[middle-east] israel – whither goest thou

At the diplomatic level, it’s a washout, of course:

The convening Friday of a UN Human Right Council emergency session to condemn "gross human rights violations by Israel in Lebanon" caps a month-long mad rush by the world body's human rights institutions to single out Israel for special censure.

The Muslim states that initiated the meeting dominate the large African and Asian blocs, guaranteeing the adoption of an anti-Israel motion that will become only the third country resolution of the new council - all of which have targeted the Jewish state to the exclusion of the UN's other 191 member states.

[Hat tip to Stephen Pollard]

At ground level, it’s reached the point it should have reached days before the knee jerk reaction to go in after the captured soldiers. It was a set up, wasn’t it?

David Lisbona, from Haifa, writes:

There is both an individual ego-play and a regional deterrence game here. The Israeli military has been made to look foolish and ineffectual while its leaders have boasted about "teaching the Hezbollah a lesson".

Their personal honour, pride and credibility is at stake. The deterrence issue is a more rational and less testosterone-filled argument. I am convinced that power and strength play very very important roles in the patriarchal Arab psyche and that Israel cannot afford to look weak.

As it is, the Palestinians and the Hezbollah view Israel's exit from Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza last year as signs of Israeli weakness and as encouragement for their belligerency. However, if Israel is indeed to restore its power of deterrence, it had better be 200% sure that it's going to suceed. Otherwise the attempt will be a greater failure than not having tried at all.

Israel, Israel – the loss of face is enormous. You don’t make 6 hour decisions whether to or whether not to. You either get in there and do it and to hell with public opinion or else you get out. None of this namby-pamby halfway stuff.