For the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, this Monday is a day of hope. She believes that a ceasefire could be reached this week in the crisis between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. However, for the Jewish State, the end of the conflict will not occur.
“This morning, as I prepare to return to Washington, I am aware of a nascent consensus on the conditions necessary for an urgent ceasefire and a lasting settlement. I am convinced that we can achieve both this week,” Rice said, during her visit to Jerusalem.
The Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, has formally refused to end the conflict. “If we declare an immediate ceasefire, the extremists will rise again. In a few months, we will be back at the same stage,” he stated today at the end of the meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State. The only recourse for the Israeli government is the deployment of an international stabilization force in Southern Lebanon.
After much hesitation, the international authorities have finally decided to organize talks. It was the bombing of Cana in Southern Lebanon that prompted them to take the step. The air raid on Cana resulted in around sixty civilian deaths, including 37 children.
The UN Security Council simply signed a statement on Sunday lamenting the bombing. The statement aims to establish, among other things, the circumstances of this tragic “accident,” promising to deliver a full report within a week.
Nouhad Mahmoud, a Lebanese diplomacy official, did not hide his disappointment: “We hoped for a stronger gesture, a stronger statement, but we think the declaration nonetheless contains terms that will compel the Council to new actions.”
It was the “unjustified” kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah and rocket fire into northern Israel that triggered the hostilities.
Today, Israel is retaliating with airstrikes against Lebanon. Dan Gillerman, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, described Cana as a “Hezbollah stronghold” and stated that the IDF had asked civilians to leave the village before the strikes. “I implore you not to play Hezbollah’s game, don’t give it what it seeks while it sacrifices its people by using them as human shields. Every Lebanese child killed is a terrible mistake and a tragedy.
For Hezbollah, every Israeli child killed is a victory and a cause for celebration,” he added.
