[lit-ideas] A Time to Act, A Time to Talk - editorial
- From: "Stan Spiegel" <writeforu2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 20:36:02 -0400
A time to act, a time to talk
By Haaretz Editorial
We are into the second week of the campaign against Hezbollah in which
Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Israeli civilians have been killed. This
heavy price is liable to increase the longer the campaign continues, but if the
fighting ends without reaching its goals, then more Israelis will be hurt by
the newly empowered Hezbollah. That would encourage other extremists from Iran
to Palestinian terror organizations to maintain their aggressive stance toward
Israel.
In the current confrontation, time represents an opportunity for Israel -
an opportunity to exhaust the possibilities of the military campaign in order
to enhance diplomatic gains. In the middle of a campaign, it is easy to misread
the situation. The fog of war, together with the psychological warfare being
employed, blur one's vision and pull one's conclusions toward the two polls of
despondency and arrogance.
The results pile up until the scales are tipped. In the case of Lebanon,
the desirable result is for the political echelon to rise up against the only
entity that is preventing economic stability and which threatens to destroy
what has been created painstakingly following exhausting decades of civil war.
That entity is Hassan Nasrallah, whose goals in Lebanon as head of a movement
representing a significant and long-oppressed minority have been pushed aside
in favor of Iran's interests. The zealous regime in Tehran appointed Lebanon's
Shi'ites as agents to export its Islamic revolution and wage proxy war against
Israel. It has absolutely no connection to the welfare of the Lebanese or to
the participation of the various sects and groups in the Lebanese government.
One of the goals of Israel's current war against Hezbollah, in addition
to the immediate desire to protect the northern communities and IDF patrols
against attacks and abductions, is to give Prime Minister Fuad Siniora's
government an incentive for dealing with Hezbollah. This goal has two parts:
strengthening Siniora and weakening Nasrallah to enable the Lebanese scales to
tip toward the moderates. The IDF's direct actions erode Hezbollah's strength
by depleting its ammunition stores, its chain of command and its image as an
organization that can challenge the Lebanese Army and the civilian
decision-makers above it. The indirect affect of the IDF operation is intended
to operate on both the Lebanese and the international levels.
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, moderate Shi'ite leader Nabih Beri, cabinet
members, the son of former prime minister Rafik Hariri and other important
individuals have already dared to speak out against Hezbollah. Siniora needs
additional support before he can make the difficult but necessary decision to
finally challenge Nasrallah. This support must come from the outside, from
Washington, Paris, Arab capitals and United Nations headquarters in New York.
President George Bush is leading a firm, united front that gives Israel, in
international terms, "quality time" to destroy their common enemy. The Israeli
government and the IDF deserve support at home for their efforts to take
advantage of the freedom that has been granted to them for the coming days or
perhaps weeks.
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