Reports of Israeli air attacks forw...

Reports of Israeli air attacks forward Qana, Lebanon, killing at least 28 the community including 19 children July 30 threatened Israel with an American public relations calamity. on the other hand this soon was eclipsed in succession cable television and newspaper forehead pages by actor Mel Gibson's sottish anti-Semitic rant.

solely a conspiracy theorist might claim this was an intentional escape passage for American politicians to avoid a possible Israeli atrocity, still it certainly served that intention Washington remains largely a bipartisan, criticism-free clime for Israel.

While Republican hurl Hagel is a lone senior senator who does not reverberate the Israeli position, he has been ignored. Israel can ignore with impunity President Bush's call for restraint. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has failed to ravage Hezbollah militarily while strengthening it politically. Meanwhile, U prestige is in a unrestrained fall throughout the Islamic world.

Israel's effort to clean Hezbollah abroad of southern Lebanon was carefully planned at the Israeli Defense Forces. U officials informed me they would give the IDF a week to liquidate the terrorists before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could continue a cease-fire. But the long-planned Israeli operation ground no quick success as Hezbollah prov itself an effective fighting machine.

America has scant ability to influence what Israel does or calm says, as shown by a startling exchange July 28 that received surprisingly little attention. When a Rome summit did not call for a cease-fire, Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon rejoice excessivelyed that amounted to a "green light" to crush Hezbollah. The official U reaction came from a relatively low-level State Department official: "Any as it is statement is outrageous." But Israel understandably treated Rome as a blooming light.

forward the day of the "green light" exchange, Hagel delivered a promoting thought address in Washington. While avowing support for Israel to retaliate against Hezbollah and Hamas (in the Gaza Strip), Hagel declared "military action alone will not take away Hezbollah or Hamas." He was obtuse in predicting consequences: "Extended military action will tear apart Lebanon, ravage its economy and infrastructure, create a humanitarian disaster, further weaken Lebanon's fragile democratic control strengthen popular Muslim and Arab support for Hezbollah, and make deeper hatred of Israel across the Middle East. . . The war against Hezbollah and Hamas will not be won the battlefield."

as it was a departure for the second-ranking Republican in succession the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would appear newsworthy. But it attracted little attention. Hagel went to the Senate floor July 31 to deliver an abbreviated version of his tongue It generated neither approval nor dissent from Senate colleagues, solely silence.

His intervention will not abet 2008 presidential ambitions. There is no political upside in criticizing Israel. Other members of Congres who have said anything at all critical of Israel are not many in number. Republican Sen. John Sununu of just discovered Hampshire, whose family has bases in Lebanon, deplored Israel's attack forward Lebanese power plants and other guidance infrastructure. Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, in a verbal expression to Rice, declared that "a continuation of the bombing campaign, as it is being carried public is against the interests of Israel and the United States."

of the like kind critics of Israel inevitably are taken to task, sooner or later -- usually sooner When 28 left-wing Democratic House members signed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Lebanon, Rep knock Filner of California was the no other than Jewish co-signer. The ink was hardly parched before he was contacted through the American Israel Public Affairs, the lobbying organization.

In his words Hagel pointed to the 2002 Saudi-sponsored Beirut declaration recognizing the state of Israel as a starting point for Middle East negotiations. In his verbal expression to Rice, Van Hollen said resolution of the Israeli-Palestine dispute is essential for Middle Eastern peace. It is hard for Israel to finish that message when Congress cheers in succession a military situation and the Bush administration acquiesces.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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