Random thoughts on the situation in the Middle East.

Isn't it the position of the "reality" camp that Sunni and Shi'a terrorists (excuse me - hardliners) can never work together in the fight against the West?  That's the inconvenient truth as to why Saddam could never have helped Osama, right?  Well, Hamas (Sunni) and Hizbollah (Shi'a) don't seem to have a problem.

Armed resistance groups in Gaza Strip, West Bank and Lebanon standing together against Israeli aggression and occupation

Also from a NY Times report - “The capture of the two soldiers could provide a solution to the Gaza crisis,” he Hizbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said. The operation had been planned for months, he said, though he added, “The timing, no doubt, provides support for our brothers in Palestine."  And the Gaza incident wasn't planned for months?  Curiously, a Google search with the phrase "support for our brothers in Palestine" brings up the original Times article, but the paragraph has since been removed.

Martin Peretz, Editor-in-Chief of The New Republic had this to say back in March about relations between Hamas and Hizbollah - The Sunni-Shia rift is very deep, and even hatred of the Jews will not bridge it in the long run.  Oops.  Just goes to show that Phd form Harvard and a professorship doesn't make you all-knowing.

Amnesty International weighs in - “Israel must put an immediate end to attacks against civilians and against civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, which constitute collective punishment...Hizbullah must stop launching attacks against Israeli civilians..."

First lesson - non-guided missiles lobbed into city centers with express hope of killing civilians are equivalent to smart missiles which target military objectives where civilians may be present.

Question for discussion - are airports, roads, bridges or power stations illegitimate militrary targets becuase they are used primarily by civilians in peacetime.  During a time of hostilities, regardless of who's to blame, is the causation of hardship to the civilian population a war crime?  If so, what then is a legitimate target to prevent the movement of, and communication between, enemy combatants, especially where they are using the civilian infrastructure themselves?  Wouldn't Amnesty's stance have theoretically prohibited the bombing of train lines used to send Jews to concentration camps?

The goal of many in the international community seems to be "let's just get back to the status-quo" when the status quo is what caused the problem in the first place.  We must have clear victory or defeat here in order to get things to change.

We know that Iran supports the "freedom fighters" in Lebanon and the Occupied Territories.  However, if they do become openly involved, bombs away my friends. And I suggest this man's house first.

Some good news from Iraq - a first, albeit quiet, Iraqi province is officially coalition soldier-free.  One report already has a second province being handed over.