Thursday August 10, 2006

I'm Predicting:

Yesterday, the Israeli Cabinet decided to extend their mandate in Southern Lebanon.
The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is moving further on in.

Why? It looks like a bad decision. It is a given that this move further into Lebanon will mean the lives of more Israeli soldiers.
Why? Because Israel is looking at the big picture. Israel is weighing the long term against the short term.
Why? Because the international community has been dragging, hesitant to step in and fill the power gap in Lebanon, so Israel is filling that gap.

Fewer Israeli citizens will die in the future because Israeli soldiers will be dying now in the fight for Israel's security and freedom from future Hezbollah attacks.
It is a bold political calculation on Israel's part.

Israel could have finalized their operation in the next few days. But now they are taking the opportunity to further clean up Hezbollah terrorist cells and find and destroy even more weapons.

How long will this Israeli initiative go on?
It's easier to fight a war during summer. Cities. Municipalities, communities must be back on track by September 1st, that's when the school semester begins.
I give it until the end of August.