Olmert: Second Lebanon War restored quiet to Israel's northern border

[bemildred]

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, defending his decision not to resign in the wake of the damning report into the handling of the Second Lebanon War last year, told lawmakers Tuesday that the conflict had restored quiet to Israel's northern border.

"Two weeks ago, I visited the northern border, and at every place I was shown the positions once held by Hezbollah terrorists," he said. "Residents who were faced, hour after hour, minute after minute, with a Hezbollah man pointing his rifle at them - this situation no longer exists."

Olmert made the comments during special speech to the Knesset on the Winograd Committee's partial report on the war, marking the first time he has spoken addressed the plenum on the report since its publication 29 days ago.

"I believed then as I believe now that the decision to go to war was the necessary one under the circumstances," he said. "It is true that the Lebanon war, like all wars until today, came with a high price. This is the part of the high price that the State of Israel has been paying for six decades for its desire to live in peace, security and independence."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/864447.html

[richards1052]

1. Quiet purchased at too steep a price in blood

The "quiet" that the war allegedly purchased could have been bought at a much cheaper price if Olmert had accepted a ceasefire offered to him much earlier in the fighting. Instead he and that idiot Halutz held out for more time to pummel Hezbollah & Lebanon into what they expected would be submission. And Condi was their willing enabler stalling the UN & anyone else who had a decent idea about how to end the fighting. However, it didn't quite work out the way the script said it would.

Scores of Israeli civilians & soldiers died needlessly, not to mention the horrible losses on the Lebanese side. Shameful.

[bemildred]

2. It doesn't look very quiet up in Lebanon to me.

The present situation in Lebanon looks temporary, and ummmm "volatile". One should not confuse a period being used to recruit, refit, and resupply with any sort of permanent resolution of a conflict. None of the underlying issues have been addressed.

[henank]

3. I find I agree with you 100%. n/t

[bemildred]

4. Always a pleasure to be able to agree. nt

[pelsar]

5. im a bit confused...

None of the underlying issues have been addressed....this can only mean hizballas existance in lebanon as a militia that is funded and supplied by outside countries.

its is infact an internal lebanese problem...that is really the underlying issue....once lebanon exerts its power over all of lebanon and guards it border (as syrian,jordan and egypt do)..the "underlying issues" will have been addressed.

[msmcghee]

6. I think they mean the underlying issue . .

. . that Israel still exists.

[bemildred]

7. So you agree with Olmert?

You don't think Hizbullah is an Israeli problem? You do think that things are going to be ducky up north now? Or what? What are you going to do if the current Lebanese government is thrown out and replaced with one more to Hizbullah's liking? You think that can't happen?

What the underlying issues are seems to depend on who you talk to. But either way, nothing has been done about them, whatever you consider they are.

[pelsar]

8. whats the underlying issue?

hizballa wants israel gone....and has been attacking israel accross the intl border for the last 6 years. I dont know of any other issue (well there is one..hizballa also wants the present lebanese govt gone as well)


is there another "underlying issue" that i missed?

[bemildred]

9. Tsk, "nobody will answer my question". nt