The escalating war that now devastates Lebanon and it people is a tragedy that should long ago have been addressed by the International Community. The

fat-cats at the U.N. sit around in their privileged and comfortable surrounding and produce absolutely nothing, and that has been so for decades.

Meanwhile, Israel deploys its superior military machine in Lebanon to find and destroy Hezbollah and in the process kills and maims thousands of men, women and children, none of whom are combatants. Even a clearly marked U.N. observation post was targeted and the four occupants killed. This is tantamount to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly.

It is patently clear that Hezbollah is out classed by the Israeli war machine. Hezbollah has rockets to lob into Israeli towns but tanks and warplanes are nowhere to seen. The outcome of this policy of deliberate destruction of a country is clear to any observer unless this war is stopped by the international community.

It is well understood that the Arab world cannot accept Israel and it will not rest until it regains the territory that country occupies. It was another U.N. high-handed stupid mistake that led to the blood letting that plagues the region today.

That the Jews defend their perceived right to this Palestinian land handed to them in 1948 by the U.N. is understandable. They have no other place they can call their own. But it is just as understandable that the Palestinians from whom this land was taken also oppose this invasion.

While governments ponder this thorny issue, the Prime

Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert pontificates in fury and refers to the suffering of his people, the "persecuted" six million Jews annihilated by the "Savages in Europe." He should remember that at least as many were non Jews who died in that terribly time in history. The gypsies of Europe, the Poles, the Russians, Jehovah Witnesses and many others. Surely their suffering was no less than their brethren whom we all mourn. There has been no mention of the 50,000,000 who died in winning that war that saved so many of the incarcerated.

Any expression of compassion for the innocent who bear the burden of this systematic destruction of Lebanon and its people loses credibility as the wanton destruction continues. Surely the daily images of the wounded men, women and children would move people to demand a stop to the bloodshed and a more civilized approach to the resolution of this outstanding problem.

When in Israel a few years ago our hired guide remarked, "We view the Palestinians very much as the South Africans see the Blacks." If that is representative of the public's opinion of Palestinians there is little hope for a peaceful resolution to this conflict.

Ken Hayward.

Town of Mono