[Daily Star-Lebanon] Khairi Abaza - Last month, the Arab world remembered one of its greatest defeats of the 20th century: the June 1967 war, which marked the end of the hope to wipe out Israel. Arabs will not progress before they face the truth about their own history. The Arab media failed to remind us that because of Nasser's bluff and provocation, in June 1967 Israel was able to win a devastating war. They failed to remind us how Nasser encouraged King Hussein of Jordan to take part in the war only hours after he knew that Egypt had been defeated. What was Hizbullah's "victory" against Israel in summer 2006? A victory that left around 1,200 Lebanese dead, led to billions of dollars in damages and losses in tourism income, and the entry of UN troops in southern Lebanon? With such a balance sheet, how could Hizbullah and its Arab supporters mislead the Arab public and claim victory? Yes, Nasrallah was left standing, just as Nasser was. But is that enough when their nations and people were left battered? The writer is a senior fellow at the Center for Liberty in the Middle East.
2007-07-05 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive