The Elephant and the Tiger

"If the tiger ever stands still, the elephant will crush him with his mighty tusks. But the tiger will not stand still. He will leap upon the back of the elephant, tearing huge chunks from his side, and then he will leap back into the dark jungle. And slowly the elephant will bleed to death. Such will be the war in Indochina."--Ho Chi Minh

Israel's army may be powerful against 1 day old babies, women and senior citizens hiding in basements, but recent events are shedding the illusion of Israel's invincible army. Elite units and tanks have as of yet failed to gain and hold any significant positions in Lebanon, some a mere 2km from the border. Hezbullah has not been, nor is it now a terrorist organisation. It deserves the support of the whole Arab world and needs us to be firmly behind it. Finally, we have a guerilla movement in the Middle East that can serve as a model for resistance to occupation, succeeding where the PLO and other movements have failed. I have always cringed inwardly at the suicide tactics of some Palestinian movements, and however callous and brutal the Israeli war machine is, targeting innocent civilians was extremely cold blooded and cannot be justified. Tearing apart their military is another matter and completely legitimate as long as it is in illegal occupation of land.

Israel relies on the myth of it's military to keep the upper hand, demolishing that myth will have far reaching consequences, not least in that the United States of America will now try all that is in their power to keep the client state from falling. There is clearly much work to be done before the terrorist apparatus of the Israeli state can be effectively dismantled, not least by squaring away with it's number one backer and isolating them both.