Beyond any cessation: Retaliation must be swift / overwhelming

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As the cessation of hostilities takes effect a new reality in Israeli politics is crucial. The reality of putting strategic needs above convenient political short cuts.

Failure of Israeli Govts to act

After the withdrawal from Lebanon by Ehud Barak in 2000 which was carried out improperly and with haste, a tough verbal line was taken. Israel claimed that any provocation would be met harshly. But there were provocations, within months - those massive harsh retaliations never came.

After the withdrawal of Gaza, similarly endless political talk of the hell that would be opened on Gaza if there were provocations. For months rockets rained on Israel from the withdrawn territory. But hell only opened a year later when Gilad Shalit was abducted and Israel was attacked on the ground.

New Reality, or same old political games?

If this resolution, claimed by Israel as positive is to be effective, if Israel as a State is to be safe, from this point on provocations MUST BE MET BY IMMEDIATE AND OVERWHELMING FORCE in response. Failure of any political will in these matters as we have seen previously will result in again Israel being vulnerable. This must stretch well beyond any withdrawals or moves over the next few weeks and months, this MUST be policy.

Leaflets – No return to status quo

Already early this morning thousands of leaflets were dropped on Beirut, warning Lebanon that provocation would be met with harsh response. So we see that the regular and routine threat has been issued, if Israel fails again to meet its verbal threats with physical pain no resolution will be filled, no safety will come to the citizens of the State of Israel in the future.

Hezbollah itself will be under tremendous pressure by Lebanese, more pressure than they have ever known, only a resolute and unwavering Israel can maintain this deterrence and maintain the political pressure on Hezbollah in the future, and lead to Hezbollah disarmament.

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  • wolf terner

    The only real deterrence Israel has to show the Arab world is a public hanging of Olmert, Livni and Peretz for their miscondut of this war. That will show that Israelis are willing to fight and defeat their enemies!

  • Papa Ray

    There is no pressure from the Lebonese government. You have it backwards. Actually there is no Lebonese government, only a bunch of scared officials that either or with the Hezbolla or so scared of them that they are ineffective. There is no Lebanon, only a shell of a country, not a state, that is ruled by fear, by the Hezbolla. Maybe in a few weeks, depending on how many Hezbolla Israel can kill between now and then, the real Lebonese will come out and kill or imprison the rest of them. If they can't or won't, the Hezbolla will claim Lebanon in name (The State of Hezbolla) as they have in fact.  Papa Ray

  • goesh

    I wonder how long it will take hizbullah to put on Lebanese army uniforms in order to reoccupy southern Lebanon? I think that is the delay in getting the Lebanese army into the south – it's hard to get uniforms distributed when a few bridges are out and some roads are closed. They will have to put arms and military supplies under the humanitarian goods that will be going south, at least for a few days anyway. Do I have to tell you what areas will they move into? I hear Syria is putting red crescent flags on their trucks bringing in military supplies to  hizbullah. Wouldn't you? Condi will have strong words for them when they do! Look out Assad! Olmert, et al can assure Israelis that at least the enemy is being watched. I apologize for being sarcastic, but Iran has just won a massive victory: 1.) They have consolodated  and demonstrated control of Lebanon, 2.) they have demonstrated that Israel can be openly and successfully attacked without crippling consequences (does anyone really think hizbullah can't be fully rearmed in a year's time?), 3.) most importantly, they have shown  the entire  arab world that the US is unwilling to endorse  and support  an escalated and prolonged conflict by its ally Israel, and keep in mind that the US regards hizbullah as terrorists who have attacked US interests before, 4.) they are now much more confident and emboldened that nothing will prevent them from attaining their nuclear weapons, certainly not the UN. If the West can' t stop them in the proxy nation of Lebanon, how can it possibly stop them via a direct confrontation, especially when such a direct confrontation could threaten China's energy contracts? 5.) They have demonstrated that the West does not have the stomach for civilian dead used by the enemy for cover, which only reinforces the edicts of al quran, that indeed allah protects his people, 6.) They have shown the arab world once again that vocal segments of the West will not oppose islamic aggression and expansion, either out of fear or ignorance, not that it matters coming from infidels. Two (2) concerns now occupy the minds of Iranian strategists: one is devising the ways and means to get long-range missles that can target Tel-Aviv with chemical weapons into the hands of Hizbuallah, the second is  to gauge what the American response will be. I wonder who Mossad names as the prime strategist behind this most recent, successful attack? The disruption and chaos caused is most conducive to getting  such long range missles into hizbullah's hands, that's for sure.

  • Hi Papa, not lebanese govt on this we agree.. Lebanese Druze & Christian public! They make up a large percentage of the public together and they don't like Hezbollah one bit.

  • I am very curious to see what happens during the next couple of weeks.