VOL. XXXIX

No. 33

13 May 1996

The Political Scene

The publication of a UN report which stops only fractionally short of accusing Israel of deliberately shelling the UN compound in Qana in south Lebanon three weeks ago has been dismissed as "absurd" by the Israelis. The Americans rushed to Israel's defense, further damaging their credibility as a mediator in the peace process and drawing public criticism in Saudi Arabia (although not directly from the government). American bias towards...