The only way to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, I believe, is to deploy an international force to the blue line. But let us be precise: I don’t mean blue helmets like the useless U.N. “peacekeepers” of UNIFIL, who currently operate in southern Lebanon and have done nothing to stop the periodic launching of katyushas into northern Israel. I’m talking about the force of NATO or British soldiers with a mandate to disarm Hezbollah. But, first, a bit of history often lost in the current coverage.

Hiz b’Allah — “party of God” — was created in 1982, when Israel (commanded by Ariel Sharon) invaded Lebanon, hoping to disarm the Palestine Liberation Organization, which had taken up residence in Beirut.