THE QANA SMOKESCREEN

By Michelle Malkin

First, take a look at mob scenes across the Muslim world this weekend, ostensibly--ostensibly--in response to the civilian deaths in Qana, Lebanon (via Yahoo! News). Angry Muslims from Beirut to Gaza to Lahore are setting fire to American and Israeli flags. Burning effigies of Western leaders. Raising their voices in death chants:

(Tigerhawk has more shots.)

It all seems so...so familiar, doesn't it? Didn't we go through this same routine, the same scripted jihad theatrics, barely sixth months ago over the Mohammed cartoons? From February:

The truth about Muslim outrage over Qana is that it's not really about the tragic deaths at Qana--just like the cartoon jihad was not really about the cartoons.

Remember: Muslim outrage over the Danish cartoons was stoked and manufactured amid attempts to bully Denmark over the International Atomic Energy Agency's decision to report Iran to the UN Security Council for continuing with its nuclear research program. Iran blamed Israel for the cartoons:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is at odds with much of the international community about Iran's disputed nuclear program, launched an anti-Israeli campaign last fall when he said the Holocaust was a "myth" and that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

In a speech marking the 27th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Saturday, Ahmadinejad linked his public rage with Israel and the cartoons satirizing Islam's most revered figure.

"Now in the West insulting the prophet is allowed, but questioning the Holocaust is considered a crime," he said. "We ask, 'Why do you insult the prophet?' The response is that it is a matter of freedom, while in fact they (who insult the founder of Islam) are hostages of the Zionists. And the people of the U.S. and Europe should pay a heavy price for becoming hostages to Zionists."

Now, the Qana jihad, gleefully stoked by Iran, is unfolding amid mounting U.N. Security Council pressure on Tehran and a looming resolution calling for the country to suspend its nuclear program.

US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton, bless him, isn't falling for the ploy:

U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said Hezbollah's actions were the ``fundamental cause'' of the conflict, and accused the group of hiding behind civilians.

``It says something about the morality and respect for human life of Hezbollah that they would use innocent civilians as shields; that's just something that for civilized people is not acceptable,'' Bolton said.

What better way to distract from Hezbollah's atrocities and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's annihilation plans than to start screaming about Israel's "war crimes" and Western crimes against humanity. John Hinderaker at Power Line points to prefab jihadi banners demonizing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. EU Referendum looks at morbid photo posing. Bob Owens wonders where all the men were.

But never mind all that, right? The Muslim world is united again. And some short-sighted Westerners are allowing themselves to be duped.

Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch has is right:

Western analysts continue to miss the fact that if it weren't Qana, it would be something else, and that Qana is just the latest in a long, long line of similar incidents used by jihadists to stir up a sense of grievance among Muslims and thereby increase support for the jihad du jour.

Exactly.

If it's not Qana, it's Gitmo.
Or cartoons or pop singers. Or filmmakers.
Or books. Or more books.
Or beauty pageants and bikinis.
Or American fast-food joints.
Or Valentine's Day.
Or playing cards.
Or Piglet.
Or soccer.
Or South Park.

There's always something burning with the jihadi members of the Religion of Perpetual Outrage. It's time to see through the smokescreen.

***

Now, go read Allah Pundit, who has a video double for you, plus a riddle:

"[W]hy is it that “fury erupt[s] around the world” when a building in the Middle East goes down, but when one goes down in lower Manhattan we get nothing but candlelight vigils and morons beating peace bongos in Union Square?"

A TREMENDOUS DAY FOR THE ISLAMIC JIHAD

There is just no other way to describe it. Yesterday an Israeli air strike killed a number of civilians in the Southern Lebanon town of Qana.

What didn't really make the news yesterday? How about the fact that while the world's media was busy telling and re-telling the story of the tragedy in Qana, Hezbollah was firing about 150 missiles into civilian areas of Iraq. This is business as usual for Hezbollah. They fire these missiles -- well over 1300 so far -- every day, and they fire them intending for them to kill civilians.

What tactics do Hezbollah use while firing these rockets at Israeli civilians? They fire them from densely populated civilian areas. We've seen video from Israeli drones that show Hezbollah mobile rocket launchers firing rockets from civilian areas ... then the trucks drive into a densely populated area to hide. The purpose is clear. When the Israelis come to destroy the rocket launcher civilians may die, and Hezbollah and it's Muslim apologists will rush to the media with pictures of dead Lebanese women and children.

Make no mistake. Hezbollah is glad this happened yesterday. Not just glad .. elated. This is part of their strategy .. a designed disaster. These Islamic terrorists hide behind their civilians while trying to kill innocent Israelis. There are reports that Hezbollah takes steps to prevent civilians from leaving the area.

The world's reaction was typical. Typical and totally expected. Kofi the Korrupt, the leader of the hideous anti-American United Nations talked yesterday of how outraged he was at the Israeli action. Does anyone remember Kofi condemning Hezbollah for their rocket attacks on Israel? Does anyone remember Kofi condemning Hamas for lobbing over 1000 rockets on Israeli settlements after Israel withdrew from Gaza?

Muslims, of course, were reacting in an entirely predictable way. They rioted and protested. The stormed the United Nations headquarters and destroyed some property. They marched in the streets. They burned flags. They shook fists. They threatened carnage. They acted as Muslims act when Muslims are killed. They acted as Muslims seem to never act when Muslims kill innocent civilians.

Muslims killing innocent civilians apparently isn't all that much of a problem for Muslims -- or for Kofi Annan.

Why no protests against Hezbollah? Muslims don't protest when Muslims kill innocent non-believers. That's apparently not a problem for them.

Why did Israel attack this particular building? Was Hezbollah launching rockets from the vicinity of this building? Did Hezbollah then hide their rocket launchers near the building .. hoping to draw an Israeli attack?

What's next? Well the pressure is on for a cease fire. Israel has stopped its air campaign for a 48 hour period to give relief personnel a chance to do their work in Qana.

If a cease fire occurs without Hezbollah being disarmed this whole episode can be considered to be no less than a magnificent victory for Hezbollah and radical Islam. Hezbollah attacks Israel. Hezbollah tries to kill Israeli civilians with rockets loaded down with metal balls ... a design for carnage. Hezbollah does all of this while hiding behind civilians in Lebanon. Israel responds and civilians in Lebanon die. The world condemns Israel and forces a cease fire. Hezbollah gets away with their aggression, Israel is demonized in the world's media, and Hezbollah is left alone to regroup, rearm and prepare for the next offensive.

About the 50 civilians who died. This is exactly what Hezbollah wanted to happen! This is their design! There was celebration within the leadership ranks of Hezbollah when those civilians, including children, died. Hezbollah brings death to Lebanese civilians, and the Lebanese honor and adore Hezbollah.

Kofi Annan says that there cannot be any military solution to this crisis. It will have to be a political agreement. Kofi is wrong. The only solution to this war with radical Islam is a military one. Muslim radicals only negotiate under two conditions; when they're in danger of being totally destroyed and need time to regroup; and when they can use the negotiations to the disadvantage of their adversaries.

This is a war. Israel realizes it. We don't.

Sure, it's tragic when innocent people die, that has occurred in every war since the beginning of time. For instance, you may not know that the Allies firebombed German cities in World War II...killing thousands of civilians. It was seen as a way to demoralize the Germans and bring about a surrender. The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed thousands of innocent people. But they saved thousands of American lives in that it brought Japan to its knees and forced the surrender.

Israel is in a fight for its very existence. They are fighting an enemy, Islamic Hezbollah, that is being harbored by a democratically elected government in Lebanon. It is a given that when they attack an Islamic terrorist enemy that hides among civilians, there is going to be some collateral damage. That's what happens during a war.

But sadly, that's not how the rest of the world, including the Bush Administration, sees it. Despite what they say, it appears that severe limits are about to be placed on just how Israel is allowed to defend itself. If we hold Israel back now, how many lives will be lost when we finally have to act against a strengthened Hezbollah down the road?