Let's Hear It For Jan Englund

Jan Englund, the UN's humanitarian chief, has gotten it wrong often enough before, like post-tsunami jibes at America for being greedy in the face of others' needs. But this time he got it right:

[Englund] accused Hezbollah late Monday of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds during two weeks of cross-border violence with Israel.

"Consistently, from the Hezbollah heartland, my message was that Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending ... among women and children," he said. "I heard they were proud because they lost very few fighters and that it was the civilians bearing the brunt of this. I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men." (Haaretz)

Of course, he also had to call the Israeli response disproportionate, but would it be so condemned if Hezbollah fought like soldiers instead of schoolyard bullies?

I saw a cartoon the other day of an Israeli soldier prone in front of a baby carriage, firing at a Hezbollah soldier prone behind one. At the most essential level, the difference between the two depictions is the difference between the Judeo-Christian worldview and the Islamic worldview, between a compassionate, salvation oriented message, and a jihad oriented message.

Photo: AP
Related Tags: Lebanon, Israel, UN, Englund, Hezbollah