RIYADH/JEDDAH, 31 July 2006 — Saudis and expatriates from across a broad spectrum blasted the Israeli bombardment of Lebanese civilians, mostly women and children, in Qana yesterday and said the massacre (the second in the same region since 1996) would sow the seeds of hatred against Israel and further tarnish the image of the US for condoning these acts of genocide.

It seems that these acts will send across a wrong message that might is right and that it does not pay to be a moderate in the face of state-sponsored terrorism.

The brutal killings have further severely dented the UN’s image in the Middle East as a body representing the international community, since it has demonstrated its palpable weakness when confronting stronger nations.

Describing the Israeli bombardment as “an act of gangsterism and state terrorism,” Mohammed Al-Omar, a prominent Arab political analyst, told Arab News that Israel would go down in history for perpetrating “Qana Two.” He said the first massacre in Qana was committed a decade ago when Shimon Peres, then prime minister of Israel, ordered artillery bombardment of Lebanese inhabitants in the same region. The dubious distinction of perpetrating the second Qana goes to the current Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, he added.

“How much more does it take to wake the Arab world from its deep slumber?” asked Um Aiman, a Saudi mother of five. “Israel is not our friend nor is the United States. They are attacking the Arab countries one by one. We wonder who is next because Lebanon is definitely not the last,” she added.

Michel Abdo, a Lebanese citizen living in Jeddah, said, “I am very upset. I wonder if the world would react in the same way if it were Israeli children who were killed.”

He wondered what action the Arab world was taking to stop such massacres.

Pointing out that the Qana massacre would have grave consequences for future Arab generations, a Sri Lankan expatriate said that before the civil war started in his homeland 30 years ago, the Tamils were a docile and peaceful community.

“Today they have become staunch supporters of the terrorist outfit LTTE after being subjected to gross injustices at the hands of the Sri Lankan government. The massacre in Qana would sow the seeds of hatred among Lebanese children who, as the citizens of tomorrow, would support acts of terror against which the US has launched its campaign.”

Hamza Ali, another Lebanese resident of Jeddah and who has four brothers and five sisters trapped in Lebanon, sighed, “I have lost contact with some of them because my family decided to separate and went to different shelters.”

He explained that his family had separated to avoid the possibility of all being killed in one airstrike; by separating, they felt they would increase their chances of staying alive. Ali supported the demonstrations that led to the attack on the UN headquarters in Lebanon. “Secondly, the attack might give the world an idea of how frustrated we are. We do not have anything against the Jewish people but we are asking the world to stop and to stand up to these bloodthirsty governments led by Bush,” he added.

The United States has not condemned the attacks on Lebanon; on the contrary, it has blessed it. The United States has even gone an extra mile by supplying Israel with more arms. “Those same arms led to yesterday’s massacre which left 34 children dead; Washington is a partner in this crime,” Hamza observed.

One of the children who died yesterday was only a day old. “They ended his life before it started. Condoleezza Rice was in Israel when the attacks on women and children were carried out. Who do you think gave them the green light?” he asked.

Mohammed A. Al-Harbi, a Saudi, said the answer to the question, “why they hate us (Americans)” will be found in the TV images of mutilated bodies of innocent children, men and women being pulled out from the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli attack. “We have nothing against the American people, a majority of whom are well-disposed toward Arabs. The main problem is the US administration which has been hijacked by neoconservatives. By acting as the tail of the Israeli dog, the US administration has placed itself up front as the enemy of Arabs.”

He said that while an educated Arab would learn to distinguish between the American people and their government, the man in the street cannot be expected to make such a fine distinction in the heat of the moment. He explained how the renowned British journalist Robert Fisk was lynched by the mob in Afghanistan for an act of aggression committed by the US when it invaded that country in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Abu Ala, a Jordanian, said the Israeli acts of terror witnessed both in Gaza and Qana, are pointers to the shape of things to come. “When US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke about the need for a new Middle East during her recent tour, she must be having in mind a region where Israel is the only super power. What we have seen today is a warning to other states of the fate that awaits them if they try to challenge Israeli aggression against its neighbors.”

Syed Zia ur-Rahman, CEO of Yahind.com, said Israel, which claims to represent democracy in the Middle East, should learn a lesson from India which acted with great restraint in the face of terrorist acts committed against its innocent people at three places in Gujarat, Benaras and, more recently, in Bombay. He said that in sharp contrast to Israel which destroyed the infrastructure and killed hundreds of people in Gaza and Qana for securing the release of just three soldiers (as against over 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails), the Indian government and the people showed remarkable restraint in dealing with a similar situation.

In a fax message received by Arab News on Saturday night, John and Felicia Kelly, who describe themselves as “American sympathizers of the Palestinian cause,” ask the editor in chief of Arab News: “Is there anything the USA can do for the Arab world that Europe, Japan and/or China cannot do?”

The fax mail continues: “Why have Arabs lived for so long with this humiliation by US-Israel without even the courage to threaten, much less impose, any form of economic sanctions on Israel’s foremost backer? This impotence is mind-boggling. Some of us believe the Arabs can overcome this humiliation without even firing a bullet.”

While these loaded questions also provide their own answers, a major factor, according to Mohammed Al-Omar, is the fact that the US image has changed beyond recognition since the era of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.

He points out that over the centuries down to the recent times, the US used to inspire respect around the world for its enormous intellectual and technological resources.

“Today, these resources have been overshadowed by its mighty military machine that has fallen into the hands of a bunch of fanatics out to impose their will on the rest of the world. So, instead of respect, the US today inspires fear. You fear a bully, but you don’t respect him,” he added.

In a related development, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to join the thousands of people expected to take part in the Aug. 12 National Emergency March on Washington in protest at Israeli attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and Gaza.