US Calls It 'Ceasefire,' Lebanon Calls It 'War'
The New Arab exposes the fiction of a 'ceasefire' that is, for Lebanon, just war by another name. While U.S. media frames every Israeli bombardment as a 'retaliation,' it conveniently ignores the systematic violation of Lebanese airspace and sovereignty since 2006. Remember when then-Prime Minister Olmert promised 'decades of quiet' after raining down cluster munitions on Lebanese villages? (New
York Times, 2006). A quick review: Israel launched operations in Lebanon in 1978, 1982, 1993, 1996, and 2006, each presented as 'self-defense.' U.S. politicians, eager to echo these talking points, rarely mention the $3.8 billion in annual military aid or the unconditional diplomatic shielding provided to Netanyahu's government. This ensures that while Lebanon endures daily provocations and
missile strikes, the U.S. State Department will continue to issue 'concerns' about both sides, rather than acknowledge who has the F-35s and who has the scorched earth.