was captured was a legitimate target, which makes him a prisoner of war.

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is unsure when to step down, spends an awful lot of time talking about Muslims and Islam, yet he fails to show any real substance behind his talk.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Iraqi, Palestinian and now Lebanese situations are unswervingly linked to the security of Britain and the well-being of Britons.

Not to mention the obvious and direct link to British principles, which firmly stand against any type of aggression.

In the past, Britain used to stand up for what is right and it usually separated itself from the American agenda. Today, we see Blair more than ever backing any US decision made on the Middle East.

This was most recently demonstrated in the lunch-chat he had with US President George W. Bush at the G-8 Summit.

Spoke casually

Unaware that a microphone was switched on, they spoke casually about the situation in Lebanon and gave us some insight into their unequal relationship.

Bush interrupting Blair almost every time the latter spoke and telling him what to do was telling of the nature of the relationship shared by the US and Britain - with Blair stuttering and blithering in every sentence.

But surely Blair will have seen that collective punishment, bombings of power stations, cutting off clean water and imposing an economic embargo in occupied territories thus turning them into a prison camp is deplorable

It's worth remembering at this point Israel's unlawful attack on the Jericho prison in March, which was carried out with the apparent complicity of the British government.

The attack, which also had the consent of the American government, resulted in the killing of two guards and the abduction of a Palestinian prisoner. It was humiliating for both the Palestinians and Arabs in general.

What the West is essentially doing is giving more weight to the captured Israeli soldiers than to the anguish of both the Palestinians and the Lebanese people.

There is one important factor though: with the advance of Israeli aggression in the two countries, a new generation - born out of this suffering - will be eager to form some sort of an organisation that seeks revenge against Israel and all its supporters.

One only needs to switch on Arabic TV to realise the determination and defiance of those suffering from Israeli aggression.

The question is, will Americans and Europeans still ask: why do they hate us?