Dean Godson's article is as ludicrous as the statement by Siniora. He must have forgotten the wanton destruction that the Israelis visited on Beirut during their 1982 invasion not to mention what they did more recently in 2006. Looks like the Israeli apologists are resorting to desperate arguments..

Louay Jabry, Montreal, Canada

Albert Einstein said of all religion, "It is a childish supersition" and it seems that Hezbollah is a good example why all religion should be banned once and for all, as all have their hands bloodied for political and financial gains. The human race must join together and stop this!

Thomas Albert, Washingtion DC, USA

I think Dean has gotten a big loss of touch with reality. In Lebanon they divided power between sects to represent a fake power sharing. There is a lot of misconception about election there. The Majority in Lebanon are Shi'ites. they should rule. They wont do that as long as you wont corner them.

Roy Kobesky, Toronto, Canada

Whats funny is that the Media and governments that Control them Tried so hard to connect Al-Qaida and Hezbollah and failed to do so, Now they are using the Holocaust and the Nazi Salute to show how "evil" Hezbollah is. Hezbollah provides healthcare and protection for lebanon, what has the Gov. done

Abe, MIchigan, USA

Lebanon's problem isn't Hezbollah. Lebanon's problem is its people. They are more loyal to their religion than they are to their country. Politicians in Lebanon, as well as external forces (such as Iran, Israel, Syria, the UK and the US) exploit that weakness to further their personal agendas.

Alexandre, Dubai, UAE

I see the Western Media critisizcing Hezbollah for gettin support from Iran and Syria. What about Support for the Seniora government ( a puppet regime at best ) being supported by Egypt, Saudia Arabia and their masters the US and Europe?. 2 wrongs a RIGTH does not make.

Yaqoot Mit, Toronto, ON

Only stupid people will say Israel is an occupier when they've been threatened & attacked since its existence. Are they expected to only repel attacks & let its people suffer the fallout? Good defence is keeping potential threats away from home. Peace is only possible if muslims renounce violence.

John Edwards, Houston , USA

The reason for not being offended by Hezbollah? Because they have been protesting, with no result, for over a year at the lack of representation of the Shiite community which has no impact on governance in the current political regime of Lebanon. There is no democracy.

T McIntyre, Ottawa, Canada

Dean Godson is in total denial!
the opposition in lebanon has over 55% of the popular vote.
The government militias started the firing, like usual, the opposition goes to the street , the government militias fire (and they expect the opposition to withdraw), this time they didn't.

Peter Remy, Haifa, Israel

Hezbollah was supposed to have kept its weapons as a way to protect their own country from outside threats, not to impose them on its own people for political gain. It is not religious in any way what they have done to their own country and people over the past week and should be fully disarmed asap

Amy, Richmond, USA

Sounds like the USA'S puppet regime got their new script ! Hezbolla has done far more for Lebanon's people than the puppet regime has EVER done...Social programs, defense, etc etc. All Siniora has ever done for Lebanon was invite the profiteers in to rape and plunder the land.

Carl, New York, USA

Hizballah commands more than 30% of the Lebanese Population . Your fact is inncorrect...
Yes they do hate isreal .. and at the same time , it had supported millions of families in beirut in all aspects for more than 20 years due to the continuous progress of the foreign invader ......

Noha Hammoud, kuwait ,

because for one the death toll in the 2006 war was 1000s more for one.... secondly Saniora wasn't elected shiite's in the country can only be a speaker not president or pm.... this isn't democracy to me .... instead its shiite oppression which hizbollah seems to be fighting against p.s i'm sunni

zabs, keighley, uk

I don't recall the "world" was outraged when Israel "attacked Lebanon" in 2006. I do recall the usual lunatics and Europeans being outraged, while many others thought it about time Israel did something about a menacing private army shelling its soil. Which among European states would tolerate that?

Graham, Ottawa,

One should look at the overall picture. The fact of the matter is Hezbollah is armed and financed by Iran who is dying to extend its power beyong its borders. Hezbollah works for them and his agenda is their's. The rest is for the reader to figure out.

Tony, LA, USA

America doesn't force the Lebanese to have a weak government; they have a Silly consitution which, while America is about to possibly elect a black man President, REQUIRES that the Prime Minister be a Sunni, if I am not mistaken.

David Goure', Fairfax VA,

dogmatic, unswerving support of wrongdoers is what perpetuates misery in this region, bolstering extremists & their appologists, whether neo-cons or bien-pensants. Hezbollah is bigoted & fascist and nothing strenghtened them more than israeli action last year and its tacit backing from Blair & Bush.

jas, london,

Why are people blaming Israel for attacking civilians when the whole reason they are doing so is that those "civilians" were firing rockets into Israel and abducting their soldiers. The minute the Arab nations have a definite monopoly of violence, Israel would likely press for peace treaties.

David Goure', Fairfax VA,

Rafeh in Vancouver....You claim "the Israelis destroyed tens of thousands of Lebanese homes"? Here's Wikipedia's count...The Israelis bombed 1,500 homes whilst Hizbollah fired near 4,228 rockets into Israeli residential areas. (It helps to provide accurate date within its true context doesn't it?)

David Muir, London, UK

Thank you Mr. Godson for speaking the truth. Your concluding paragraph says it all. the same could be said about the Arab states insisting that the Palestinian "refugees" are Israel's responsibility. they don't care a thing about them, just use them as a pawn against Israel. G-d bless you.

Shaina Settenbrino, New York, NY, USA

The difference between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is like the difference between the Catholic/Protestant conflict in Northern Ireland and British occupation.

One is a conflict within the group and the other is an invasion by an outsider.

John Locke, High Laver,

hezbollah should not be condemed .they defend lebanese land from the real terrorists, ISREAL, im a lebanese sunni and i am with hezbollah. why should the lebanese want to disarm someone that lifts their head up . isreal will think twice before going into lebanon.siniora is a sell out!!!!!!!!!

sam , fort worth, usa

Usually it's enough to congratulate a journalist for telling the truth, but to tell the truth about the Middle East in the environment of the British media is truly something special: thank you Dean Godson and keep up the good work! For the sake of peace real scrutiny must be applied to ALL sides.

Marc Caplan, Baltimore, MD,

Not fair or just about what you have said about hizbullah.
Israel is an occupier while hizbullah is trying to achieve it's rights based on it's demographics. 18 months of peacefull and civil discourse did not produce any results for them, because the siniora govt. is not for the people of Lebanon.

Joe , savana , USA

Top marks to Dean! it is evident that the left leaning liberals and the hizbzbaleh apologists are on the same intellectual level. Hizbzbaleh has never been nor will it ever be a lebanese resistance. It resists nothing and it contributes nothing, it kills and it steals. It is a "Divine" mafia!

Joe, Dubai,

It is a sign of a certain moral blindness to even need to say Hezbolah should be condemned. This terrorist organization has violated all international humanitarian norms for years, and its vicious apologists and propagandists continue to pretend it is a mere resistance group.

David, Pearl River, New York, USA

Hezbollah is a facist group. It is their way or the highway. They are pathetic. They hide among the local population,making like they are concerned about the people they are using as human shields. Their leaders hide, because they are afraid to be seen in public. Show themselves for what they are.

Frank Gross, Streamwood, United States

Hezbollah is a social, economic and political impediment to the progress of Lebanon. No peace loving state should support them in any form. We should not blame Syria or Iran, but Hezbollah.The two states are peaceful and developing while theirs is backward. Hezbolla, be wise and discourage these two

TAMBA E BUNDOR, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

This all has to do with American an Saudi involvement in Lebanon. America seeks to appease Israel by keeping Lebanon with a weak government while the Saudis want to expand their influence in Middle Eastern affairs at the expense of the Lebanese people.

Peter, Washington D.C., USA

Hezbollah is not fighting because it wants its way in government, it is fighting for its survival because it senses that the government is implementing a crackdown on it so as to eventually eliminate it first by removing its people from key positions then by eliminating their means of communication.

Peter, Washington D.C., USA

Your thesis is wrong. While I do not approve of Hizbollah action there stark differences. Hizbollah is not targeting civilian population and infrastructure. This is reflected in the low number of people killed while Israel destroyed the country's infrastructure including tens of thousands of homes.

Rafeh, Vancouver, Canada

Editor of Daily Telegraph on sacking Mr Dean Godson said of him and fellow-writer, Barbara Amiel (wife of Conrad Black): "It's OK to be pro-Israel, but not to be unbelievably pro-Likud Israel, it's OK to be pro-American but not look as if you're taking instructions from Washington”

Metha, liverpool,

The Europe Arab Dialogue is behind all of this. Europe will bow down to any Arab nation. The EU is preparing to become a dhimmi State. Consider the Muslim antics in Denmark.. What about the virtual ' no-go ' towns in the UK, i.e, East London, Bradford.

Desmond taylor, Houston, USA Tx

The answer is simple. While the so called Lebanese Govt. sat back and let Israel just about annex half of its country, Hezbollah, had the fortitude the means and the foresight to eliminate this foreign invader. And the west must try to save face for Israel by reciprocating through internal strife.

Dirar, Victorville , USA

Do you remember - William Haigh thought that Israel was over reacting in its conflict with Hezbollah?

Robert, London,

The simple answer is that unless it allows them to express their hatred of Israel, the Euro-left has nothing to say about the Middle East. They don't care about the Lebanese, they just hate Israel.

Faoud Amir , Washington, USA

It might be as simple as answering this question: name one successful state which the Left loves. All their hero-states are failures: N Korea, Iran, Cuba, any African dictatorship. For Progressivists, success is failure, partly explaining Israel and Turkey being in the Left's bad Mid-East places.

Leonard Colquhoun, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

The answer is: because there are double standards for muslims and Israelis - irrespective of the facts. Israelis are forever condemned and reprimanded ; and muslims are forever the underdog excused for everything. Until Europe gets a taste of its own medicine - nothing will change.

Vickie, TA,

Its unwise to take a fascist salute as indicative of much in Lebanon; militias lined up this year with the government and against hezbollah have been equally famous for aping the nazis.

Stan Wright, Vancouver, Canada