A good analysis, but a couple of comments

Submitted by Andy B. (United States), Jul 18, 2006 at 12:49

"...I fear that the Gaza and Lebanon operations are focused not on defeating the enemy but on winning the release of one or two soldiers – a strange war goal, one perhaps unprecedented in the history of warfare – suggesting that matters will soon enough revert to form...".

Mr. Pipes- you suggest that Israel will try to return to normal if it gets the two kidnapped soldiers back.More precisely, if Israel gets the hostages back without releasing imprisoned terrorists, this will be, in fact, a small victory.

And Olmert may not offer much more than Hezbollah's survival in exchange for them, which, in turn, depends on how well the war goes, and Israel's resolve in carrying it out.

But , of course, if Israel concedes the release of significant numbers of convicted terrorists for the release of the hostages, your point will have been proved.

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