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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Olmert: Offensive to Continue 'Til Release |
| 2006-07-18 |
| Israeli officials said Tuesday their offensive in Lebanon could last several more weeks and involve large numbers of ground forces, casting doubt on diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a visiting U.N. delegation that "Israel will continue to combat Hezbollah and will continue to strike targets of the group" until captured Israeli soldiers are released and Israeli citizens are safe from attacks. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said diplomatic efforts were under way, but a cease-fire would be impossible unless the captured soldiers are returned unharmed and Lebanese troops are deployed along the countries' border, with a guarantee that the Hezbollah militia would be disarmed. Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, the head of the Israeli army's northern command, said the offensive against Hezbollah, which has mostly been limited to Israel's air force and navy, would continue. "I think that we should assume that it will take a few more weeks," he told Israel's Army Radio. The army's deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski, told Israel Radio that Israel has not ruled out deploying "massive ground forces into Lebanon." "We certainly won't reach months and I hope it also won't be many more weeks, but we still need time to complete the operation's very clear objectives," Kaplinsky said. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said Israel may consider a prisoner swap with Lebanon to win the release of two soldiers captured by Hezbollah, but only after its military operation is complete. "If one of the ways to bring home the soldiers will be negotiations on the possibility of releasing Lebanese prisoners, I think the day will come when we will also have to consider this," Dichter told Army Radio. Israeli strikes in Lebanon raised the death toll in that country to at least 226. Israelis strongly support the military operation against Hezbollah, according a to poll in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot. It said 86 percent of Israelis believe the operation is justified, 81 percent want it to continue and 58 percent say it should last until Hezbollah is destroyed. The poll had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. Nevertheless, Livni said, "We are beginning a diplomatic process alongside the military operation that will continue." "The diplomatic process is not meant to shorten the window of time of the army's operation, but rather is meant to be an extension of it and to prevent a need for future military operations," she told reporters. Clarifying the JPost article from this morning. Thank goodness. |
| Posted by:Nimble Spemble |
| #15 "Sure, Darrell. But there's no demand for vegetable patient technology like in the States." Not yet. But soon there will be, then you will be asking the West for it. -M |
| Posted by: Manolo 2006-07-18 23:17 |
| #14 It's up to Assad Jr. whether he wsnts to put his pencilneck in the noose. Somehow I doubt it. Israel should be happy to eliminate Hisb' Allan and there it ends. It had potential to spiral out of control but I think too many saw this and pulled back from their normal anti-Israel stance. But Israel's reprieve won't last long. It needs to focus its devastation on the iniverally condemned Hisb' Allan and wait till next time for the rest. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-18 18:17 |
| #13 I would not be surprised to see Iran leave Syria twisting slowly as well, depending on how events unfold. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-07-18 18:10 |
| #12 Very true, lotp. None of the players now have an interest in seeing this go much further relative to the potential downsides. Nor do they have sufficient interest in seeing it end prematurely. So Iran and Syria will very wisely leave Hisb' Allan to twist slowly, slowly in the wind. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-18 18:07 |
| #11 It is telling that in an election year, during a decade of tumultuous politics, the US Senate has passed a resolution condemning Hezb'Allah. Democrat as well as Republican senators are on TV saying Syria and Iran will be held accountable for this violence. If you want a sign as to which way the winds are blowing in the US, that's one worth paying attention to. Ahmadinajad may think he wants chaos to hasten the coming of the Mahdi. Let Syria be warned -- if Hezb'Allah or its own army use the aging WMD they were given by others, or their own chemical weapons, 'chaos' is not the word for what will result. The patience of moderate Americans is wearing thin. When this country swings towards reprisals, it may be hard indeed to keep from destroying both Iran and Syria. If millions of people die in those countries, the responsibility will lie squarely with their leaders. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-07-18 17:53 |
| #10 But there's no demand for vegetable patient technology like in the States. People don't live that long. Nor it would appear does your world value lives enough to go to that much trouble, although the previous head of the Sauds was an exception. |
| Posted by: anti-Levant 2006-07-18 17:40 |
| #9 Words and a few WMD are all Syria has. It's truly tragic - and pathetic - that with so many billions of dollars from oil all the Arab world has achieved is terrorism and boasts. Levant - people die. But no matter who dies, the reality won't change. Israel is a thriving democracy that has contributed advanced medicine, engineering and other achievements to the whole world. The Arab world has exported oil - including to your little country - along with seething, cowardly terror violence and some weaponry, mostly copied from the West by people who studied among us. Pathetic. Y'all might do a little better if you focused your energy on education, representative government, economic development and getting your shit together. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-07-18 17:39 |
| #8 Sure, Darrell. But there's no demand for vegetable patient technology like in the States. |
| Posted by: the Levant 2006-07-18 17:37 |
| #7 What's with your hospital obsession, Levant? Don't you have those in Syria? |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-07-18 17:25 |
| #6 Better watch out Olmort or you'll end up like your former boss in the brain-dead ward. |
| Posted by: the Levant 2006-07-18 17:24 |
| #5 Let Peretz negotiate cease-fire |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-07-18 17:20 |
| #4 When you've got the pimp hand, ask for the moon. It's not like the Hizb boyos can comply, and it looks nice to the chattering classes. Keep slappin. |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-07-18 17:13 |
| #3 he's also demanded Hezb disarm and withdraw from the border in favor of Leb Army units, something Hezb will never allow - it takes away their entire excuse for existence as a militia. This is a political posturing proposal to disarm critics. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-07-18 16:47 |
| #2 They know the kidnapped soldiers won't be freed till after the fighting stops. So it's a safe offer for now. Palliates the MSM but doesn't interrupt operations. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-18 16:45 |
| #1 Has Israel lost its nerve? Till kidnapped soldiers are freed? Then what, allow HeadsforAllan to regroup and rearm? |
| Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden 2006-07-18 16:20 |