So much media coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, of the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, so little quality analysis, so little perspective, so much bias. reading the news on al jazeera and jerusalem post are like reading about two separate conflicts. There is really no point going over the numbers, it is both true and sad that over 300 lebanese have been killed over the last weeks. it is equally true and sad that 1000 people have been murdered and more than 7000 injured by over the past four years of the palestinian intifadas on the israeli side.

perhaps in this conflict people are too focused on numbers, on the various humanitarian crises, the true and the imaginary. the issue is not with the numbers, but with the substantive questions. true, less isrealis have been killed over the incessant years of intifada than palestinians. this is besides the point. the key here is desire. if one people fears or thinks that the other would destroy them if they had the choice, they will react strongly, perhaps overreact. this is not an excuse but simply an obvious explanation of human nature. the programmes which showed palestinians and lebanese and iranians overjoyed at the death and capture of israelis show the strength of this desire, the extent of hatred. the same cannot be said of the other side. perhaps this is my bias, but i cannot imagine many israelis rejoicing if the same fate of met a palestinian or any other citisen of neighbouring arab states. it is this fact that the iranians, the syrians, the palestinians, some lebanese want the israelis (and in some cases the jewish people as a whole) disappeared that matters. it is the fact that if iran and hezbollah could make the katyushas reach precisely the hospitals, the schools or any other civilian infrastructure, they would not blink.

it must be admitted that israel has a more effective military. yes, the IDF can do much more damage than the katuyshas. that is not the issue for it is not the raw numbers that matter, but the intent. the issue of intent is in large part connected the arab media. people in the arab countries would be much better served if they media did not explicitely cater to further inflaming public opinion: for in the long term it does not make their lives any easier. the fact that saudi arabia, jordan, egypt and other gulf states have almost sided with israel on this matter is no negligible sign. perhaps there is a positive externality in some undemocratic tendencies of arab states. 'no' to muslim brotherhood in egypt also means the same to hezbollah in lebanon.