by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 16, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

aced with growing criticism for its battle with Hezbollah, Israel has no better friend than President George W. Bush who steadfastly supported the Jewish state's right of self-defense. When criticism mounted at the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Bush steered the world's most powerful leaders to accept that terrorism caused the Mideast's latest crisis. Showing unflappable resolve, Bush single-handedly convinced G-8 leaders to denounce Iranian/Syrian-backed Hezbollah that caused the recent flair-up by invading Israel, killing eight soldiers and taking two hostages. When Prime Minister Ehud Olmert answered with F-16s, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Jacques Chirac called Israel's response “disproportionate.” Enduring his own flack, Bush kept his focus, helping draft the G-8 resolution placing the blame squarely on Hezbollah for inciting the crisis.

      Whatever discontent exists domestically, Bush's approval ratings soar when dealing with world events. Since Sept. 11, Bush has led the fight against global terrorism, showing no tolerance, no matter what the excuse. Bush never met with the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat because of his involvement with terrorism. Europeans, Arab leaders and even some domestic critics called the president's Mideat policy unbalanced, favoring Israel. Democrats and even some members of his own party have difficulty challenging Bush's credentials fighting terrorism. Whatever mistakes were made in Iraq, Bush's policy on terrorism has set a new world standard, drawing the backing disparate world leaders. While calling on Israel to exercise the “utmost restraint,” the G-8 summit, including Putin, called on Hezbollah to stop firing missiles and release Israeli soldiers.

      Nothing burns the Islamic street more than calling its leaders radicals and extremists. “These extremist elements and those that support them cannot be allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos,” read the G-8 communique, condemning, in the strongest possible terms, terrorism as political strategy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined Bush, convincing their G-8 colleagues that there's no compromising with terrorists. “We demand first,” Merkel told reporters in St. Petersburg, “that the Israeli soldiers be returned to Israel healthy, that the attacks on Israel cease, and then naturally for Israel to halt military action,” putting Hezbollah and its client states Iran and Syria on notice that Israel has a right to military action. No one at the G-8 summit called for Israel to suspend military activity, hoping that it can finally end Hezbollah's defacto control of southern Lebanon.

      Bush provided the steady leadership to direct the G-8 away from knee-jerk reactions, especially French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac faces mounting Islamic tension inside France and tends to make politically correct statements to placate Muslim sensibilities. Calling on Israel to be mindful of “the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions,” the G-8 statement refused to pressure Israel to stop bombing Hezbollah. Frustrated with Hezbollah's control of southern Lebanon, pro-Western President Fouad Siniora stopped short of deploying the army to wrest control back from Hezbollah. Hezbollah and Syrian agents were suspected in the Feb. 13, 2005 assassination of Lebanon's late Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. On April 27, 2005 the U.N. passed Resolution 1559, demanding Hezbollah disarm. Hezbollah then threatened a bloody civil war.

      Five days into its Lebanon operation, Israel has yet to pinpoint the location of Hezbollah's missile launchers and stockpile, enabling to the guerrilla group to strike with impunity. Hezbollah has already launched hundreds of missiles at northern Israeli towns and settlements. With Hezbollah stockpiling 10-12,000 missiles, Israel's offensive could take weeks. Pressure is mounting for a U.N. ceasefire resolution. Israel's popular resort town of Haifa's was hit with a missile barrage, killing eight and wounding 40, prompting Israeli President Ehud Olmert to warn of serious consequences. It may be difficult for Israel's air force to target Hezbollah's mobile launchers without deploying tanks and ground troops. While there's no end in sight yet, Hezbollah's defiant leader Hassan Nasrallah looked weary on TV pleading for more help. Both Iran and Syria promised massive retaliation should Israel attack.

      Bush has given Israel the green light to degrade Hezbollah and Hamas, more determined than ever to destroy the Jewish state. Without Bush advocating for Israel, Europeans would fault Tel Aviv for using excessive force. No European nation would tolerate unprovoked missile attacks without effective retaliation. Bush has correctly diagnosed Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah as an obstacle to Mideast peace. Hezbollah does Iran's bidding, projecting itself into the Arab-Israeli conflict. While no one likes war, Bush sees Hezbollah as a menace to the region. Convincing the G-8 summit to give Israel more time, Bush sold his G-8 partners that Hezbollah was a provocative threat to Mideast security. Bush showed a steady hand leading Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.N. ambassador John R. Bolton to defend Israel and help assure U.S. national security.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColulmnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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