BREAKING: Olmert Offers Cease-Fire
Via Breitbart/AP:
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday the fighting in Lebanon would end when the two soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas are freed, rocket attacks on Israel have stopped, and the Lebanese army is deployed along the border.
Delivering an impassioned speech to parliament after six-days of fighting with guerrillas in Lebanon, Olmert said Israel would have no mercy on militants who attack its cities with rockets.
“We are not looking for war or direct conflict, but if necessary, we will not be frightened by it,” he said.
I’ll be uploading video of Olmert addressing the Israeli parliament momentarily.
UPDATE: Video:
Meanwhile, Kim Priestap has some encouraging news about the reaction from most of the Arab states so far.
UPDATE: AJ Strata is putting this in the “Duh! Files” while Jay at Stop The ACLU would rather see Israel take out Hezbollah once and for all.
You call this a ceasefire offer? Olmert set out terms that cannot possibly be met; the best he’ll get is two out of three:
1. the two soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas are freed — possible and maybe even likely if they are still alive.
2. rocket attacks on Israel have stopped — Olmert won’t accept anything less than the destruction of Hezbollah’s rocket stocks and capability, not s simple promise to stop.
3. the Lebanese army is deployed long the border — Not. Gonna. Happen. The Lebanese army is very weak compared to Hezbollah.
Donald,
I think what he is doing is exposing the diplomatic calls for cease fire. The immediate cause of the fighting is highlighted, the longer term issue is addressed and that Lebanon act like a country and not let a small, armed faction within the country to make the decision to violate international boundaries.
These are very reasonable demands. Give the soldiers back, stop shooting at us and put someone responsible on duty where the problems where.
Are you suggesting that Hamas and Hezbolah have a right to keep the captured soldiers, to continue to shoot rockets into Israel or that the Lebanese army isn’t the right people to secure the Lebanese border?
As much as we all want peace, a ceasefire with these terms in reality solves nothing. At best it postpones the issues to be dealt with sometime in the future.. A future in which terrorists like Hizbullah, Hamas, and others will likely hold a stronger position throughout the region. Hizbullah must be disarmed & disbanded, its leaders must be apprehended and jailed for the crimes they have committed, and the funding, training, arming and support that they and other terror groups get from Syria, Iran and elsewhere must be severed. Anything less is nothing more than a delaying action which could easily plays to the advantage of the terrorists.