VZCZCXRO0596
OO RUEHDE
DE RUEHAD #3305 2271058
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151058Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6587
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1093
RHRMDAB/COMUSNAVCENT
RHWSMRC/MCF01 SACCS USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003305 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; 
RRU-NEA 
IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR MCKUNE 
PITRANSGRESS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION: WHO WON THE WAR? 
 
¶1.  Summary:  One Emirati columnist in "Al-Ittihad" ridiculed 
declarations that the cease-fire marked a Lebanese victory, and 
highlighted the heavy losses incurred by Lebanon because of 
Hezbollah's intransigence.  Another columnist in "Al-Khaleej" warned 
the Lebanese against holding Hezbollah accountable for the recent 
conflict even after they helped defend Lebanon from Israeli 
aggression; instead, he urges them to hold Arab impotence 
accountable.  Finally, a lead editorial in "Al-Khaleej" emphasized 
that the winner of the war was ultimately the Lebanese, and that the 
freedom they have achieved is worth any price.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  On 08/15, Emirati columnist Abdullah Rasheed wrote the following 
in his daily column in the Abu Dhabi-based semi-official 
Arabic-language daily "Al-Ittihad" (circulation 65,000): 
 
"Instead of investigating the catastrophe that has hit our Lebanese 
brothers and preparing Arabs to accept the reality of this tragedy, 
some Arab voices have seen fit to declare it an overwhelming 
military victory for Lebanon over Israel.  These Arabs forget that 
the million Israelis that have spent the past several weeks in 
shelters will tomorrow or the day after return to their homes, 
whereas the thousands of Lebanese that have been killed will remain 
in their mass graves... Those who describe the tragedy in Lebanon as 
a victory over the Zionist military machine ignore the blood gushing 
from the Lebanese body, and the painful scars borne by the Lebanese 
alone.  Victories are not mere slogans, words or foolish statements 
issued via satellite TV; instead, they are measured on the basis of 
hard figures, comprising the true loss of lives, property, land and 
sovereignty." 
 
¶3.  On 08/15, columnist Dr. Hasan Madan wrote the following in an 
editorial in the Sharjah-based Arabic-language daily "Al-Khaleej" 
(circulation 90,000): 
 
"Even before the cease-fire came into effect, some Lebanese and Arab 
voices were demanding that Hezbollah be held accountable for its 
actions in abducting the two Israeli prisoners and dragging the 
country into an unwanted war.  And after the cease-fire, these 
voices are getting louder, at a time when the corpses of the victims 
are still lying under wreckage and Lebanese blood is still pouring 
out, all amidst a strong feeling of patriotic dignity felt by 
Lebanese and Arabs across a wide range of ideologies.  The Lebanese 
fighters showed courage in defending their country... It is a 
historical achievement, if not a miracle, that Lebanese freedom was 
able to stand so resiliently against Israeli aggression, while so 
many other Arab nations remain constrained by their governments from 
fighting back or resisting the enemy.  At the end of the day, 
Hezbollah is one of the groups that so valiantly defended Lebanon... 
Many of those that blame Hezbollah for Lebanon's destruction, as if 
Hezbollah waged a sectarian or civil war in Lebanon and were not the 
victims of U.S.-Israeli aggression, wish to punish Lebanon.  Who 
should be held accountable to whom?  Shouldn't the resilient 
Lebanese hold the Arabs accountable for their impotence?" 
 
¶4.  On 08/15 the Sharjah-based Arabic-language daily "Al-Khaleej" 
published the following in a lead editorial: 
 
"Some ask who has own the war.  I say Lebanon.  This country, once 
represented by the Phoenix, will fly again.  Such a strong country 
will not let anyone defeat it or displace its people... There is a 
difference between the flood of martyrs' blood and the flow of 
poisonous words.  The former stays, while the latter passes. 
Victory is priceless to those who understand what it means." 
 
QUINN