International reactions to the 2006 Lebanon War 39% disapproved, and 16% were not sure. When asked to think about the events of the past week in the Middle East, 54% of Americans answered that their sympathies are more with Israel, 11% answered more with Arab nations, 11% both, 11% neither, and 13% not sure. In August 2006, University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer accused Israel of using the kidnapping of its soldiers by Hezbollah as an excuse to attack Lebanon and start the 2006 Lebanon War. Mearsheimer stated that "Israel had been planning to strike at Hezbollah for months. Key Israelis had briefed the administration about
PLO in Lebanon support of the Palestinian cause. The US was less positive in response to PLO and at one time favoured a policy of isolating the Palestinians, which clearly did not work. Charlie Wilson, the U.S. congressman responsible for raising funds in order to assist Afghan mujahideen to fight the Soviets, commented that he felt the Israeli forces were welcomed as a liberation army and that PLO's presence was worth even the tumult of the Israeli invasion. Whilst in Lebanon, PLO were able to mount several attacks on Israel from vantage points along the border. The time in Lebanon also afforded PLO