With the conflict talks between Israel and Lebanon winding down, the United States is no longer on the edge of its seat, with eyes averted to the Middle East. However, there are transgressions that occurred over the past two months that have been largely ignored, or not given the reprehension that they ought.
Even though July 16 seems a distant memory, it is important to critique all that the events of the past two months.
There is a general feeling of uneasiness as how to categorize such a conflict. In American culture we have become so accustomed to a ready made political dish; whenever a conflict, event, etc occurs in the world there seems to be a ready made opinion handed down from CNN or Fox as to how one should view something. Simply put, we have been allowed to pick our views—left or right, Republican or Democrat—as if ordering food off a restaurant menu.
However, the conflict between Israel and Lebanon has left many people conflicted and uneasy. There has not been an opinion sent down to us en masse that makes any sense. The Bush administration immediately gave physical support to Israel, but there seemed to be a similar feeling even in our right wing administration that the particulars of this conflict were not as black and white as they would have liked.
All this uncertainty is confusing as well. It seems everyone has an opinion on the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, but are remiss to share it. This lack of certainty in opinion is annoying, because the conflict and strife America has witnessed between Israel and Lebanon in the past two months is one of the most easily discernable events in the past year. Israel mislabeled a political apparatus and infrastructure as a ""terrorist organization"", and they obtained the collusion of an uneducated America on the point in question.
Hezbollah has been thrown around American media with some confusion and with great misrepresentation. To be certain they committed an act of terrorism on July 12 by engaging in violence to fulfill a political agenda. By this definition we live in a country that engages in terrorism. Hezbollah's aims are not righteous by any means, butthey are not completely vile either.
It seems that whenever an organization gets the label of ""terrorist"" in the West there is great taboo associated with that group. Without a doubt groups like Al Qaeda have vile aims and unfortunately misrepresent their culture and religion.
But, organizations like Hezbollah, who have supported half of their country's infrastructure by providing education, food and other necessities, have an unwarranted amount of taboo associated with them.
What Hezbollah did against Israel was a terrorist act, and an act of war. On these occasions Israel was not wrong. However, in retrospect, Israel received a slap in the face from a political organization fronting in the Sheba Farm district of Lebanon and Israel proceeded to beat the daylights out of the entire country.
In spite of all that has happened in the past two months between Lebanon and Israel, it is an act of ignorance not to have an informed viewpoint on this situation.
Nathan Sweet is a junior double-majoring in History and Hebrew and Semitic Studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
