I read with dismay Anti-terrorist's proclamation in the letter M'sian youth support Hamas? that our support for Hamas and Hezbollah is a support for terrorist organisations. This serves only as extension of the US faulty rhetoric and tilted foreign policy, especially in the Middle East.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah have not been listed as terrorist organisations by the UN. In fact, Hezbollah, unlike Hamas, is not even listed as terrorist organisation by the European Union. The Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar Satelite TV station was officially allowed to broadcast in France.

Thus, why should we, Malaysians, accept the definition of terrorism by the US government, which is biased and only serves the interests of the Zionist entity? The fact is, no one else had ever been hurt by Hamas and Hezbollah, except the Zionist entity which is created on the occupied lands.

To most Palestinians and Lebanese, which are directly affected by this conflict, Hamas and Hezbollah are legitimate resistance movements having broad networks of charity and social services. They are also legitimate political parties participating in democratically-elected government. They are armed because their lands have been occupied, their rights have been violated, their dignity have been undermined, their leaders assassinated and members of their families are still imprisoned in Israel.

Israel repeatedly claims that they have honoured peace by withdrawing their troops from southern Lebanon in 2000, but they still keep thousands of war prisoners in their prisons. If the war and occupation have indeed been ended and peace truly been honoured, why would Israel still keep this prisoners of war, many of whom were snatched by Israel commandos from their homes at night prior to Israel's withdrawal in 2000?

On July 12, 2006 Hezbollah fighters abducted two Israeli soldiers in a qualitative military operation on Israel's military post near the occupied Shebaa Farm. Two weeks earlier, Hamas had carried out a similar qualitative military operation, abducted an Israel soldier and demanded prisoner swap. Not a single civilian was affected by these operations, which were desperate efforts by Hamas and Hezbollah to free the prisoners of war from Israel's prisons.

These are, by all accounts, not terror acts as the Israel foreign minister duly admitted in her interview with CNN. How could then Israel justify its horrible collective punishment and massacre against all Lebanese and Palestinian population? Worse still, how could international community be so silent when war crimes are being perpetrated against the innocent Lebanese and Palestinian population.

The rockets fired by Hezbollah on Israel cities are only a natural response after Israeli air strikes causing massive damage to the Lebanon's infrastructures and civilian lives. This could not be a foundation to justify the massacre by the Israelis. Why is it so difficult for Israel to agree to releasing prisoners of war? Does Israel think it is its right to keep those prisoners of war behind bars, after they declared they had honoured peace by withdrawing their troops from the occupied territories in southern Lebanon?

As the saying goes, 'To err is human, to forgive is divine'. All sides of the conflict in the Middle East may have erred in the past, including Hamas and Hezbollah. But the real issue here is our obligation to fight against injustice. Hamas and Hezbollah are clearly in the forefront in this fight against this continued injustice and I am proud to declare my support for them in view of the impotence of the Arab and Muslim regimes. Even if, God forbid, they may lose in this war.