Has anyone noticed World Cup - Lebanon nexus?

Althought the Lebanon war was over a period of many years, this movie was set during Israel's presence in Lebanon and a World Cup Final in Spain in 1982.

Sadly, a conflict is going on again in Lebanon involving Israel. And a World Cup was going on.

Maybe the Lebanese people and Israeli reservists should go on vacation away from Lebanon when the World Cup is on. I hear Cyprus is nice.

The other day in the Israeli newpaper Haaretz (online version in English), there was a piece about nations with McDonald's not going to war against each other. The writer acknowledged that there are McDonalds in Lebanon, but not in Hezbollah controlled areas. The point he made was that commerce and prosperity, no matter how vulgar (i.e. MacDonald's) makes people too busy to fight wars.

Arab leaders have wanted unity to fight Israel. Israel has hoped for continuing Arab discord to prevent them from bringing their collective might against Israel.

It is my hope that a sport as universal as football (soccer) can bring enemies together in competition on the field where the worst of it is a headbutt.

It is my hope that Arab unity will mean that Arab peoples will be too busy making money, enjoying movies, sending their kids to college, having weddings, taking trips to Cyprus and Sharm el-sheikh, and having too a good time to want to wage war or send their kids off to die and kill others.

Salaam, in sha-allah, Shalom, baruch ha-Shem.