As a Canadian living in Israel, I feel that it's apropos for me to comment a little on what's currently happening.

Hezbolla, a known terrorist organisation and cabinet member of the Lebanese governement, crossed into sovereign Israeli terrority and kidnapped two soldiers, killing eight.

Israel, in response, sent a tank in pursuit of the captors into Lebanan. Afterward, Hezbolla fired literally hundreds of rockets into heavily populated Israeli cities. Hundreds of rockets continue to assult Israel every day and there have been more than 1000 fired to date, forcing close to one million Israelis to spend their entire days and nights in sweltering bomb shelters with their children.

What would you expect your government to do if hundreds of rockets were threatenting you and your nation daily? Fire hundreds back daily in "proportion" and wait until the instagators get bored?

Hezbolla deliberately targets innocent civilans trying to kill as many people as possible. Israel drops leaflets informing people of upcoming strikes, in order not to kill civilians and to give them time to leave areas which have been hotbeds of rocket fire.

Hezbolla hides amongst the Lebanese people, launching rockets next to city homes and hiding launchers under beds. As a result, Israel has the dilemma of destroying the terrorist infrastructure or allowing the continued terror and onslaught of its people in passive deference to "human rights."

Hezbolla seeks maximum death and destruction. Israel's aim is to paralyze Hizbolla's war effort; in the bombing of the Beirut airport the runways were destroyed to prevent arms shipments, but the rader contol towers were not. Similarly, Lebanese army posts have not been targeted, as the Lebanese army has not been involved.

Finally, it is difficult to reconcile human compassion with the tragedies and destruction of war, and Israel has been criticized in the media for its "disproportionate" retaliation. It is worth reminding that there have been more than 1000 rockets launched into Israeli cities and towns and that they have not killed more people or destroyed more infrastructure is only thanks to G-d. Proportionality is to be measured by action, not results. Furthermore, Israel is not fighting a tit-for-tat game against stubborn neighbors but a two-front, unprovoked war for its very survival. The Middle East is not North America or the European Union, I've learned being here.