Position: Israel was right to agree to a cease-fire
This position addresses the topic 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.
For this position
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"What a waste that it took more than 30 days to adopt a United Nations Security Council resolution for a cease-fire in Lebanon. Thirty days during which nothing positive was achieved and a great deal of pain, suffering and damage was inflicted on innocent people."
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"Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is getting bashed at home for failing to deliver a quick victory over Hezbollah. But he deserves credit for recognizing the need for a political settlement that enhanced the authority of the Lebanese state. He wisely resisted pressure from his generals to mount a major ground offensive north of the Litani River, understanding that this quest for a decisive military solution would only take Israel deeper into the Lebanese quagmire."
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"The implementation of Resolution 1701 will not only benefit Lebanon and Israel; it also has important regional implications. Simply put: This is a victory for all who are committed to moderation and democracy in the Middle East -- and a defeat for those who wish to undermine these principles with violence, particularly the governments of Syria and Iran."
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"So Israel has settled for international acknowledgement that its actions in Lebanon were justified, and has agreed to cede control of the ground it seized there on condition that United Nations, Lebanon and France maintain control of it. Chalk up a pragmatic victory for Israel."
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"The resolution adopted on a 15-to-0 vote, if implemented faithfully by all sides, would significantly reduce Hezbollah's ability to cause trouble."
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Against this position
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"This ceasefire is not a precursor to peace. But don't just take my word for it. Within 24 hours of the cease-fire, in a series of carefully orchestrated statements, the dictators of Iran and Syria both claimed credit for defeating not just Israel, but America as well."
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"Israel's politicians turned out to be even more profoundly out of touch with their people than the pols in Washington. Israelis were willing to fight. They wanted to win. The rank and file of the IDF would have done what needed to be done. And their leaders failed them."
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"But now the ceasefire is a catastrophe for Israel to harvest, and Lebanon to share. And it was Israel's fault. Not for trying to destroy Hezbollah, but for failing to do so."
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"What was basically a military tie is especially bad for Israel, which violated the maxim against merely wounding the king in an assassination attempt. It just makes him mad. So Israel now faces energized enemies throughout the region who no longer view its military as invincible."
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"Resolution 1701 shows that, for the time being at least, the balance has likewise shifted to the terrorists and their state sponsors. Like Munich, it marks the triumph of the principle of putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today. Like Munich, it will mean not peace in our time, but a bigger war in our future."
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Mixed on this position
No results
