Side Steps

Human rights groups are taking aim at Israel, preparing charges of war crimes against Israel. As an afterthought, they're also calling out Hizbullah for their actions. Sorry, but these human rights groups have their law all in a bunch. Hizbullah, a terrorist group that by its very existence violates human rights laws including the Geneva Conventions, and whose actions routinely and purposefully put civilians in the middle of a combat zone, not only started the conflict in Lebanon, but deserve to be prosecuted out of existence by military force. Somewhere Nasrallah is laughing over this. Israel's acts were those of defense, and to destroy Hizbullah's capabilities in a densely populated urban area. That civilians were killed was unavoidable and wholly the fault of Hizbullah, which put their forces precisely in this situation.

Nasrallah's comments didn't go over well with some Lebanese ministers, who think Nasrallah is inciting others to violence, including political assassinations. Gee, as if the war with Israel didn't open up their eyes to the fact that Nasrallah is committed to violence?

There's turnover within the IDF, as the Northern and Central Commanders have stepped down.

Abbas is under the delusion that the roadmap can be revived, though he is talking at the UN, where anything is possible, including the ignorance of reality.

Israel continues to be concerned about resumption of attacks using weapons smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. Another tunnel was blown up on Tuesday. A rocket was launched from Gaza into the Negev, but no one was injured. Peace process? Yeah, whatever.

Speaking of the ignorance of reality, Kofi Annan said that the Iraq invasion was a disaster for the region. Well, it was a disaster for the totalitarian thugs who have been able to do their evil business without any disruption because everyone tolerated their evil ways, but that status quo is no more. Kofi is all about the status quo, and he strives for the status quo, even when there's no reason to sustain it - especially when you're talking about totalitarian regimes or failed states that have subjugated their people, brought nothing but murder and mayhem, and/or support and condone terrorism.

Meanwhile, Palestinians are considering eliminating the Palestinian Authority altogether. Ed Morrissey thinks this is a sham idea, designed to get aid to the Palestinians that would otherwise be thwarted because of Hamas' remaining as a terrorist group. Not only that, but there's no reason that Israel would ever accept dealing with either Fatah or Hamas directly. The PA has been used to siphon monies meant for the Palestinian people to various terror groups and gangs that operate freely and openly wherever the Palestinians maintained civil administrative control, including much of the West Bank and all of Gaza since Israel withdrew last year.

Technorati: terrorism, fatah, Gilad, Shalit, Olmert, Eliyahu, Asheri, Ashri, Abbas, Regev, Goldwasser, PRC, Hamas, Gaza, palestinian, Israel, hizbullah, hezbullah, hezbollah, lebanon, syria.