Chris At Home

Israel:

“Had the information indicated that civilians were present in the building the attack would not have been carried out,” the statement said, adding that residents of Qana and surrounding villages had been warned several times to leave their homes.

The statement said Lt. General Dan Halutz, the chief of staff, again expressed sorrow for the deaths. “The Hizbollah organization places Lebanese civilians as a defensive shield between itself and us while the army places itself as a defensive shield between the citizens of Israel and Hizbollah’s terror,” he said. “That is the main difference between us.”

Hezbullah:

Hizbollah guerrillas killed eight people in a rocket barrage on Israel and four Israeli soldiers in clashes in Lebanon on Thursday, the deadliest day of the war for Israel in 23 days of fighting.
In a televised speech, Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group would target Tel Aviv if Israel attacked central Beirut.

Palestinians:

Palestinian witnesses in the Jenin area, who noticed the rocket parts which fell between Beit Shean and Afula, said the rocket appeared to have fallen in the Gilboa area.

A Fatah activist from Jenin added that the rocket hit was heard clearly around the city, and a spark and a flame were also clearly seen.

The Fatah member related that local residents cheered when they heard the rocket fall and saw the resulting flames. "Even if it were to fall on our heads, it wouldn't have spoiled our joy. All of us here are praying for Hizbullah's success and victory," he said.

Many Americans say the two groups are equivalent: civilians died in both cases. Willful blindness to the fundamental difference between the two sides requires a lack of conscience and more hypocrisy than I can muster.