Hopelessness

Israeli troops moved across the border into southern Lebanon on Saturday, blazing past a UN observation post and engaging Hezbollah militants as part of a limited ground campaign.
Backed by artillery and tank fire, Israeli troops knocked down a border fence and moved past the observation post before assuming control of the large village of Maroun al-Ras, Israeli military officials said.

Much of this news as it develops, is slowly adding to a universal consensus: this has to stop. More importantly, the question of further Israeli action (full-invasion of Lebanon?) and lack of response by the United States (Secretary of State Rice will leave for the Middle East sometime next week) makes all concerned observers of this crisis very uncertain of the future. This might sound redundant, but for many, shaking heads has grown old, replaced by a deep sense of hopelessness.

When does retaliation turn into belligerence? This is not a simple question with a simple answer. Nothing is ever simple in the Middle East. It is very complex, but in this very simple question is the answer to our hopelessness.