Letter: Lebanon: blighted peace in Beirut; peril for Israel; drought in Galilee; double standards in the West

Sir: The reaction of the western world to Israeli attacks on Lebanon poses a question that some political leader might like to answer: why are Lebanese Muslims different from Bosnian Muslims?

When Bosnian Muslim towns and villages were shelled and their inhabitants driven out of their homes, American and other western leaders condemned such actions as crimes against humanity; and a war crimes court was established to try those responsible. When Lebanese towns and villages are bombed and shelled, and their inhabitants told to flee their homes or be attacked, American and British leaders endorse these actions.

The Western response to the horrors in Bosnia had suggested that politicians wanted to apply high moral standards to such conflicts: but their response to the attacks on Lebanese civilians raises the suspicion that their concern for morality in Bosnia was more opportunist than principled.

David Sawers

Angmering-on-Sea, West Sussex