Mideast violence - Escalation is in nobody’s interest

UNDER international law reprisal actions are supposed to be commensurate with the initial attack, but Israel’s response to the kidnapping of two of its soldiers in Lebanon has been utterly disproportionate.

Hezbollah undoubtedly started the trouble. While Israel has every right to defend its territory and its citizens, its overreaction should not be ignored, because this could inflame the whole region.

Israel’s response to attacks on Israeli military targets has been indiscriminate.