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West Asia crisis

This refers to the editorial "The international community must act" (July 22). Innocent Lebanese civilians killed and injured in hundreds, hundreds of thousands displaced, and infrastructure destroyed — this is Israel's reaction to the abduction of two soldiers. No country is in a better position than the U.S. to halt the destruction of Lebanon. Such global indifference to the plight of the Lebanese is unfortunate.

D. Srinivasa Rao &
P. Jitender Rao,
Hyderabad

Israel's use of force against Lebanon is wholly inappropriate, unacceptable, and disproportionate. Whatever the provocation, responsible nations are expected to act in a manner that promotes stability. The attack is no longer an act of self-defence but an attempt to destroy a nation. Even if Hizbollah is wrong, nothing can justify Israel's blanket bombing of Lebanon and the total disregard for civilian lives. It is important to fight terrorism, but not with terrorism.

T. Marx,
Karaikal, Pondicherry

Israel over-reacted to the Hizbollah's abduction of two Israeli soldiers. The right to defend oneself should not be at the cost of innocent lives. Israel should learn from India. As administrative thinker Mary Parker Follett said, conflict resolution through the process of domination is temporary and has destructive effects. The solution lies in resolving the conflict through the process of integration of diverse interests.

Sambi Reddy Endreddy,
Hyderabad

Sanctioning legitimacy to offensives on the specious ground that every nation has the right to protect itself against faceless international terrorists will surely plunge the world into chaos before long. The biggest casualty will be the formal authority of the United Nations. That will be a sure recipe for the ultimate annihilation of the world system.

N. S. Sankararaman,
Chennai

Neither side is justified in its actions. The Hizbollah had no business to needlessly provoke Israel, and Israel's retaliation has been far too disproportionate and targeted at innocent civilians. Neither side has gained anything from this needless escalation of tensions in the region. As Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth "Nought's had, all's spent."

V. Prashanth,
Coimbatore

It is highly painful to witness the sufferings of the Lebanese, particularly children, caught in the crossfire between Israeli troops and Hizbollah militants. The obstinate stand of both sides is unfortunate. The U.S. has once again exposed its design by supplying missiles to Israel. At the same time, one also needs to admit that Israel would have been obliterated from the world map but for the U.S. support.

R.S. Shanmuganathan,
Sriharikota, A.P.

The kind of brutalities Israel is inflicting on the innocent people of Lebanon, and the way the whole world is looking away as if nothing is happening, are unbelievable. After the U.S.-led blatant aggression on Iraq, Lebanon is another example of trampling upon the sovereignty of nations. If the whole world cannot stop the U.S., the U.K., and Israel from committing such open aggression, what options do countries such as Iran have other than acquiring deterrent capability?

Chaman Lal,
New Delhi

While Israel's action is being condemned by many, it is also true that the country has been fighting for its survival and facing the worst kind of terrorism for several years now. Compared with our treatment of terrorism, Israel's approach is one of attacking the enemy and crushing it.

G. Ramachandran,
Pune

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