Israel better not blow it

The world community, and the US in particular, has given Israel an unprecedented opportunity to do something that they've never done before: actually win a war. In every single previous war, Israel was forced to accept armistice talks before the hostilities were resolved, and the results are in plain sight.

The Israeli government better not blow it. And I'm not optimistic, based on their track record. Here are some things they need to pay attention to:

• Damage to Lebanon. Not knowing just how much is left of Hizballah, the Lebanese government is acting all outraged over the toll on the civilian population and infrastructure. And the BBC World Service today gratuitously ate it up, making it seem like Israel was destroying things for no good reason. Israel has to be able to explain its targeting, again and again if necessary.
• Destroying Hizballah. One can only hope and assume that Israel entered this war to finish it once and for all. If Israel withdraws from Southern Lebanon leaving Hizballah intact, the whole effort is wasted, and the international community will institutionalize the notion of "proportional response."
• Media relations. For heaven's sake, invest in this for once. It is way too easy for the BBC and the other lame-oh journalists to go to Lebanon and cover the suffering there. Israel has to make it equally easy for these journalists to get the facts and perspective to understand what this war is all about. Or else they'll accept what they're being fed and where they're being directed.
• Fight for durable peace. Once this operation is over, Israel should be the first out of gate offering to negotiate a permanent peace with Lebanon and negotiations with Syria; all the while making it clear that Israel has absolutely no territorial or strategic ambitions over Lebanon.
• Humanitarian profile. Think of innovative ways to alleviate the suffering, both among non-combatant civilians and expatriates. Be clever about it, make it a priority, and publicize it. It's astonishing how many foreigners there were in Lebanon, and Israel shouldn't make enemies out of all them.

Comments

[Richard Thompson]

It is good to know that there are thinking people in the world.

[tpp]

Might also help to stop killing UN peacekeepers.

[Not Justified]

"Israel has to be able to explain its targeting, again and again if necessary."

Yep: "we destroyed the powerstation to stop the captured soldiers being taken out of the country".. aah, how is that justified?

Bombing roads and bridges, yet then demanding anyone in the south get out or else they're fair game.. Oh, and then bombing busses on the convoy..

This is about as winnable as "the war on terror" in that the more you fight it, the more innocent people will die and the more resentment will grow.. You'll never kill all the fighters, because if you kill a large number of them, the rest will simply bleed back into society and come back again with all the sons of families that were killed the last time Israel was trying to clean up the enemy.
Diplomacy is the only way this will get solved.