Every once in a while, a photographic image emerges which captures the very essence of a major international issue.

It doesn't happen every day, but when it does, the power of the underlying problem suddenly becomes eminently clear.

One such photo (see below) now appears on the website of Time magazine (of all places!!), where young kids in a Hizbullah scouting troop are shown pledging to die for the cause while raising their hands in the air in a chillingly-familiar salute.

Coincidence? I doubt it. Hizbullah leaders are knowledgeable enough to understand the meaning of that pose, which was burned into the memory of the Jewish people, and that of the entire world, some six decades ago in the heart of Europe.

Hizbullah's stated aim, of course, is to destroy the Jewish state, and their actions over the past two weeks have only served to underline their determination to target the innocent.

So take a good long, look at that photo, and you will see what Hizbullah is busying filling its children's minds with. And then, you'll also understand and appreciate far more profoundly just what it is that Israel is up against.

The soldiers have moved across the international border, with the aim of stopping an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group.

The terrorists are occupying large swathes of the neighboring country, which has been wracked for decades by civil war and bloody internecine conflict.

Sounds familiar, right?

Well, in fact, the above scenario is playing itself out not only along Israel's northern border, but in the Horn of Africa, too, where Ethiopia has moved troops into Somalia to counter an Islamic fundamentalist militia that has seized control over parts of the country.

Ethiopia legitimately fears the destabilizing effect of having a fundamentalist terrorist group based next door, particularly since the Somali Islamists aspire to create a "Greater Somalia" that would incorporate parts of Ethiopia itself. And so, Ethiopia has done what any normal country would do in such a situation: they have moved to protect themselves and their interests from harm.

Why do I bring this up? Because it underlines the hypocrisy and double standard that is applied by the media and much of the international community, which is only too happy to denounce Israel for defending itself, while remaining silent when others do precisely the same thing.

Selective media coverage? You bet.

Selective morality at the UN? Case closed.

Even when the moral calculus is clear-cut and simple, Europe still just doesn't get it.

Israel may be fighting a war of self-defense against Hizbullah and Hamas terrorists, who resort to kidnappings, rocket attacks and suicide bombings against innocent civilians, but that hasn't stopped the "salonistas" of Europe from coming down hard against the Jewish state.

But in what can only be described as a new low - even by European standards - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero yesterday openly identified with Israel's enemies, even as Katyusha rockets were raining down on Haifa, Tiberias and Nazareth.

Speaking at something called the Festival of Socialist Youth (didn't the Soviet Union disappear over 15 years ago?), Zapatero denounced Israel and accused it of using "abusive force" before draping a keffiyeh decorated with a Palestinian flag around his neck (see the photo below).

Zapatero's act was morally obscene – for a European leader to do such a thing at a time when Israel is battling terrorism only sends an unpardonable message of support and encouragement to the terrorists.

It becomes even more absurd when one considers that Spain itself has suffered from Islamist fundamentalist terror. Has Mr. Zapatero forgotten the horrific March 11, 2004 terror attacks in Madrid, which were carried out by Al-Qaeda? Why are Hamas and Hizbullah murderers any different?

Perhaps Zapatero thinks that by identifying with the "cause" of Hamas and Hizbullah, he can spare his own country from suffering additional Islamist-inspired attacks.

Obviously, he has failed to learn one of the central lessons of the post-September 11 world: namely, that as far as the fanatics are concerned, all of the West are "infidels".

Even those who speak Spanish.

Just in case you thought the international community had finally begun to see the light and recognize the justness of Israel's cause – think again.

In a piece appearing in yesterday's Washington Post, veteran op-ed columnist Richard Cohen published a screed so offensive, and so outrageous, that it should prompt every clear-headed individual to shun the American capital's paper of record and cancel their subscriptions forthwith.

Believe it or not, Cohen's article begins by embracing the central tenet of Hizbullah and Hamas ideology: namely, that the State of Israel has no right to exist.

Here is how Cohen himself put it: "The greatest mistake Israel could make at the moment is to forget that Israel itself is a mistake. It is an honest mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, a mistake for which no one is culpable, but the idea of creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims (and some Christians) has produced a century of warfare and terrorism of the sort we are seeing now."

Yes – you read that correctly. Cohen believes that "Israel itself is a mistake", and heaps the blame for everything that has happened since 1948 squarely on the shoulders of the Jews.

Sound familiar? It should – because that is exactly the same message being promulgated by Hamas fanatics, Hizbullah thugs, and their paymasters in Teheran. The only difference is that Cohen's diatribe appears in English (perhaps it was translated from the Arabic...).

In case you had any doubt about what Cohen thinks of Hizbullah rocket attacks or Hamas suicide bombings against innocent Israeli civilians, here is the vaunted journalist's take on the subject: "There is no point in condemning Hezbollah. Zealots are not amenable to reason. And there's not much point, either, in condemning Hamas. It is a fetid, anti-Semitic outfit whose organizing principle is hatred of Israel. There is, though, a point in cautioning Israel to exercise restraint -- not for the sake of its enemies but for itself."

Thanks for the advice, Dick. I'm sure your forbears are shepping nachas (i.e. taking pride) to see you defending the murderers, rather than their victims.

Here's a pop quiz for you.

Who said the following: "We'll take all the necessary measures to end the Katyushas. The fate and the situation of our residents is at the top of our concerns. Hizbullah has brought a tragedy upon Lebanon ... It will cause great damage to Lebanon. If the government of Lebanon wants to ensure its existence, it must remove the hand of terrorist organizations from the trigger."

If you said Ehud Olmert or even Ehud Barak – nice try, but incorrect.

In fact, the quote dates back to April 12, 1996, and was made by then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

He made the remarks after the launch of "Operation Grapes of Wrath", when Israel launched a major military operation to stop Hizbullah terror attacks against the Jewish state.

Why is this relevant?

Two reasons come to mind.

First – it is worth remembering that Hizbullah's assaults on northern Israel are nothing new. The Lebanese terror group has been terrorizing thousands of Israeli civilians intermittently for years, making it all the more important that Israel finally quash this terror group once and for all.

Second, it should serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers inherent in half-hearted measures or incomplete operations. Had Israel stuck to its goal ten years ago and truly dismantled Hizbullah, the current chaos would not be happening.

Instead, Israel halted the operation prior to achieving its objectives, and relied on a series of "understandings" reached through international mediation to bring about an end to Hizbullah attacks.

Let's hope Israel doesn't make that same mistake again.