LA Times Editorial

The Los Angeles Times is notorious, among conservatives, to be extremely biased (like their sister rag, the NY Times). We shouldn't be surprised when they take the side against Israel in this latest battle in the war. Yes, like it or not, it is a WAR! Israel has been fighting this war for the right to exist. That's not too hard to understand, in my opinion. I guess the Times' bunch don't see it the same way I do. 'Oops, Sorry' Doesn't Let Israel Off the Hook

But this distinction is meaningful only up to a point, and Israel, consistent with its history of violent raids in refugee camps and crowded cities, passed this point almost as soon as the offensive began.

Israel's history of violence. Interesting. The author doesn't mention what the instigation might be for these "raids". Perhaps he/she should look at some of the news footage the rest of has seen - the bloody buses, the demolished pizza parlors, etc.

Rather than limiting its strikes to key Hezbollah positions and pursuing all available diplomatic channels, as might be expected of a mature regional power with nuclear weapons, Israel launched a vengeful war on Lebanon, which, it has since been reported, was planned over a year in advance. It has displayed a callous disregard for human life, for Lebanon's infrastructure (which only in recent years had begun to recover from Israel's 1982 invasion), for the stability of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's fragile government and for the country's natural environment, now facing an ecological catastrophe from an oil spill caused by the bombing. An estimated 750 Lebanese, overwhelmingly civilians and many of them children, have died, a dozen times more than the 50-plus Israelis (more than half of them soldiers) killed by Hezbollah.

The "key Hezbollah positions" the author is speaking of are smack dab in the middle of "civilian" populated areas. I suppose Israel shouldn't retaliate after being bombed because someone might get hurt. And I'm sure that Israel "planned" to have it's soldiers kidnapped and murdered a year in advance too.

Israel's "humanitarian intervention," as Defense Minister Amir Peretz risibly characterized the war in Lebanon, has been far more costly of civilian life than Hezbollah's rocket attacks into Israel.

Perhaps if Israel had as bad an aim as the terrorist, things would be much better.

ANOTHER ARGUMENT made by Israel's defenders is that it cannot be held responsible for killing civilians in militant strongholds.

No, actually, they shouldn't be. Terrorists who hide behind women and children are the worst sort of cowards. Unfortunately, for the women and children, there will be deaths because of them.