Christian Attitudes

A rogues? gallery of Israel-haters, some familiar to those who read NGO-Monitor, has gone into action.

The letter is signed by Amnesty International UK, BASIC, CAFOD, Care International UK, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Medact, the Muslim Council of Britain, Oxfam, Save the Children, Unison, War on Want, the Welfare Association and World Vision UK.

The ever watchful NGO Monitor notes how some of these organisations exploit the situation in Lebanon to promote their anti-Israel agenda.

For their latest attack on the Jewish State, they dress up in a big dove costume (rather like a pantomime goose ) with a large olive branch drooping from its beak. In this disguise, they coo gently, using words suggestive of peace.

They demand of Tony Blair that he support UN calls for an immediate cease-fire, without answering the question: how can a cease-fire be imposed on Hezbollah, which is not a state but a terrorist group? It would be rather like imposing a cease-fire on Al Qaida and America. Would Al Qaida take the slightest bit of notice?

Surely, this cease-fire could only be imposed on Israel, the victim, leaving Hezbollah, the aggressor, to do what it likes? And why support calls for a cease fire by the UN, which has a terrible record of injustice and hostility towards Israel, and has colluded with Hezbollah in attacks on Israel in the past?

No, the seedy old dove-costume worn by the Israel-haters is a threadbare thing, and one can see through it to the actors within. The cooing noises they make seem closer to growls. They just want Israel to cease its fire, and give Hezbollah a free hand, to render the northern part of tiny Israel uninhabitable and eventually destroy the whole country.

Perhaps the costume of a vulture would suit them better.