Posted on 07/23/2006 6:20:40 PM PDT by blam
We're not stopping now, say defiant Israelis
By Isambard Wilkinson in Jerusalem and Francis Harris in Washington
(Filed: 24/07/2006)
Israel brushed aside mounting calls yesterday for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Its army made clear that it planned to keep up its assault for at least a week and had not ruled out a ground invasion.
Buoyed by support from Washington for rooting out Hizbollah rockets from southern Lebanon, the army treated parts of the border area as a free-fire zone. It hit at least two cars with rockets as they sought the relative safety of the city of Tyre.
Israeli soldiers prepare to cross the border to Lebanon
Condoleezza Rice, the American secretary of state, was setting out for the Middle East last night but aides said that calling a ceasefire was not on her agenda unless it involved the disarming of the Iranian-backed Hizbollah.
"The purpose is to maintain a sustainable ceasefire," said Josh Bolten, President George W Bush's chief of staff. "It is sustainable only if we get to the root problem, which is Hizbollah, a terrorist organisation." That uncompromising response will disappoint those at the United Nations and in Europe who believe that a ceasefire should be the primary aim.
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, said he accepted proposals for an international force for southern Lebanon. But the broad powers he envisaged for it appeared to rule out any prospect of it ever taking shape.
"Israel is ready to see deployment of a force with military capabilities and combat experience made up of troops from European Union countries," he told Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister.
But in addition to monitoring Lebanon's border with Israel, the force would have to control crossings between Syria and Lebanon. That would require some 20,000 troops and Lebanon would see such a mandate as tantamount to an occupation.
In Beirut, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, toured parts of the southern suburbs which have been devastated by air strikes and accused the Israelis of violating international humanitarian law.
"It is horrific," he said as he visited the Haret Hreik district. "I did not know it was block after block of houses."
Despite 11 days of bombardment, Hizbollah launched salvoes of rockets into northern Israel, killing two people in Haifa and wounding more than 30.
Lt Gen Dan Halutz, Israel's chief of staff, said his forces needed weeks to do their work. "I don't want to set a date," he said, "but we're trying to shorten the operation and still achieve our goals."
As senior diplomats from Britain, Germany and France arrived in Israel to try to coax it towards a ceasefire or at least restraint, Gen Halutz said: "The foreign ministers do not determine our time limit. The Israeli government does that."
In London, ministers insisted that there was no rift between the Foreign Office and No 10 after Kim Howells, a Foreign Office minister, speaking in Beirut, accused Israel of using disproportionate force and destroying Lebanon. He returned to the theme yesterday after visiting Haifa.
"I am very disturbed the more I hear about the extent of this campaign," he said. "At some stages there are 60 jets out there over the Mediteranean waiting to hit targets."
Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said she hoped that Mr Howells, having visited northern Israel, where some 2,000 missiles have struck, understood that the country "had a duty to defend its citizens".
America supports Israel's declared aim of forcing the implementation of UN resolution 1559, which calls for the disarming of Hizbollah and the deployment of the Lebanese army to southern Lebanon. It swept aside a Syrian offer of direct talks on the crisis.
John Bolton, the hawkish United States ambassador to the UN, said: "Syria does not need dialogue to know what to do; they need to lean on Hizbollah."
The Americans are hoping to use moderate Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt to convince Syria that it should cut its ties with Iran. Such a move would greatly weaken Hizbollah.
The dynamic of the mideast is changing rapidly. The arabs realize that they may not be avoid punishment by talking their way out of it this time.
It just goes to show that the arab world doesn't respect diplomacy or cease fires. They respect force.
Iran needs to be taken out.
Haven't even dropped the bunker busters yet. Warm up the virgins ....
George Allen on Hannity and Colmes said Israel should fight on...what's the sense of a cease-fire if Hezbollah simply regroups? (A cease-fire allows the enemy time to rearm, and next time they're likely to have nukes.)
Thank God they are not listening to the Back to 9/10 crowd.
Rush's strategery: you don't win wars through negotiation. And I think the UN is being exposed, finally, for the useless bunch of pinheads that it is. We haven't heard the last of The Honorable John Bolton.
This war is going to be over sooner than later, and the iranians will be left holding their numb nuts.
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em, Down Hezbullies.)
I have a feeling that Syria is about to break from Iran. Assad is a fool but he isn't crazy and I suspect that he knows that his partner in Iran is nuts.
Who's that??!?!?!?!
This British reporter must be new. He's referring to John Bolton, the UN rep for the US:)
Go Israel. Kick a$$.
.... followed by President Bush wiping a tear from his eye.
I think you are right, there is an awful lot of "stuff" going on behind the scenes, and you bet your bottom dollar that Condi would not be going overseas without some stuff in her back pocket. Ahmadenanutjob has gone off the deep end, and everyone is realizing that now.
Syria is sweating right now. According to this thread and story they may be offering to turn over some Al Qeada folks for us. The closer Israel gets to Syria the more they'll sweat.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670933/posts
Well it certainly wont be us. Iran is far and away a different planet than Iraq is. Very mountainous. Besides..Iranians got themselves into this mess in 79. They need to get themselves out. We've had our Civil War. Now they need to have theirs. Otherwise we will be bailing their sorry asses out of similar messes for the rest of eternity.
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