Israel didn't win or loose it gained breathing room and hopefully some respite from missile attack which has been going on for years. The message as stated by the Israeli government was that they were going to hold Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah and not consider them a rogue state with in a state considering that Hezbollah had representation in government. Hezbollah didn't win anything they aren't going to take by force. Hezbollah just proved aloud that it will do as it sees fit with Lebanon and the Lebonese best come to terms with that. Syria and Iran are not finished with Lebanon. Lebanon let the serpent of Hezbollah into her bedroom and now Lebanon will be eaten by her get. Poor buggers just finished what? 12 years of civil war and being controled by Syria.
Maybe Australia will consider the efficacy of such a stratagem. It was also used in Kashmir and Afghanistan by the Pakistani.

Thanks to aqvarivs, I rest my case.

greggo old spot you didn't have a case. You had a spent cartridge named conspiracy that you were waving about madly trying to convince the world you were intellectually armed. BOOO!

Dear Celeste...(Logic) no wonder your posts have had a more gentle flavor ...your female :) No offense, but there are differences in how males and females think on many issues such as human conflict.
Your approach looks at things in a kind of moral/ethical/kindly way whereas I look at them in terms of raw brutal human nature and history.
You seek to discect the Hezbollah issue into managable ethical slices, but I suggest that my outlined solution above (tragic and harsh as it may sound) is in the final analaysis the only workable one. But even then, it would (to be honest) not be a final one.

POLITICAL SETTLEMENT ?
Even if Shia Muslims were pushed into Syria, they would whine and moan and play the victim card at the UN and the world media and Syria and Iran would surely seek to address their displacement, which of course raises the other side of this ugly coin-"A political settlement".... but this is as fraught with problems as the other.

A NIGHTMARE OF THE HEZBOLLAH KIND
Hezbollah (acting as a proxy for Iran) clearly wish to take control of Lebanon, and this, would be a nightmare beyond comprehension for Israel.

see THIS for examples of Shia fanaticism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewb255rrPzM imagine this moron in charge of Lebanon !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V548WKjVjC4

GREGGO.. if I may illuminate you to some possibly unpalatable facts of life. There is little ultimate morality and good guys/bad guys in international politics. Its about "enemies" and "allies" in the struggle for survival. Your mention of the 'usual suspects' and international Israel lobby only prove to show which side of the fence you sit. I sit on Israel's side, on the side of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Mohammed and his Islamic minions are my enemy and my countries enemy. Anything which advances their cause is to be legally fought.....Spiritually,Politically, and if neccessary Militarily,to the death.

David

I appreciate being called gentle but in fact I am a male. Indeed an engineer in a very masculine occupation.

I am sure that neither Lebanon nor Israel wanted this war but Lebanon was either not able or not willing to confront Hezbollah who were threatening both states and the UN Forces placed there were useless. Israel feared for its collective life.

We have to realise that the West relies heavily on oil and has a great social and economic need for a stable supply. Unfortunately a great deal of it is in the hands of mad despots who would not hesitate to use it as a weapon to pull others down. They are not in the least concerned for others, not even for the suffering of their own subjects.

The Middle East deserves a much better life but the problem is neither with the US nor Israel. The populace must confront their own weaknesses rather than using others as a scapegoat for their own failings. They have a great discrepancy between rich and poor, enough to cause a revolution, and the religious fanatics are manipulating this to pushing a very narrow way of life that will make the people even worse off and give raw power to the Immans and Ayatollahs.

In fact the result of the war allowed Israelis to leave their shelters and return to their homes and get on with their lives knowing that the Hezbollah rockets are for the time being out of range. I wish that the majority of the Lebanese had the same chances, but this is not something that Israel can achieve. That is in the hands of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and the UN. What a combination!

BOAZ_David: "I sit on Israel's side, on the side of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Mohammed and his Islamic minions are my enemy and my countries enemy. Anything which advances their cause is to be legally fought.....Spiritually,Politically, and if neccessary Militarily,to the death."

Speaking of mindless, abject, fanatical fundamentalism, ...