President George W. Bush is urging Israel to preserve the fragile government of Lebanon, which was recently chosen in democratic elections supported by Bush himself. But Israel should do exactly the opposite.
Hezbollah, the Iran-sponsored Islamic terror group now under attack by
Israel in Lebanon, is part of the Lebanese government. Twenty-three of
Hezbollah’s members were elected to parliament, and two of its members
were given cabinet positions.
A government that tolerates the operations of a terror group within
its country, that does nothing to stop it from launching rockets on
its neighbor’s cities, and that further allows its presence in the
parliament and cabinet, has no legitimacy at all.
If the Lebanese are ever to have a legitimate government and lasting
peace with Israel, they will have to show that they, like Israel, will
not tolerate Hezbollah any longer.
”’David Holcberg is with the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, CA”’