I had the pleasure to speak to a very senior Bahraini, who expressed his dismay at the Israeli assaults on Palestine and Lebanon.

But his distress was exacerbated by the West's "blank cheque" for Israel, which it is allowing to do as it pleases with little more than mild protest.

He talked about how Bahrain and other Arab countries have worked to build bridges and create a moderate atmosphere, in which relations have thrived in many areas.

Bahrain and the Arab world have strong diplomatic and economic ties with the US, the UK and much of Europe, yet those same friendly nations at best ignore and at worst facilitate, Israel's aggressive activities.

It is this that is causing so much consternation in the Arab and Islamic world, that the same people who talk of peace and working together to outlaw terrorism, still allow Israel to destroy a country and murder thousands of innocent people.

The gentleman I spoke to was frustrated at the media bias, particularly in the US, which gives a distorted picture to ordinary people.

If they were better informed, if they could shed this romantic idea that Israel is a pioneer state under constant attack, then they might begin to ask questions of their elected leadership.

I saw a Sky News interview with British MP Claire Short, who argued quite rightly that the impunity granted to Israel by the West was fuelling the very attacks that Israel claims so lamely to be defending itself against.

If people have nowhere else to go, if all political and diplomatic avenues are closed, what else can they do but turn to violence, she said.

The interviewer was as blinkered as ever, retorting that Israel was "simply defending itself".

So limited attacks by Hizbollah justify the destruction of a country? How can anyone argue that Israel has the right to do what it has done.

But we have been down this road before. It is not the first time Israel has launched onslaughts on its neighbours.

Lebanon will bury its dead and try to rebuild.

But the damage done by the West's refusal to act is in people's hearts and will take far longer to repair.