New urgency for Lebanon cease-fire
An Israeli bomb kills at least 54 civilians in Lebanon, adding pressure on US diplomacy.
Israel's bombing of a civilian building Sunday in Qana, which killed at least 54 civilians, 37 of them children, has almost overnight turned up international pressure for the US to urge Israel toward an immediate cease-fire with Lebanon.
Sunday's strike in south Lebanon bore tragic similarities to a 1996 Israeli attack in the same town – another attempt to crush Hizbullah – that killed more than 100 civilians. International outcry then forced a cease-fire agreement within days.
While Sunday's attack was the single deadliest event in the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah guerrillas in the 19-day-old war, it remains uncertain whether it will compel another cease-fire.
But the mounting civilian death toll has forced Washington and Tel Aviv to reassess what had been the conventional wisdom until a few days ago: that Israel should be given time to degrade Hizbullah's military capabilities.
Israeli officials quickly apologized for the deaths of innocent people Sunday, saying that the area was targeted because it had been used by Hizbullah.
Prime Minister Olmert expressed "great sorrow" for the attack, but blamed Hizbullah – and said villagers had been asked to flee. Mr. Olmert also said he was "not going to rush" into a cease-fire without achieving "the main goals," adding, "this also requires the maturation of the diplomatic process and reaching a detailed agreement regarding the stationing of forces that will secure the areas from which Israel" has been fired on.
Hamas Leader Khaled Meshaal called for more resistance against Israel in response to Sunday's attack on the Lebanese village. "The only response to this ugly massacre is an acceleration of the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine," Mr. Meshaal told Reuters.
Just this weekend, a light at the end of the tunnel had begun to appear, with a whirlwind of diplomatic meetings suggesting that a deal could be in the works. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Israel Sunday to press for a cease-fire. She is scheduled to return to Washington Monday.
Any deal is expected to include an exchange of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel in return for Israel's two soldiers captured on July 12th, and the creation of a new international peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Israel also views a potential disarming of Hizbullah, as called for in UN Resolution 1559, with paramount importance.
Some Middle East observers say they are not optimistic that the US will be successful in brokering a cease-fire, despite the bloodshed, and say that Ms. Rice will have a difficult time bringing others to the table because the deteriorating regional image of the US.
"The US has lost a lot of its credibility as an honest broker," says Nadim Shehadi, a Lebanon expert at Chatham House of the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London.
"What we've seen is not a reversal of American policy. It's very obvious that [Rice] is still supporting the Israeli operation, and that means she will not be able to declare any cease-fire at this stage. I see it as a complete deadlock, because a cease-fire now means that Israeli military operations continued for 18 days with nothing to show except destruction and causalities, and that would be a failure for them."
