tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post115509382325728500..comments2023-10-22T09:18:16.885-04:00Comments on Far and Wide: Israel Sacks GeneralSteve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20358187.post-1155150100021684402006-08-09T15:01:00.000-04:002006-08-09T15:01:00.000-04:00The Israeli and Lebanese governments are talking p...The Israeli and Lebanese governments are talking past each other. <BR/><BR/>Israel has been clear: it wants an army of peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon and on the borders, which has the will and the muscle to disarm Hezbollah, interdict new armaments flowing from Syria and Iran, and stop the missiles raining down on Israel. The kidnapped soldiers must be released. In its view, UNIFIL does not fit the two requirements: its mandate lacks the will and its armaments are inadequate for the purpose. Until these requirements are met, Israel will widen its thrust into Lebanon, seeking to kill as many Hezbollah as it can while doing so.<BR/><BR/>The Lebanese government desperately does not want to be forced to disarm Hezbollah, nor can its army do so. So it wants peace so that the Israeli army will withdraw, Hezbollah will join the army (or not), the country can rebuild, Hezbollah can claim victory, and fighting will start again, soon, no doubt with more missiles raining down on Israel.<BR/><BR/>Bush wants to make sure the vacuum left by a disengaging Israeli army is not filled by a resurgent Hezbollah. For a while, he managed to swing France over to his view, but now France is wavering and moving towards the Lebanese government's views.<BR/><BR/>When and how will it end? When the NATO countries decide to put a credible force on the ground, with the mandate to demilitarize southern Lebanon. Until then, the fighting will go on, because Hezbollah has no option, having started the war, to continue fighting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com