European Press Review: Creating More Hate, More Terrorism

The bombing of Qana "fatally reminds us of the 102 civilians who were killed by Israeli grenades in a UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) camp in 1996 in the very same place," wrote Germany's die tageszeitung. Israel's rhetoric and the reaction of the international community are the same as they were 10 years ago, according to the paper. An immediate, unconditional ceasefire would mean victory for Hezbollah. "Without hasty military success, Qana 2006 could become for the Israeli army what Qana 1996 became: the writing on the wall that preceded its withdrawal from Lebanon."

"This bloodbath is only creating more hate, more terrorism," wrote Belgium's Le Soir. "If it continues like this, all the Lebanese people will soon find themselves under the banner of the Hezbollah." The events in Qana could repeat themselves, continued the paper, and perhaps Hezbollah will manage to bomb Tel Aviv. "And then what response would it take to even up the score? Let us stop here. Please, stop!"

"The blood from Qana has splattered on everyone's face," wrote La Repubblica in Italy. "It's the blood of the innocent," which has revealed the raw horror of this conflict, "and won't be easy to wipe it off." Lebanon is a country that is harboring an "untamed guerilla," continued the paper, but which is also "practically the only democratic society in the Arab world. Blood has rained down on all those who are responsible for it: the direct and indirect protagonists, but also the powerful and powerless by-standers."

"The events in Lebanon not only show that there is no longer a real anti-terror coalition in today's world. As paradoxical as it may sound, there isn't a war against terrorism either," wrote Russia's Kommersant. "If, in a war like that in Lebanon, which is conducted with the most modern and accurate weapons, 10 times as many children are killed as armed men, it can no longer be called a war against terrorism."

"Moral justification for the use of violence is demanded of democracies," wrote the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, "or else the violence can be turned back on the perpetrators, which now seems to be the case." It would not be wise for Israel to cultivate a camp mentality and hide behind its own moral correctness, according to the paper. Instead, "Israel has to make use of the moment to critically examine its conduct and ask itself whether the disadvantages are gradually starting to outweigh the advantages." The US should insist on this, continued the paper. "Qana should be a turning point after three weeks of war, and the casualties there should be the last."