Ovine transgressors

Lambs in wolves' clothing
Not quite home yet, but I couldn't resist posting this superb example of the desperate agony of equal distances, as per the situation in Lebanon, coming from the UN. The Organization's press release, reporting on cease-fire violations, states that:

...On two instances yesterday morning, Israeli aircraft violated Lebanese airspace in the central sector. Also, violation of the Blue Line on the ground in Shebaa area has resumed. Yesterday, two Lebanese shepherds and approx. 100 sheep crossed the Blue Line towards Israel. Such incidents can endanger very fragile and tense situation...

Spotted by Blogging the Middle East, Anarchistian's excellent Lebanese Blog that I've been following closely during this whole criminal mess...

Trips down memory lane

/ history? what history? /

From the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: abduction as baragaining tool, the prequel:

On 28 July 1989, Israeli commandos kidnapped Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, the leader of the Hezbollah in Lebanon. He was taken from his home in southern Lebanon to Israel. Obeid was held responsible, among other activities, for the kidnapping of an American Marines Colonel William R. Higgins in February 1988. Israel had hoped to use the sheikh as a card to affect an exchange of prisoners and hostages in return for all Shiites held by it.

As pointed out by Siddharth Varadarajan in the Hindu, in a very informative article.

A few years ago Amnesty was codemning KLA guerillas for abducting 8 Yugoslav Army soldiers. Inexplicably, Serbia's right to defend itself never became a part of the international debate.

Noam Chomsky reminds us how collective responsibility is abhorrent when applied against us, but pretty much OK when we apply it to others, a point made by Billmon in a different context, as well.

And from current news: You know the sad excuse that Israel is spinning about the Qana massacre? That there were nearby rockets fired that day by Hezbollah? Well Red Cross Workers at the scene apparently didn't see any such launches.