Lebanon bleeds

We feel there is enough to read between the lines of the rhetoric of the Israeli defence minister Amir Peretz when he says, 'We have no intention of conquering Lebanon, but if we will have to act in order to complete our tasks and reach our victory we will do it without thinking twice'. War analysts also predict further escalation of the situation once the evacuation of western civilians from Lebanon is completed. Such blatant threats and ruthless military aggression with the intent of destroying a sovereign country negate all that stands for international rules and conventions, right to independence and democracy.

The much-feared humanitarian disaster has already started inside Lebanon with a large number of people having been displaced. There is no knowing how many more will join the trek to refugee camps against the backdrop of dwindling food and medical supplies since bombing began nine days back. The Lebanese prime minister expressed his surprise before a group of foreign ambassadors at the poor response of the international community while his country was being torn to shreds. Truly enough, though every country speaks against warfare, none has come forward so far to initiate a ceasefire, nor the UN has yet taken any concrete step.

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Peace and tranquillity in the entire Middle-East is of paramount importance for democracy to find roots there. The perennial suspicion in the minds of the people in the region about the motive of the West needs to be removed through building bridges and not by destroying them. The powerful Western nations should therefore exert pressure on Israel to stop the naked aggression in the name of self-defence.