Immediate ceasefire is a must

This amounts to violation of international law. It also amounts to war crime. Someone from Lebanon kidnapped someone else from Israel. This simple kidnapping could not trigger a war against a sovereign country. Israel regularly kidnaps Palestinians. During the last couple of weeks, Israel kidnapped several Palestinian Legislators, ministers and finally the Speaker of Palestinian Legislative Assembly. Palestinians, being most helpless, could do nothing about such injustices and violation of international law.

So kidnapping has indeed been taught by Israel. Anyway, the present kidnapping by Hezbollah could have been settled through negotiations and soldiers returned. This was not done. Israel started the war, not Hezbollah. Israel was indeed looking for an opportunity to deal with Hezbollah militarily, as the latter was responsible for Israel's exit from south Lebanon in 2000. The responsibility for the war and consequent destruction and violation of international law must be determined and justice delivered.

On July 28 President Bush said: "This is a moment of intense conflict in the Middle East. Yet our aim is to turn it into a moment of opportunity and a chance for broader change in the region." It is not difficult to figure out what he meant by this. This was exactly the purpose for which the war was started by Israel. Both the US and Israel were looking for a situation that could enable them to go for a "broader change in the region."

Maybe the ultimate intention is to take it to Syria and Iran too at some point. Some reports, though unconfirmed, already say that the US has indicated to Israel to go after Syria. This is, if true, undoubtedly a bad intention and bad intention may end up in bad results. Israel could be a bone in US throat in the long run.

However, there are also many sensible leaders in the US. On July 31, CNN reported that Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska called upon President Bush for "ending this madness" referring to slaughter in the present conflict. "The sickening slaughter on both sides must end and it must end now, President Bush must call for an immediate ceasefire. This madness must stop," Senator Hagel insisted.

It is known that President Bush refused to call for a ceasefire and that was taken as a green light by Israel to continue its war against Lebanon. War could not have been the option to have the kidnapped soldiers released, it was something elseto bring about broader changes in the region. Anyway, it only led to more death of Israelis, both soldiers and civilians.

"How do we realistically believe that a continuation of the systematic destruction of an American friendthe country and people of Lebanonis going to enhance America's image and give us the trust and credibility to lead to a lasting and sustained peace effort in the Middle East?" asks Chuch Hagel who is also the number two Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a possible Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election. He is quite aware of the American special relationship with Israel, but he said such relationship "need not and cannot be at the expense of our Arab and Muslin relationships. This is irresponsible and dangerous false choice."

If such a reasonable and indeed correct approach was taken by all politicians in America and Europe, the world would have been a better place today. This policy approach of Senator Hagel has tremendous significance for the US. It tells the whole world of the truth which, if pursued meaningfully with good intention and patience, could practically solve all problems of the US in the Arab and Muslim world. One could even go to the extent of assuming that if Chuck Hagel, though a Republican, had been the president of the United States from 2001, probably there would not have been any 9/11, nor any deadly war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon.

The present form of so-called "terrorism" is largely an imposed one. The people who lost practically everything in terms of land, properties and other assets, including sovereignty, are fighting back for recovery of their land and sovereignty and also for survival against occupation and wholesale oppression. This is no terrorism. It's a complex and very loaded subject and this is why there is no internationally acceptable definition yet on terrorism.

The present loss of American credibility and prestige due to blind, unwise, and undue support to Israel may lead to huge compromise of its own security and international political standing. American leadership and the Congress should realize this truth and change course while dealing with Middle East affairs.

The UN Security Council has already started considering the draft resolution worked out by France and the US. The agreed text calls for a "full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and immediate cessation by Israel all offensive military operations."

On the face of it, it looks good as it talks of cessation of hostilities by both sides but the most notable thing as pointed out by many, however, is the absence of the word "immediate" which is very crucial for ending the fighting right away. This apparently has been covered by the use of the word "immediate" later in the text while asking Hezbollah to stop all attacks and Israel to stop all offensive military operations. This, however, leaves the scope for Israel to continue attack against any provocation. In other words, it can continue to bomb Lebanon just by saying that Israel has detected Hezbollah fighters preparing to launch rocket attack against Israel. Might is right and Israel does not have to prove it to anybody.

There is also the absence of the provision for withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Both Lebanese government and Hezbollah demanded full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Hezbollah member in Lebanese parliament said that if even one Israeli soldier remained in Lebanon, Hezbollah would not stop fighting Israel.

Lebanon has already reacted on the resolution, saying it does not meet the seven-point demands of Lebanon and also it does not talk of immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hence it is unacceptable to Lebanon. Speaker Nabih Berri was very critical of the draft resolution and said all Lebanon rejects the draft resolution. Arab League has also totally rejected the resolution. Arab League insisted that this resolution would not end the war.

In an interview with the CNN, Secretary General Amr Moussa angrily said, why should we condemn kidnapping? Israel itself is guilty of kidnapping very often, as just yesterday Israel kidnapped the Speaker of the Palestinian parliament. The other Arab countries and particularly Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan spoke against the resolution, expressing their views that this resolution would not stop the war.

The US view is different. Secretary Rice said that this was the first step and not the only step. This was meant to stop the fight. The second resolution would take up the issue of international stabilization force and its deployment. As soon as such a force would be in place to support the Lebanese government's full control over south Lebanon, Israel would withdraw. This means that Israel will be in Lebanon as an occupying force which Lebanon and other Arabs would not accept.

All parties to the conflict and the US and France in particular must work sincerely to come to an agreement that can deliver and establish immediate ceasefire. Two major issuesimmediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forcesneed to be considered in the first resolution, otherwise this would not be acceptable to Lebanon, and most importantly, to Hezbollah which is the real party to the conflict.

Too many people on both sides, Lebanese casualties are about ten times higher than that of Israel, have been unnecessarily killed. Israel has been pounding south Lebanon practically non-stop and killing civilians. They can hardly find any Hezbollah fighter.

Hezbollah has been firing rockets indiscriminately to Israel, killing nearly 100 Israelis so far, majority military, and on August 6 only one rocket killed as many as 15, 12 of them military reservists. "This madness must stop and stop now," US Senator Hagel has rightly said, and hence the need for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces, which is the only way to stop "this madness."

If we claim we are civilized people, there should not be any war at all. It's a crime to wage a war. Any wrong done by any state should be dealt with promptly and effectively by the body of the civilized worldthe UN. But the way things have been moving in the present world of Bush and Blair, leading to death, destruction, deprivation, violation of human rights, and also, unfortunately, to some form of clash of religions, it is doubtful whether we are civilized at all.

Muslehuddin Ahmad is a former Secretary and Ambassador and Founder President (VC) of North South University.