LONDON, 23 July 2006 — Nearly two weeks into the open war raging between Israel and Hezbollah, which has set Lebanon ablaze one more time and plunged the region into deeper crisis, there is as yet no sign from the leaders of the West and the industrialized nations (except from Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the UN, albeit late in the day) to speak up against the series of vicious onslaughts carried out against defenseless populations throughout the Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Nothing has been done to put pressure on the Israel to end its murderous campaign and its relentless destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure.

Israel's military operations amount to vindictive acts of collective punishment against civilians and, as such, these acts constitute war crimes according to the Geneva Convention (a fact outlined below by a spokesperson for Amnesty International) and attest, if anything, to Israel's stand as an aggressive dominant military power in the region and the "license to kill" it seems to be enjoying vis-à-vis its Arab neighbors.

Such a view of Israel has not always been apparent in mainstream Western media reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian question, since Israel's self-representation has so far centered on the image and language of a victim trying to survive in a hostile region, besieged on all sides by dangerous enemies hell-bent on its destruction.

However, this form of representation is undermined by the current bloody events in Lebanon.

Surely, such brutal treatment of Arab civilians inside and outside the occupied territories, illustrated on this occasion by Israel's disproportionate response to Hezbollah's actions, does not indicate the behavior of a victim but rather that of a bully.

However, despite the relative passivity of official governments and the quasi-silence of the international community, mainly the United Nations Security Council, in the face of such blatant series of aggressions against civilians, public opinion in the West has become more diverse and increasingly voices are being raised against the slaughter taking place in the Middle East.

Some prominent views have been expressed in Britain, indicating a move away from the position of the government. These unequivocally condemn Israel's role in this latest war in the Middle East and raise fears about the consequences of such conflict for the stability of the region.

A few of these opinions have been selected to appear in Arab News today. They are the voices of prominent officials and representatives with formal or informal links to the Middle East and Beirut, all sharing a commitment to the cause of peace and justice in the world.

Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London: "A stable international environment is vital for a global city like London. Israel is engaged in collective punishment of the civilian populations of Lebanon and Gaza. This is illegal under the Geneva Conventions. The entire international community should demand an immediate cease-fire. All prisoners illegally held by all sides, all of the Israeli soldiers held by the Palestinians and Hezbollah and all of the Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel should be released immediately.

"The lesson of recent events for both sides in the Israel/Palestinian conflict is very clear. There is no unilateral path to peace in the Middle East. The strategy of the present government of Israel, of building a wall, refusing to talk to the Palestinian Authority and instead imposing unilateral solutions on the Palestinians will not work as current events show. All sides in this conflict can strike deep into one another's territory. None of the combatants is capable of eliminating the other by brute force. The only way forward is a negotiated settlement between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. No more innocent lives should be sacrificed to misconceived attempts to avoid that basic reality”.

Donatella Rovera, Researcher Israel and the Occupied Territories, Amnesty International:

"Civilians have been the main victims of the Israeli military campaign against Lebanon, which has claimed more than 300 lives in the past five days, including dozens of children, and which has forced thousands to leave their homes under the threat of further Israeli air strikes. Israeli forces, also, continue to deliberately target the civilian infrastructure, including vital facilities, throughout Lebanon. Such grave abuses - some of which constitute war crimes — blatantly violate international humanitarian law, which prohibits collective punishment and reprisals against civilians.

"So far the international community has allowed political considerations to set the agenda and has failed in its obligations to protect civilians. Such inaction must not be allowed to continue. The UN Security council must take swift measures to stop the killings of civilians on both sides. Notably it should ensure that military supplies to both Israel and Hezbollah are suspended and that a UN investigation is set up.

Rt. Hon. Clare Short, MP (Member of UK Parliament):

The current situation in the Middle East is very dangerous. Many innocent people are suffering terribly and great damage is being inflicted on Lebanon's infrastructure. For too long Israel has been allowed to expand its boundaries, breach international law and impose unbearable suffering on the Palestinian people. It is quite clear that Israel has no intention of supporting the Road Map and negotiating the establishment of a Palestinian state on 1967 boundaries. It is clear that they intend to argue that there is no partner for peace and then declare their state boundaries to coincide with the illegal wall and to confine the Palestinians to a series of Bantustans where their suffering and humiliation would continue. If this is to be done any force capable of resisting has to be destroyed.

"It is simply not believable — or legitimate in international law - that Israel is inflicting massive collective punishments on the people of Gaza and Lebanon because three soldiers have been abducted. The military are the real government in Israel. They are trying to destroy Hamas and Hezbollah and to get the international community to blame Syria and Iran for the current conflict. Bush and Blair have immediately done Israel's bidding and I presume Israel thinks it can persuade the US to take action against Syria and Iran.

"This is very dangerous. It will heighten the instability and danger in the region. Israel has massive armaments, and is the world's fourth biggest nuclear power. No neighboring state is capable of defeating it. But Hezbollah defeated Israel in the past and forced a withdrawal from Lebanon. The danger is that such resistance will continue to spread across the region at a cost of terrible human suffering. But history teaches us that injustice and oppression always lead to resistance.

"The only way forward is that Israel should be required by the international community to adhere to international law. This would mean halting the bombardment of Lebanon and Gaza, agreeing a swap of prisoners and most importantly agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state on 1967 boundaries. As there is no prospect of this, I fear that the violence will continue and spread. The US and its allies should be condemned for the hypocrisy and injustice of their position."

Robert Lowe, Manager, Middle East Program, Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs):

The current hostilities are having an extremely damaging effect on the Lebanese population and infrastructure. The period since the end of the Lebanese civil war and the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 has seen encouraging efforts to rebuild the country and manage the rifts in society. The actions of Hezbollah and the massive military response by Israel have again plunged Lebanon into chaos and misery and the Lebanese government is ill-equipped to deal with the catastrophic situation. International pressure and mediation are urgently required to end the violence and international assistance will be needed to once again help rebuild Lebanon."

Chris Doyle, director, Caabu (Council for Arab British Understanding):

"This is a disaster for the Middle East. This is a lose-lose scenario for all sides. Israel is now embroiled in Gaza and Lebanon. Its grossly disproportionate actions against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians may generate another generation who hate the country.

"Lebanon, which had only just climbed out of the nightmare of its civil war, has now been reduced to ruins once again. The unwarranted smashing of its economy will take years to recover. Once again, Lebanon is the battleground for greater regional powers. Once again the biggest victims are the Lebanese people.

"Most depressing of all has been the hands off, limp reaction of the international community. World leaders are showing gross negligence, by allowing a local crisis to brew into regional one. George Bush is blinded by his need to win the midterm elections in November. Some see Israel as doing the West's dirty job in punishing Islamist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. To the contrary the biggest danger is that hard-line groups will prosper across the region, and that a conflict, whose closure is so needed, will only get worse.

"This conflict is losing its confines. Civilians have become targets. Borders are no longer barriers. Other states and actors are being drawn in."

Lady Olga Mailand, President, Defense and Security Forum, (Member of Parliament 1992 - 1997):

"The deliberate targeting of the city of Beirut cannot be justified. It is wildly disproportionate to the offense by Hezbollah of taking two soldiers. Israel's pounding of roads, bridges, the airport, mobile phone installations, the power station, and fuel dumps are not Hezbollah targets. They are part of the normal infrastructure of any major town.

"The result is that as I write, 70 civilians, men, women and children are dead; 200 wounded and very probably more by the time this goes to print. All for the price of two soldiers taken hostage. The price the Israelis will pay in the long term is incalculable. They have lost the sympathy of the world, save for the US; and in a matter of days they have re-energized the Hezbollah recruiting machine. The leaders may be killed, but for every brutal incursion and more Lebanese civilians murdered, volunteers will come forward and take the place of those who have gone.

"Admittedly, Hezbollah has overstepped its bounds in firing into Israel which is a provocative act over and above the hostage taking. But in stepping back, I have no doubt that had the Israeli government given Hamas due recognition as a legitimately elected government in Palestine, and not blocked customs payments that were due to them, I very much doubt that any attacks by militants in either the Gaza or Lebanon would have even been considered.

"In the end, the Israeli government will reap the whirlwind it started. Attacks are likely to continue on Israel until a political resolution appears. Meanwhile there can be no purpose in destroying a strong Lebanese society which had only in recent years re-established itself creating an economic stability which has been to the benefit of the region as a whole."