US State Sec Condoleezza Rice, arrives in Israel from Lebanon on a
visit aimed at creating conditions for a "sustainable
ceasefire" in Israel's war with Hizbullah. Rice was due to
meet Israeli FM Tzipi Livni last night and PM Ehud Olmert this day. She
will also meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Earlier yesterday
Rice held talks with Lebanese PM Fouad Siniora and government officials.
As ground fighting raged in south Lebanon between the forces of Israel
and Hizbullah, Rice told Siniora: Thank you for your courage and
steadfastness". Although Washington has rejected the Lebanese
PM's appeals for an immediate ceasefire, she told reporters: We
all want to urgently end the fighting. We have absolutely the same
goal". Political sources in Beirut said Rice's proposals fell
short of what the government was expecting. The US is advocating
deployment of an international force, along with the Lebanese army,
south of the Litani river, the region Israel has invaded to try to stop
Hizbullah rocket attacks on northern Israel. Siniora, however, wants a
more comprehensive deal, addressing all disputes between Lebanon and
Israel. His government says it needs cards in its hands - including an
Israeli willingness to withdraw from the occupied Shebaa farms, which
Beirut claim sovereignty over, and an exchange of prisoners - if it is
to have a chance of persuading Hizbullah to compromise. Sources say
deployment of an international force alone would put the government in a
position of confrontation with Hizbullah, something it is seeking to
avoid. Israel threw more troops into the ground offensive July 23.
Having captured the border village of Maroun al-Ras, the focus of the
armoured and infantry assault switched to nearby Bint Jbail,
Hizbullah's self-styled "capital of the resistance".
"Bint Jbail is a symbol of Hizbullah", said Dan Halutz,
Israeli chief of staff, claiming a few hundred Hizbullah fighters were
in the area along with 500 civilians who had not heeded Israeli warnings
to flee. Infantry began entering the town after 11 Israelis were wounded
in fighting earlier in the day. Two Israeli pilots were killed when
their Apache attack helicopter crashed near the northern Israeli town of
Safed. The military blamed the crash on a malfunction after Hizbullah
claimed its fighters had shot it down. Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah
leader, whose forces continued to rain rocket fire on northern Israel,
dismissed the loss of Maroun al-Ras and the impact of the Israeli
offensive. "The Israeli media speaks of Maroun al-Ras as if it were
the battle of Stalingrad", he told Lebanese daily as-Safir. Rice
insisted that any ceasefire must be with the Lebanese government rather
than with Hizbullah. The US administration says it wants a long-lasting
peace that would remove the Hizbullah rocket threat to Israel. The US
has been criticised, even by some allies, for allowing Israel a free
hand to pursue its war aiin Lebanon. Yossi Ben-Ari, former Israel
intelligence officer, said: Israel has never enjoyed such broad
American support for both its policies and military actions as it does
today".
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