Anger at ceasefire sparks inquiry

The Israeli defence minister, Amir Peretz, has had to appoint a former army chief to conduct an inquiry into Israel's conduct during it's 34 day campaign in Lebanon. This comes amidst growing discontent amongst the Israeli electorate over the way the war was conducted.

A majority - 57%, according to the mass-circulation daily Yedioth Aronoth - want Mr Peretz to resign. Some 41% believe the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, should quit.

Seventy per cent of Israelis said they disagreed with the government's decision to accept the ceasefire without the return of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hizbullah in a cross-border raid on July 12, a poll in the Maariv newspaper showed. Only 40% said they were pleased with Mr Olmert's performance, down from nearly 80% in July. Nearly half - 49% - believe Mr Olmert was responsible for Israeli failings during the conflict.

This contrasts sharply with the post war reaction of Hizbullah who have pledged to rebuild southern Lebanon and have promised a years rent and a new set of furniture for every family who's house has been destroyed.

The promise was made by Hizbullah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, within hours of Monday's ceasefire.

The housing scheme will benefit 15,000 families, Mr Nasrallah said, and will cost up to $150m, according to one estimate. Funding will come from oil-rich Iran, which until now has mostly supplied Hizbullah with thousands of missiles used against Israel.

The reaction of the two camps seems to uphold the world's view that Hizbullah have achieved a great victory here, rather than President Bush's deluded claims that Israel have had some form of military success.

I have argued that Israel should use this as a moment to seek negotiation with the Arab world and to, finally, resolve the issues that have festered since 1967.

It appears that Assad of Syria has the same idea.

Assad said that the United States' plan for a "new Middle East" has collapsed after what he described as Hezbollah's success in fighting against Israel, and warned Israel to seek peace or risk defeat in the future.

"They should know that they are before a historic crossroads. Either they move toward peace and the return of [Arab] rights, or they move in the direction of continued instability until one generation decides the matter," he said.

I've always thought that this could be a moment of real breakthrough in the Middle East. However, it will require an acknowledgement of what has actually taken place rather than the fantasy being propagated by the neo-cons.

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Tags: Olmert, Peretz, Israel, Lebanon, Hizbullah, Bush, neo-cons