DM Peretz: IDF won't honor human shields in Lebanon- lists demands

Aaron Lerner Date: 16 July 2006

In a presentation broadcast live this afternoon from Haifa, Defense Minister
Amir Peretz declared that Israel would not honor human shields in Lebanon.

Peretz said while he was proud that in Gaza that a soldier told him that he
did not fire at a terrorist armed with a launcher because the terrorist was
holding the hand of child that the same does not apply in Lebanon where
rockets are being stored in civilian locations.

Peretz warned that the IDF would target and destroy rockets wherever they
are stored - including in homes and other civilian locations.

Peretz went on to explain that the Government was driven by the insistence
of the Israeli public that the episode end with there being a significantly
different situation on the ground than there is today.

DM Peretz set Israel's key demands that the militias be disarmed and the
captured soldiers be returned, making it clear that a cease fire with the
deployment of Lebanese security forces on the border in place of Hezbollah
would not suffice.

Henry Kissinger once quipped that Israel has no foreign policy, only
domestic policy.

Beyond the highly rational logic behind DM Peretz's position is the stark
truth that even Israeli politicians who typically can at best only think
ahead in units of 24 hours realize that it would be political suicide to end
the campaign with a cease fire that leaves Hezbollah armed and in place and
only some empty promises that the situation will change some time in the
future.

If it comes to it, when forced to choose between political suicide and
facing down world pressure to stop without achieving a truly discernable
accomplishment it is highly likely that these politicians will opt for
political survival.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il