Arab diplomats are of the view that the Middle East crisis can be resolved only either when Israel is satisfied that it has crippled Hezbollah or if US President George Walker Bush pressures Israel to stop the offensive. They do not think a diplomatic solution now is possible given the present scenario.



Though one Arab diplomat said the answer lay in Washington, Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice and UN ambassador John Bolton opined that the time was not ripe for a ceasefire as it was a temporary halt to hostilities. What was required was a solution that eliminated the threat posed by the Hezbollah.



Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared that his country was committed to uprooting the Hezbollah and bringing home its two soldiers abducted by the Hezbollah before it stops the military offensive in Lebanon. Even the Arab League, plus Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in separate statements has blamed the Hezbollah for the ongoing violence.



But Arab diplomats are afraid that the longer the offensive lasts the more difficult it will be to contain anti-Israel public opinion in their countries. Egyptian Foreign and Intelligence Ministers are in Washington to meet Ms. Rice and other US officials. Even European countries have joined the Arabs in seeking a tougher US stance against Israel.



While they concede that the US has urged Israel not to target infrastructure and innocent civilians, Arab diplomats say that the pictures being aired on news channels indicates this is not happening. This is being seen as a green signal by the US to Israel.



The statement issued by the G-8 countries at their summit in Russia offers a framework for the road ahead. It exhorts Israel not to target civilian infrastructure, avoid civilian casualties and not to indulge in actions that could destabilize the Lebanese government. Ms Rice is said to have played a big role in drafting the statement which diplomats including Lebanese have called an evenhanded one.



While Mr. Bush plans to send Ms. Rice to the region many diplomats including US officials have questioned the usefulness of the trip. Apart from it being a symbolic show of US engagement, the other side of the picture has to be thought of. With no contacts with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Syria, the main actors in the unfolding drama, there are not many parties for Ms. Rice to talk to. US security officers are not in favor of Ms. Rice visiting Lebanon. Moreover, if the Israeli position remains unchanged and the US is reluctant to pressurize it there is not much for Ms. Rice to accomplish.



Via: CNN