Cabinet okays wider ground operation in Lebanon, but chance will be given first to diplomatic efforts
The cabinet authorized Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz to widen the offensive and to determine its timing. According to the decision, however, the two are not obliged to implement the decision.
The offensive would not begin for two or three days so as not interfere with ongoing efforts to broker a cease-fire at the United Nations, said one minister in the meeting.
Labor Party Ministers Shimon Peres and Ophir Pines-Paz, who abstained from voting, said all diplomatic channels must be exhausted before the war is expanded.
This is just mind boggling. What planet are they living on? Diplomatic channels must be exhausted???? Determine it's timing??? Wait another 2 or 3 days???? Why not right now? A month of rockets is not enough? From this decision you would think that we have all the time in the world. Don't they understand that every day that passes means another 150 rockets, more civilians killed or injured, more damage done, more people not working, more damage to the economy? Can anyone explain the logic here?
