| Leading deadly duffers of Hezbollah and Hamas | | | | hilltop at a crater where his home once stood, |
| have finally surveyed the damage that their | | | | and said, "I built this home for my children. I don't |
| misjudgment has inflicted on their own people, | | | | know what I am going to do next." |
| perhaps partly out of fear that these | | | | He now has a view of the newly built memorial |
| long-suffering victims might decide to terrorize | | | | for 29 of his fellow citizens who were killed in the |
| them. | | | | town. |
| As a result of the self-imposed reality therapy, | | | | And a mother in Marjeyoun wailed in her former |
| leaders of both organizations have expressed | | | | living room, "We are trying to be strong for the |
| their regrets. In fact, all the better to wail, they | | | | children, but inside we are dead." |
| have vowed to build their own Wailing Wall. | | | | Yet another woman, "unlearned in the world's |
| The source of materials for the project will be | | | | false subtlety," stated, "The children, don't they |
| the plenteous shattered bricks and cement that | | | | (the West) see the children, the families? When |
| their provocative behavior has reduced many an | | | | you see what Israel has done, then you |
| otherwise upright building to. | | | | understand why Hezbollah made what it makes." |
| Hassan Nasrallah, the loose-cannon head of | | | | Woe is me. Will she and others never learn that |
| Hezbollah, expressed regret about the death and | | | | the talk should not be so much about effects but |
| destruction his ill-judged murder and kidnapping of | | | | more about causes? |
| Israeli soldiers rained down on the generally | | | | Meanwhile, appearing detached as usual, the |
| hapless citizens of Lebanon. | | | | superficially ebullient Kofi Annan continued to |
| During a quick and guarded appearance on | | | | trundle about the Middle East like a misplaced |
| Lebanon's new TV station, he confided, ''We did | | | | Good Humor man. |
| not think, even one percent, that the capture | | | | While in Lebanon, he said he's convinced the |
| would lead to a war at this time and of this | | | | Lebanese are serious about preserving the |
| magnitude. You ask me, if I had known on July 11 | | | | ceasefire and moving to a permanent peace. |
| ... that the operation would lead to such a war, | | | | "They believe that, handled properly, they can use |
| would I do it? I say no, absolutely not.'' | | | | this moment to strengthen their state." The |
| Thanks, guy, but can you run the film backward | | | | Lebanese are committed, he believes, to "the idea |
| to make the demolished buildings arise again and | | | | that you cannot have a state within a state, but |
| bring the dead back to their families? | | | | have to have one authority, one law and one gun. |
| Obviously, he needs to spend more time at the | | | | I believe the Lebanese because they have seen |
| proposed Wailing Wall, since other comments | | | | what has happened to their country." |
| reveal he is not yet entirely cleansed of his deadly | | | | Of course, he neglected to mention the nation's |
| dumb judgment, saying, ''The current Israeli | | | | sticky disinclination to disarm Hezbollah. |
| situation and the available information tells us that | | | | Annan also made a quick trip to Iran, where he |
| we are not heading to another round,'' but he | | | | emerged from talks with its persistently bellicose |
| went on to say any possible attacks on Israeli | | | | president as if he had met, instead, with an |
| troops are ''legitimate'' as long as even one Israeli | | | | Islamic Santa Claus. He said, in reference to |
| soldier remains in Lebanon. | | | | Lebanon, that Ahmadinejad "reaffirmed his |
| In regard to Israeli violations of the UN ceasefire, | | | | country's support for the implementation of |
| which Israel regards as more of a watchful | | | | resolution 1701." Reaffirmed? When did he ever |
| cessation of all-out hostilities, he noted that his | | | | unambiguously affirm it? |
| to-die-for-him group would ''choose the time and | | | | And get this: Kofi said, "On the nuclear issue, the |
| place'' to strike back. ''If we have been patient | | | | president reaffirmed to me Iran's preparedness |
| until now, it does not mean we will be patient | | | | and commitment to hold negotiations" with |
| forever, but we are not obliged to reveal the | | | | Western powers to solve the impasse over his |
| limits of our patience.'' | | | | country's suspect nuclear activities. Of course, |
| His whereabouts are unknown, since he went into | | | | Ahmadinejad, on the very first day Annan's visit, |
| hiding on the first day of the war and no doubt | | | | pulled the Persian rug out from under him, as he |
| has some concern, should he reemerge, about | | | | "reiterated that he did not accept suspension |
| the validity of life-insurance policy. (See our Spoof | | | | before negotiations." Apparently, not after them, |
| of the Week, "Bin Laden's Garden," where he | | | | either. |
| makes an expected appearance.) | | | | Of course, amid all of these mournful doings, the |
| Meanwhile, another born-again wailer, Ghazi | | | | leading spokesman from remote control, Aman |
| Hamad, a former Hamas newspaper editor and | | | | al-Zawahiri, released another detached video, |
| spokesman for the current Hamas government, | | | | featuring a well-known and highly wanted |
| bewailed the repeated incursions into the Gaza | | | | American convert to Islam, with the pretended |
| strip various Palestinian terror groups have | | | | purpose of inviting Americans to convert to Islam. |
| provoked by their irresponsible doings. | | | | And now the real motive of Al-Qaeda and its |
| In an article in the Palestinian paper Al Ayyam, he | | | | irreverent henchmen becomes ever clearer; they |
| admitted, "Gaza is suffering under the yoke of | | | | are conducting an old-time religious war; you |
| anarchy and the swords of thugs." He wailed on | | | | know, the kind that went out with the Inquisition. |
| that after there was so much optimism when | | | | Of course, we'll all convert, Aman. We're always |
| Israel departed from Gaza a year ago that, due | | | | impressed with messages from a pediatrician |
| to Palestinian misconduct "life became a nightmare | | | | turned child killer. And, once we do convert, we |
| and an intolerable burden." | | | | can all live together as peacefully as the Shiites |
| He actually called on Palestinians to look to | | | | and the Sunnis who think shooting one another in |
| themselves, not Israel, for the reasons. "We've all | | | | the back of the head is just religious fervor as |
| been attacked by the bacteria of stupidity. We | | | | usual. |
| have lost our sense of direction." He continued to | | | | We can easily, in fact, imagine an entire world |
| lament, "Please have mercy on Gaza. Have mercy | | | | made up of such a warring dichotomy. There |
| on us from your demagogy, chaos, guns, thugs, | | | | would be only one redeeming grace: combat |
| infighting. Let Gaza breathe a bit. Let it live." | | | | would be limited to Muslim vs. Muslim. |
| He even questioned how productive it is for his | | | | Of course, the West might in turn invite |
| fellow advocates of self-destruction to fire | | | | al-Zawahiri to become Christian, Jew, or, less likely |
| rockets into Israel, particularly since the attacks | | | | but even better, a person who is holy because he |
| cause few Israeli casualties but lead to many | | | | believes in the sanctity of life, a very |
| Palestinian deaths when the Israelis retaliate. | | | | accommodating ethic especially for a healthcare |
| Even the usually recessive Syrian conniver, | | | | provider like Zawahiri was before his turban |
| President Bashar al-Assad (and quite a basher, | | | | squeezed his brain cells too hard. |
| too) assured UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, | | | | My, but hasn't this article been a flamer? Must |
| we are told by Annan, that his nation will "take all | | | | have been a provocative week. |
| necessary measures" to implement paragraph 15 | | | | Let's wrap it up with the hope that in time the |
| of UN resolution 1701, which calls on all countries | | | | crowds in front of the Arab Wailing Wall will grow. |
| to prevent the sale or supply of weapons to | | | | These victims of their own mischievous |
| entities in Lebanon without the consent of | | | | misjudgment obviously need to spend an awful lot |
| Lebanon's government and UN peacekeepers. | | | | of time there, contemplating the destruction of |
| As for the Arab citizenry themselves, the tale of | | | | their own lives, property, and hopes before the |
| woe is a mixed bag, between fury and remorse | | | | ruin of the remains of, if you will allow the possibly |
| on one wrung hand and misguided praise for | | | | contentious metaphor, their own Solomon's |
| Hezbollah on the other. | | | | Temple. |
| In Qana, Lebanon, an elderly man looked from a | | | | |