Israeli reprisals and Hizbullah instigations

The ongoing battle between Israel and Hizbullah has caused a severe concern around the world with many people wondering if the continuing bombardments on either side of the border will escalate into a full blown war.

And as Israel steps up the assaults, the death toll rises. The G8 meeting begun in Russia with its members divided over the issue – US and Britain standing firmly behind Israel while France and the rest of EU telling Israel to back off. In the middle east, nervy neighbours are condemning the Israeli attacks.

I just came across this MSNBC.Com website which has a list of world reaction to the crisis, looking at editorials from newspapers around the world.

A little sample here:

Gulf News (UAE) - "The bullying reaction of Israel in Lebanon in retaliation to a brazen operation by the Hezbollah fighters shows the Hebrew state still thinks in the same old way: flexing its mighty muscles to spread more destruction and casualties to squash resistance."

The Washington Post (US) - "Hezbollah and its backers have instigated the current fighting and should be held responsible for the consequences."

The Age (Australia) - "We argued earlier this year that Hamas must recognize the state of Israel and renounce terrorism, and that Israel must also recognize the Palestinian right to a viable state. Brutalizing each other and negotiating through sheer force of terror, on both sides, is not the way forward to that recognition."

The Financial Times (UK) - "Israel's reprisals this time are disproportionate, illegitimate under international rules that outlaw the collective punishment of entire populations and have already resulted in heavy loss of civilian life, especially of children."

Read more on the editorials here.