The Volokh Conspiracy - Why is Israel "Attacking Christian Neighborhoods"?:

Many bloggers [just do a Technorati search for "Christian areas" and "Lebanon" if you're doubtful] have criticized Israel for allegedly attacking Christian villages in Lebanon. Many argue that they would support Israel if the attacks were limited to Hezbollah strongholds, but that attacking Christian villages seems not just wrong, but counter-productive. My own assessment was that the IAF is a very disciplined organization, and doesn't attack targets for no reason, but I refrained from comment (unlike the bloggers in question) until I actually had some information.

Some of the attacks are on Lebanese ports. That's easy enough to explain, given that Israel is blockading Hezbollah from receving new weapons, and from shipping its weapons abroad for safekeeping. Two reports from Israel today explain the other attacks. First, Debka reports that Hezbollah and its Palestinian allies are using Christian villages as launching sites for missles aimed at Israel, and Israel is trying to limit the damage while still protecting itself: "One difficulty in halting Hizballah's rocket barrage in the east has been Israel's reluctance to attack Christian targets, except for pinpointing launch teams. Israeli negotiators are in contact with the village heads on terms for their evacuation so that Hizballah sites can be smashed. Hizballah is using Lebanese Christians as human shields for its attacks and their towns and villages as supply centers to pump ordnance to the launch teams in forward positions."

Meanwhile, Ynetnews reports that Israel has been bombing structures in which Hizbullah stores its money, including in mixed cities such as Baalbeck and Tyre (which have Christian minorities) and today, central Beirut.

I'm sure some will react to these reports by statin that this is just Israeli government propaganda, and of course I can't independently confirm these reports. But they make a lot more sense than the bloggers who jumped to the conclusion that Israel was risking its pilots' lives, the wrath of world opinion, and potential future relations with Lebanese Christians by bombing Christian areas for no particular reason.

UPDATE: Of course, news reports indicat that the vast majority of the bombing IS taking place in Hezbollah strongholds.

	[David Bernstein, July 19, 2006 at 10:09am] Trackbacks Why is Israel "Attacking Christian Neighborhoods"?: Many bloggers [just do a Technorati search for "Christian areas" and "Lebanon" if you're doubtful] have criticized Israel for allegedly attacking Christian villages in Lebanon. Many argue that they would support Israel if the attacks were limited to Hezbollah strongholds, but that attacking Christian villages seems not just wrong, but counter-productive. My own assessment was that the IAF is a very disciplined organization, and doesn't attack targets for no reason, but I refrained from comment (unlike the bloggers in question) until I actually had some information. Some of the attacks are on Lebanese ports. That's easy enough to explain, given that Israel is blockading Hezbollah from receving new weapons, and from shipping its weapons abroad for safekeeping. Two reports from Israel today explain the other attacks. First, Debka reports that Hezbollah and its Palestinian allies are using Christian villages as launching sites for missles aimed at Israel, and Israel is trying to limit the damage while still protecting itself: "One difficulty in halting Hizballah's rocket barrage in the east has been Israel's reluctance to attack Christian targets, except for pinpointing launch teams. Israeli negotiators are in contact with the village heads on terms for their evacuation so that Hizballah sites can be smashed. Hizballah is using Lebanese Christians as human shields for its attacks and their towns and villages as supply centers to pump ordnance to the launch teams in forward positions." Meanwhile, Ynetnews reports that Israel has been bombing structures in which Hizbullah stores its money, including in mixed cities such as Baalbeck and Tyre (which have Christian minorities) and today, central Beirut. I'm sure some will react to these reports by statin that this is just Israeli government propaganda, and of course I can't independently confirm these reports. But they make a lot more sense than the bloggers who jumped to the conclusion that Israel was risking its pilots' lives, the wrath of world opinion, and potential future relations with Lebanese Christians by bombing Christian areas for no particular reason. UPDATE: Of course, news reports indicat that the vast majority of the bombing IS taking place in Hezbollah strongholds.