From The Guardian UK
By Simon Tisdall

Condoleezza Rice says she is convinced that both an “urgent ceasefire” and a “lasting settlement” in Lebanon can be achieved this week. The US secretary of state says these twin aims can be attained through a new resolution of the United Nations’ security council that would, among other things, order the deployment of an international security force.

But there are significant problems with Ms Rice’s rosy scenario. The most striking is Israel’s insistence, underlined by officials in Jerusalem today, that there will be no ceasefire with Hizbullah until after the new force deploys inside southern Lebanon. In other words, Israel expects the international community to send its troops into a war zone where fighting and bombing is still actively underway.

This is an impractical and absurd proposal. France, which has offered to send troops and might lead the new international force, has said repeatedly that it will not go in unless a prior ceasefire has been agreed. Like other possible troop contributors - Turkey, Indonesia, Italy, Greece - its obvious concern is that it soldiers would quickly get sucked into the hostilities.

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