Hezbollah says Obama shows bias

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah's leader on Wednesday accused President Barack Obama of absolute bias in favor of Israel and disregard for the dignity of Arabs and Muslims.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Obama has gone even further in his military support for the Jewish state than his predecessor, George W. Bush — who was reviled in much of the Arab world for his support of Israel and war on Iraq.

The remarks were Nasrallah's strongest criticism yet of the American president since Obama took office almost a year ago.

Nasrallah said Obama's earlier statements calling on Israel to freeze settlement building and then going back on that demand was a "tactic" agreed on by both Israel and the U.S.

Obama's initial settlement demand was "an American ploy to pass the time and gain Arab sympathy," Nasrallah said, adding any "illusions" anyone had about Obama being more evenhanded have now collapsed.

"What we see is absolute American commitment to Israeli interests, Israeli conditions, and Israeli security ... while disregarding the dignity or feelings of the Arab and Muslims people and their nations and governments," he said in a speech broadcast to tens of thousands of supporters in a southern Beirut suburb.

Nasrallah, who is influential among supporters of his Shiite group in the Arab world, also warned Israel against waging another war on Lebanon, repeating his pledge to hit back deep within Israel.

Hezbollah and Israel fought a bitter 2006 summer war that killed around 1,200 people in Lebanon and 160 in Israel before it ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire.