"There are moments in the life of a nation, when it is compelled to look directly into the face of reality and say: no more!" Olmert said in a speech in the Knesset plenum Monday evening. "And I say to everyone: no more! Israel will not be held hostage - not by terror gangs or by a terrorist authority or by any sovereign state."Israeli Prime Minister Olmert
I think the translation might be off but I understand and agree with the sentiment.
Olmert spelled out the four goals of the military operations: The return of the abducted Israeli soldiers, a complete cease fire, deployment of the Lebanese army in all of southern Lebanon, expulsion of Hizbullah from the area, and fulfillment of United Nations Resolution 1559.If no one else will do it, what right have others to criticize Israel for enforcing a UN resolution? There are some extraordinary risks involved, to be sure. Syria could engage in defense of its creature Hezbollah as soon as the Isaelis cross the border in force. Iran could announce an embargo of oil shipments in support. Hezbollah may have taken possession of WMD's that wound up in the Bekaa Valley just before OIF began. Each of those is a distinct possibility and all of them happening together is not improbable.
The reward for action on Irael's part will not be a lasting peace. There can be no lasting peace in the Middle East until a non theocratic government is in place in Iran and Israel cannot topple the mullahs - by itself. That said, Israel cannot and should not hesitate to proceed. I know that there will be a fair amount of collateral damage no matter how hard the IDF tries to avoid it. That collateral damage is the bill Lebanon must pay for lacking the will to control its own territory.
5 comments:
I was listening to the panel on Brit Hume tonight and Mort Kondracke said that he thought that Iran was the big winner in all this, but I disagree.
I think the world is getting sick of these people. They mow down people at funerals, blow up markets and trains and buses and lob rockets at sovereign states to start wars, they lob off people's heads and in general make life difficult for everyone else. I think the world is tired of jihad.
Yeah, I'm getting sick of them. I'm kind of hoping that the idea is to clear out the near threat so that Iran can be really threatened, in which case it's not enough for Hezbollah just to retreat from the south, though that may well be all Israel can realistically hope to achieve at the moment. In any case, Lebanon must learn it will suffer if it makes a home anywhere for these kinds of people. Right now, I'm afraid they are largely being taught to see see themselves as victims, by the likes of the BBC. Those who so encourage them are the really evil people in all of this for they are sowing the seeds for some future storm of violence emerging out of the unreality of delusionary victimary resentment. Whatever it takes, Israel is doing a service to people who need to be forced to take responsibility for their lives, even in the face of the chaos they fear.
and Mort Kondracke said that he thought that Iran was the big winner in all this, but I disagree.
What drives me crazy is that everything is treated like some sort of contest. Like nothing ever happens except, you know, to play the game. It's all really stupid stuff.
As an example, a story will say something like: Hizb'allah launched x many missiles into Israel and then Israel retaliated by bombing the Beirut suburbs. I mean, like Israel wasn't following a plan but was just playing 'ol tit-for-tat. Honestly, the commentariat are such utter, pathetic morons that I just don't have the time.
chuck:
Yes, it is all kind of shallow isn't it. Like they were calling a ball game or something.
I have no "feel" for Olmert, no idea whether he indulges in hyperbole in his speeches. If you all are not reading the whole article I cited, you should. It sounds very much like a "we're going, no matter the cost" speech and Bibi stepped up behind him and said "we're with you".
Israel is making constant reconnaisance in force raids right now, shaping the battlefield continues and invasion looks imminent.
I don't think it's a bluff.
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