Critics rightly slam Israel for dirty tricks
The fact that Israel used dirty tricks in its military operations against Lebanon has been condemned by both United Nations officials and a range of politicians and intellectuals, including some of Jewish descent. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan both described Israel’s bombing of a UN observer post as intentional. Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as several international intellectuals and politicians, including some presidents, also shared this sentiment. The action has also been condemned by many Israeli citizens, who are thinking clearly even though war usually tends to cloud people’s outlook and emotions. Among these Israeli citizens are 38 filmmakers, including Gideon Levi, who criticizes the dirty tricks being used by Israeli forces in a «pointless» war. Protesting intellectuals include academic Zeev Maoz who highlights the «bitter truth» that «on the moral plane (Israelis) have no advantage and no special status.» It is difficult to admit that a country is being hammered by bombs for weeks for no real reason. The «new Middle East» visualized by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her superiors cannot be realized on paper, in conference halls. Major achievements demand major sacrifices, such as the sacrifice of an entire nation, as is currently occurring in Lebanon. And of course these achievements call for dirty tricks, which remain dirty no matter how much propaganda attempts to present them as inevitable and legitimate.
