The 11th Hour
Finally a ceasefire has just about been thrashed out between Hizbullah and Israel. It's looking a bit wobbly going through the Lebanese parliament, but I think it'll hold.Attampting to score some sort of military success, Israel is pouring fire into Lebanon until the deadline. Yesterday, as Cold Desert explained, jets targetted a major Beirut power station.
Why? Of all times why now, and of all targets why that one? If it had military value they'd have hit it already. It's not as though Israel's been a model of restraint and judicious use of force for the past month--so why this target and why now if not to just screw things up worse for the survivors, the disposessed, and the many, many wounded?
It's the behaviour of a bully--having been told he must stop hitting the other child he stamps that child's toy flat before leaving. Not that I really expected much else by now. I just hope the ceasefire goes in on time, and holds.
And perhaps Israel will remember how little they've accomplished through force the next time they face a choice like this one.
posted by Metro @ 8:58 pm
10 Comments:
Ten hours before the ceasefire, they destroyed a biscuit and chocolate factory (Ghandour Factory) in Shweifat near Beirut. They hit it with 3 missiles. No comment!
Well, you can't have those Fudge-Ee-O's falling into the wrong hands now, can you?
Has Hezbollah returned the captives yet?
205 unaimable rockets where launched and landed in Isreali villages on Sunday.
Yes... For a government who is cying peace and ceasefire NOW does seem to be having a wobbily time ending the war. Of course they had a wobbily time disarming militant terrorists in their own borders for the past two years, so this dichotemy is nothing new for Siniora's terrorist infiltraded government.
Why is it that Cold Desert on this post shows Fri. and Sat. but all other connections (Lori, Raincoaster and yours under blogs I dig) only show until Thursday?
205 rockets, no returned kidnap victims.
In light of the supposed aims of this campaign (stop rockets, get back kidnapees), how much has Israel gained?
How many recruits has Hizbullah picked up?
Yes, it may be tough to get a ceasefire agreement through a parliament that includes Hizbullah party members. Just as it is in any democracy.
@Lyds:
Hi there. Assuming we've actually written anything in the meantime, go to the top of the pages and click on the title of the blog.
A clue that you're reading an archived page is that you'll see more than just the title in the address bar.
This article we're commenting on is at http://metroblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/11th-hour-finally-ceasefire-has-just.html
But whatever's the latest will be found at http://metroblog.blogspot.com.
Hope that helps.
metro, Israel will hopefully gain as much as it can gain before a useless and impotent UN steps in and proceeds to do nothing in the way of disarming or containing Hezbollah for the next however many years. If Israel can destroy that much more Hezbollah artillery before the ceasefire begins, all the power to them.
@anonymous
What is it with these folks? Like I can't get your IP address? As I've said before, claim an identity. Be somebody, 'cos otherwise you're nobody.
So, nobody: Do you really think that after thirty days of total failure to even make a dent in Hizbullah's rocket activity (remember: one objective of this war was to stop the attacks) that Israel was going to make massive gains before the ceasefire kicked in?
And it's really too late to talk about tactical gains some twenty-four hours after the ceasefire's taken effect.
"How many recruits has Hizbullah picked up?"
As though Hezbolleh is the only one recruiting! A study of Physics 101 tells you that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction!
So your point is!
@Emory:
Firstly: I'm not certain I understand your comment--are you celebrating the fact that Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Al Qaeda will also doubtless get a few recruits out of Israel's efforts?
Secondly: This is a problem calling for the application of the arts, specifically diplomatic ones, rather than physics.
In fact, the damage on both sides might be said to have its origins in the over-enthusiastic application of that particular field of knowledge.
Here's hoping that something new will emerge from this.
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