Noted British columnist Melanie Phillips has alerted London to the indigenous dangers posed by Hezbollah. She pointed to its Islamic designation as the so-called Army of God, "a military force funded, trained by and answerable to the Islamic Republic of Iran"—a nation pledged to "the destruction of Israel and the genocide of the Jews, as a prelude to destroying the West and infidels everywhere" (The Spectator, Aug. 5).

The Islamic Human Rights Commission [IHRC] in the United Kingdom encourages Muslims in Britain to supply Hezbollah with "financial, logistical and international support" in its attacks on Israel.

And Britain itself is still a target, as recent events at Heathrow Airport have shown. Recently Iran 's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on TV that " England was the founder of this sinister regime"—meaning Israel—and was "an accomplice to all of its crimes" (ibid.)

British Jews may be even more vulnerable than the general public. The Times stated, "The Jewish community in Britain is facing a wave of anti-Semitism as a result of the conflict in Lebanon " (Aug. 8). The Jewish Chronicle referred to it as a "wave of intimidation." Already occurring are abusive telephone messages, hate mail to Jewish organizations and various incidents like the name Hezbollah being painted near one of Glasgow 's synagogues.

The stakes are high for the whole Western world. As British Member of Parliament Michael Gove wrote: "Western failure to support Israel will have global consequences . . . When the West fails to offer an appropriate defence of Israel it succeeds only in undermining its own long-term security" (The Times, Aug. 4).

Melanie Phillips concluded her article with these somber words: "But if Israel were to lose to Iran, it would herald a catastrophe for the entire world." (Sources: The Spectator, The Times, The Jewish Chronicle [all London].)