War's rage hits home

Editorial

If the ceasefire that began on Monday holds, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will remain calm for the time being. But there is widespread acceptance that Israel failed to meet its objective in this action, which was to eliminate the threat from the jihadists.

The failure is alarming, since Israel seems to have assumed it had the power and intelligence to slay the dragon that had occupied southern Lebanon. With the ceasefire, the objective remains incomplete.

It has been a difficult time, to put it mildly. Deaths, injuries and destruction on both sides of the border mean there are no winners. Except, perhaps, Binyamin Netanyahu.

It was a not-uncommon phenomenon to see the governing party, Kadima, reach across to build a coalition with another. The appointment of Labor party leader Amir Peretz as defence minister means Israeli voters dissatisfied with the performance of the operation have limited places to look for alternatives.

Former prime minister Netanyahu could be the beneficiary if voters opt to punish the government they see as having failed to successfully complete the mission at hand.

Meanwhile, here at home, political repercussions are also evolving. The courageous refusal by the Conservative government to take the easy route and criticize Israel for trying yet another plan to find lasting peace has exercised the radical left. A significant portion of ordinary Canadians also seem to believe that Israel was the aggressor and that Stephen Harper is their apologist. But what should really ruffle feathers here in Canada is some of the language used in the debate over the Middle East conflict.

Neither side in this conflict is innocent but, as usual, the anti-Israel contingent has broken new ground in their interpretation of what constitutes civil discourse here in Canada. In a despicable, but not atypical, message, a protestor in Montreal carried a sign reading: "Israel learned from Hitler and the student has surpassed the master." Another, on the other side, at a rally in Toronto over the weekend, declared, "Islam is a death cult."

Canada is blessed to have been free from the kinds of violence other parts of the world struggle with daily, year after year. If we are to maintain the sort of civility that has allowed this extended period of domestic peace, we must stand up to the kinds of language and demonization that can lead to dehumanization here at home.

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