Ceasefire noises by the EU and UN as Israel readies major ground assault

Both the EU and Kofi Annan have been screeching `ceasefire!' in the Israel/Hezbollah war.

I wonder how loud the calls would be if the Arabs had invaded Israel and were triumphantly advancing on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv?

On second thought, I don't wonder at all.

Annan was his usual reptilian self in calling for a ceasefire in place by Israel and `an end to hostilities by both sides'.

"Both the deliberate targeting by Hezbollah of Israeli population centres with hundreds of indiscriminate weapons and Israel's disproportionate use of force and collective punishment of the Lebanese people must stop."

No mention, of course about uncoditionally releasing the two Israeli ostages..which are in captivity in the Iranian embassy in Beirut anyway, if my information is correct.

And also, no clue as to how the UN is planning to restrain Hezbollah. Even with UNFIL `peacekeepers' in the country, the UN has never done anything to enforce its own Resolution 1559 to disarm them.

The UN also called for a massive aid program to rebuild Lebanon...but said diddly about any aid to Israel to repair the extensive damage caused by Hezbollah's rockets in their aggressive war.

Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman ruled out the ceasefire proposal, saying Israel's assault "will take as long as it will take," to root out Hezbollah. So far, that view is backed by the U.S.

Gillerman showed a rare bit of undiplomatic anger and said he was "disturbed" that Annan's report never mentioned "terror," or referred to Syria and Iran the neighbours Israel accuses of being Hezbollah's sponsors.

"The first thing that must be addressed is cessation of terror before we even talk about cessation of hostilities," he said, calling Hezbollah a "cancerous growth" to be cut out of Lebanon.

"Syria knows what it needs to do and Hezbollah is the source of the problem," US Secretary of State CondiRice said today at the State Department. She's enroute to the Middle East Sunday, meeting not only with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert but also with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told CNN Hezbollah "is highly respected in the Arab world. It is part of the Lebanese government backed by the American administration."

Actually, Ja'afari is 100% correct in my view. Hezbollah IS a part of Lebanon's government, Lebanon and Israel are at war and for the UN to attempt to impose a ceasefire without addressing the root causes of that war is exactly the sort of behavior we've come to expect from them - despicable hypocrisy.

"There is real anger inside the council," said Qatar Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser. "People are very frustrated that the war is continuing, when there is strong feeling that there should be a ceasefire."

Of course, that `anger' is directed at Israel, the nation that was attacked.Talk about blaming the victim... damn those Evil Jooos for defending themselves!

On the EU front, France is leading the charge for a ceasefire. What a surprise!

Israel, for its part isn't waiting. They have massed tanks and troops on the border, called up reserves and as I reported here, have leafletted South Lebanon and warned civilians warned civilians to evacuate North of the Litani River. Israeli Army Radio warned residents of 12 border villages in southern Lebanon to leave before 2 p.m. Friday.

Obviously a major ground offensive in Lebanon has moved beyond the planning stages.

The Israelis are engaged in a major battle with Hezbollah in the mountainous areas near the Lebanon Israel border and while Hezbollah is putiing up fierce resistance, they've suffered heavy casualties and are locked in there. I would not be surprised to see Israel do an `end run' around this area, probably with a mixed force of airborne and armor, sealing off the Hezbollah positions on the border and advancing into South Beirut and the Hezbollah strongholds in the Bek'aa Valley and the north. As I reported, I 've gotten unconfirmed reports that limited Israeli ground forces are already engaged in Central and Eastern Lebanon.

The Israelis continue to seal off Lebanon from Syria.Israeli warplanes pounded the Damascus Highway again, collapsing part of Lebanon's longest bridge.

And at least 11 rockets hit Haifa, Israel's third-largest city today. Five people were wounded, with 23 treated for shock. More rockets fell elsewhere in northern Israelstrikes reported in Rosh Pina, Safed and other communities in North Galilee. Hezbollah has fired over 1,600 rockets at Israel as of today.