What European Nations Are Saying About the Situation In the Mideast

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Europe and Israel

European nations have called on Hezbollah to release the two Israeli soldiers whose kidnapping provoked Israel's military strikes on the terror group's home country of Lebanon, but they've saved their harshest words for Israel itself.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy condemned Israel's attacks as "a disproportionate act of war," while Greece called on Israel to stop the use of "excessive and pointless force." And current European Union president Finland says the "imposition of an air and sea blockade on Lebanon cannot be justified," adding that Israel's "actions, which are contrary to international humanitarian law, can only aggravate the vicious circle of violence and retribution, and cannot serve anyone's legitimate security interests."

North Korean Threat

Americans are more concerned than ever about the North Korean threat after multiple missile tests last week, but they're unsure how to deal with the rogue nation.

A new North Korea poses a real national security threat to the U.S. — and another 62 percent say the country is more of a threat after the launch, despite the missiles failure. Forty-two percent say they're most concerned about the North Korea selling its missiles to terrorists.

But while 68 percent of Americans say the administration should give diplomacy a chance to work, 67 percent say the U.S. shouldn't trust any agreements it makes with North Korea, and 46 percent say a toughly worded U.N. resolution would be no help in preventing North Korea from developing its weapons program.

Peeved Over Praise?

The news side of the Wall Street Journal, whose editorial approach is similar to other mainstream outlets, is steamed at the paper's conservative editorial writers for praising its handling of that secret program to track terrorist finances.

An editorial last week noted that reporter Glenn Simpson received the story from treasury officials, who offered him the same declassified information that The New York Times had obtained from its sources because they felt Simpson would write a straighter story.

But the New York Observer reports that news staffers think the piece made Simpson sound like an administration lackey, noting that Simpson was actually working on the same story for months. The staff is drafting a letter of protest to managing editor Paul Steiger asking him to reject the editorial page's endorsement.

French Forgiveness

Sixty-one percent of French citizens have forgiven soccer star Zinedine Zidane for headbutting an Italian player in the crucial waning moments of the World Cup final — even if it cost France the title.

But as far as Iran is concerned, there was nothing to forgive. The head of that country's external relations committee has sent a letter to Zidane congratulating him for his "logical" reaction and "timely" defense against an alleged insult to his "human and Islamic" identity and a headline in one Iranian paper called the outburst the retiring player's "Proud Farewell."

Zidane, meanwhile, has apologized for the incident on French TV, but at the same time says he doesn't regret his violent act.

—FOX News Channel's Aaron Bruns contributed to this report.