A loss for Israel in Lebanon will be a boost for Palestinians

August 1, 2006

Ma'an Editorial-Ma'an's Editor-in-Chief Nasser Leham wrote the following editorial.

The Jewish people must select a new Oriental leadership which calls for co-existence with the peoples of the Orient rather than a leadership which works for the White House.

Israel which was created to defend American interests in the region has become America's Achilles heel in the region while Palestine, which was supposed to be the shelter for Jews fleeing European oppression, has become the most dangerous place for them to live in.

While the old Zionist Shimon Peres tries to convince the Jews of the "new Middle East " under the direction of Benjamin Netanyahu and supervision of Ariel Sharon, Israel will encounter the old Arab Orient with its oppressed peoples who prefer to reject the Sikes Picot Treaty and recreate the " greater Arab homeland.'

After 20 days of war against Lebanon, Israeli analysts still do not understand what their government wants because the Israeli government no longer knows what it wants. Why then did the Israelis hear about a ceasefire from the CNN? And why does a news channel like the American channel Fox News manage the life of the Jewish people as if they are hostages to rich Americans?

Israeli Channel 2's political analyst, Amnon Ravinovich was very eloquent when he said, "When Israel fights, even if it is justified, it proves itself to be stupid."

Political analysts have said that the majority of the Israeli people had chosen military retaliation for Hezbollah's True Promise military operation, in an attempt to regain the army's dignity in Lebanon and Rafah. However, the same people were cheated by the Israeli Chief of Staff and government leaders who misled Israelis by convincing them that the army would be able to wipe out Lebanese resistance in 4 days, which then became two weeks. Finally they were forced to ask for a month.

After 20 days of fighting, and in the aftermath of the battle of Bint Jbail, and following the landing of rockets beyond Haifa, Israel tried to find new goals for its war by changing the names of events.

Prominent Israeli military analyst, Zaev Zhef said, "Israeli military strategy was a failure. It began this war to regain its power of deterrence and so it must win."

Oslo supporters and Israeli ministers such as Peres and Haim Ramon called for the destruction of Lebanese cities and villages over the heads of their residents as a way to regain Israel's power of deterrence. That act was eventually carried out in Qana and the adventurous old man Shimon Peres was responsible for it together with the adolescent Minister Haim Ramon.

Given these realities, Israeli political analysts predict an end to the war by the first or second week of August. However what is bothering the Israelis is the probability that the Lebanese resistance will stand up again and announce that it has won the war. This will be harder for Israelis to hear and to bear than their losses at Bint Jbail and Maroun Ar Ras because this will give the Palestinians even greater belief in their eventual victory over Israel.